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Kindermusik is like having you with your very own weekly playgroup with music and more! Looking for ways to keep your child active?
Kindermusik develops your child’s motor skills, rhythm, and coordination. It’s a great way to provide physical activities for kids. Looking to enhance your child’s creativity?Kindermusik is a place where your child’s imagination, curiosity, and love for learning is encouraged and expanded. Looking for tips on childhood development?
Kindermusik supports you, in class and at home, with expert research and helpful ideas in the middle of all the fun. Looking for memories to last a lifetime?
Kindermusik inspires cuddles, giggles, imagination, and learning in class and at home. Looking for great group activities for kids?
Look no further than your local Kindermusik program. In fact, we invite you to try a class for FREE on us!
Kindermusik gives your child so much more than just music. Backed by more than 30 years of experience, Kindermusik is a carefully planned curriculum and a delightfully enjoyable experience that also offers the benefits of sports, gymnastics, dance, art, preschool… and then some!
– Special thanks to Kindermusik educators Theresa Case and Cathy Huser for their contributions to this post.
To a child with imagination and a parent who hasn’t forgotten the simple joys
of childlike playfulness, every object has unlimited possibilities. Ball play enables children to investigate rolling, bouncing, passing, and tossing, exercising their imaginations as well as their gross-motor skills.
Tips for parents: You can enjoy ball play indoors or out with a Gertie® ball. Gerties are squishy, catchable balls perfect for the child just learning ball skills. Add a little fun ball play music – it’s easy to put together a favorite playlist from play.kindermusik.com just by searching on the word “ball.”
Did you know that the benefits of music include preparing a child for school? When intentionally used as part of a pre-K curriculum or preschool curriculum, musical learning can positively impact the cognitive development in children and help children of all abilities be ready to learn at any age. Here are just five ways to use music when teaching children enrolled in a preschool or pre-K curriculum.
5 musical learning activities that support cognitive development in children
Circle dances teach cooperation. Ringing around the rosey gives children more than a pocketful of posies. Choreographed movements require children to cooperate, move in synch with a group, and listen to and follow oral instructions.
Identifying the specific sounds (or timbre) of different instruments teaches children auditory discrimination. The same sound discrimination used inrecognizing the difference between the musical note “C” played on a clarinet verses the same note played on a piano by sound—not sight—helps children hear the minute differences between letter sounds or phonemes, which supports early literacy and language development.
Moving to the tempo of the music teaches children to be active listeners. When children respond to the changing tempo of a song—from fast to slow—or when children move slowly when they hear the music change from staccato to legato, they are using their body movements to practice active listening skills.
“Stop and Go” activities with music builds self-regulation skills. Children need to learn to tell their bodies what to do, when to stop, when to go, and when to move on to another activity. When playing a musical learning game of “Freeze Dance,” children learn and practice self-regulation skills by responding to the musical cues.
Finger plays, such as “Itsy-Bitsy Spider,” help children learn to coordinate hand, finger, and wrist movements that support fine motor control and precision. Those fine motor skills will help children hold a pencil correctly, use scissors, and even tie their own shoes.
Pre-K curriculum uses musical learning
Our school partners and students benefit from ABC Music & Me – see the research-proven results!
In our preschool curriculum, ABC Music & Me, teaching children includes singing, dancing, and instrument exploration. Throughout all the musical learning, teachers are laying the groundwork for school readiness. Plus, our preschool curriculum includes proven results,in spatial-temporal reasoning, self-control, and even a 32 percent gain in early literacy.
For more information about bringing our pre-k curriculum, preschool curriculum, or Head Start curriculum to your school, email us at info@abcmusicandme.com.
Is there a special baby, toddler, preschooler, or big kid on your Christmas list this year? Maybe you’re a little stumped about what to give because of course, you want something meaningful, something enjoyable, and yes, even something they’ll love for a long time to come. Something that even their adults would be thrilled about. We’re happy to say that we have the perfect solution…
Give the gift of music – Kindermusik, that is!
Here are our top 12 reasons why:
You’ll save on wrapping paper and shipping costs.
It’s one of the easiest gifts you can make.
Kindermusik is movement, music, play, dancing, story time, and more – all rolled up in one great experience.
Early childhood music classes enhance a child’s development in every area.
Music makes kids smarter – the research proves it!
Music classes, especially Kindermusik, inspire lots of together time and bonding.
Young children need a social outlet too, just like their adults!
Kindermusik is a place where children of all ages, all temperaments, and all learning styles can flourish.
You’ll give that special little person in your life something to look forward to each week in class.
The Kindermusik Home Materials will give parent and child something to do and enjoy at home in between classes.
We promise, no re-gifting. They’ll LOVE it!
It’s a lasting, memorable gift that will put a song in their hearts and a smile on their faces.
For children ages newborn to 7 years, there’s no better musical gift you can give than Kindermusik. Find your local Kindermusik educator today and get one more thing checked off your gift list!
P.S. While you’re at it, check out some of our fabulous new baby music classes, including Cuddle & Bounce for newborns and 1s and Sing & Play for 1s and 2s.
(Source: makingmulticulturalmusic.wordpress.com/)
This time of year we all seem to be on the lookout for family activities and fun things for kids to do. After all, with the holiday season upon us who doesn’t need ideas for activities for 2 year olds, 3 year olds, or the whole family? Let’s be honest, though. It probably never hurts to have a few extra ideas for fun things for kids to do—at any time of the year.
So, we pulled together a few ideas from Pinterest that we thought the rest of the Kindermusik community would enjoy. These family activities are not only fun but they also include the added benefit of teaching sustainability for kids. Go ahead and pin this post and consider it like that extra change of clothes for your children you always keep in the car—you might need them today or next week—but you know you will need them!
5 family activities that support the environment for kids
14 world instruments that can be made from recycled materials.Looking for something to do with that roasting pan? Try transforming it into a gong. Instead of taking that old cardboard box or milk container to the recycle bin, let your child use it for a drum or a shaker.
Go on a nature scavenger hunt. Playing outside and noticing the world around us teaches young children about the importance of caring for our planet. Try this nature scavenger hunt with the whole family. The pictures make it easy even for non-readers to join in on the fun.
Make a Ball Maze from recycled materials Paper towel and toiler paper tubs can work for this fun activity for kids. To extend the activity, you can even encourage your children to decorate the tubes with paint or crayons.
Turn artwork into, well, artwork. Put on music from Kindermusik class, give your children white paper and crayons, and encourage them to draw what they hear. Then, use this blogger’s idea to turn their artwork into something new.
Read about the earth. Sometimes a trip to the library can be just the adventure a baby, toddler, or preschooler needs. While there, grab a few of these books about the earth and snuggle up to read together.
Did you like these ideas for fun things for kids to do? Then try: 5 ideas to involve the whole family in being green. It feels good to be prepared with creative family activities and take care of the environment for kids at the same time!
(Source: Grow & Sing Studios)
Although we just celebrated a holiday devoted to giving candy to children, we all understand that fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet. A child filled with strawberries, carrots, and yogurt behaves radically different than a child filled with candy corn, chocolate, and a juice box. You don’t need to be a teacher of an early childhood curriculum to understand that!
In addition to a healthy nutritional diet, children also need a healthy “screen time diet.” Today’s children are considered digital natives, but too much of a good thing can be, well, too much. And, of course, not all television shows, movies, and mobile apps for kids are created equal—some are more candy than carrots for the brain. However, in a world filled with smart phones and tablets, and with televisions found everywhere from the home to the car to the local family-friendly restaurant, it can be challenging.
A healthy “media diet” matters
A group of pediatricians recently published the results of their study, “Modifying Media Content for Preschool Children,” that showed that increasing a child’s exposure to screen time that teaches positive social behavior can strengthen a child’s social skills. In the study, the pediatricians recruited 565 parents of preschool-aged children ages 3 to 5 years. Without decreasing or increasing the amount of screen time, the participants simply changed what their children watched. After six months and again after 12 months, the parents reported increased social competence and behavior in their children. In addition, the preschoolers showed significantly less aggression and better social skills when compared to the control group.
Try “feeding” your children these mobile apps for kids
Finding the best mobile apps for kids can be tough. Unlike the grocery store where healthy foods come with labels like “organic,” “100% whole grains,” or “120% of vitamin C,” apps that support a healthy “media diet” such as early language development, phonemic awareness, or even musical learning aren’t as clearly identified. As creators of early childhood curriculum and with thousands of educators around the world, the Kindermusik community can help. An earlier blog post identified 6 websites and mobile apps for kids that support early literacy development, including the Reading Rainbow app. This trusted app for kids includes eBooks for families to read together and video field trips to expand a child’s world from the comfort of a parent’s lap! Plus, Kindermusik will be partnering with Reading Rainbow to bring a “Musical Island” to the app and we’d love your help naming the island! The new Kindermusik Island will contain a limited selection of eBooks from the Kindermusik library and some additional videos that Reading Rainbow and Kindermusik will produce together around musical topics. Help us name the new Kindermusik/Reading Rainbow Music Island!
Enter your suggestion by clicking this link. If your name is chosen you will win a $100 Amazon Gift Card, a free 6-month subscription to the Reading Rainbow app AND a Kindermusik prize package! Enter to Win now – Friday, November 15, 2013. Of course, we want to mention Kindermusik@Home as part of a healthy media diet. Available through enrollment in Kindermusik, Kindermusik@Home provides parenting resources, musical learning games for kids, eBooks, and developmental insights behind the activities. Kindermusik@Home helps children learn both online and encourages families to take the learning offline through engaging activities. Try one of these Kindermusik@Home activities today!
To learn more about enrolling in a Kindermusik class and receiving access to Kindermusik@Home, contact a local educator via our Class Locator.
It’s always great to have some physical activities for kids that you can pull out of your pocket, so to speak, and enjoy together. And in our opinion, one of the best activities is combining music and movement!
Experts tell us that movement is key to learning. That’s why movement is so foundational to our Kindermusik classes. But movement, especially with music, can also be the key to your sanity, especially on a cold, rainy, stuck-in-the-house day. To help you out with a little fresh inspiration, here are a few of our favorite Kindermusik movement activities for kids: Finger plays and toe wiggles – These are the smallest of all movements, but they can be lots of fun! Think “Eency Weency Spider” or “This Little Piggy.” Free dance – Just turn on some music and dance to your heart’s content. Hint: Have a playlist of several songs to prolong the enjoyment. Moving with a prop – Grab a scarf and bounce, twirl, or swish to the music. You can also try it with a stuffed animal too. Rocking – Rocking can be more calming or more active, depending your mood and the kind of music you choose. Choreographed movement – Preschoolers and big kids can really get their creative juices flowing if they get to decide what steps go with what parts of the song. Forward-and-back, side-to-side, ’round and around, zig-zagging, and more!
Kindermusik is the world’s leader in music and movement classes for young children. Come sing, sway, dance, and play with us at a free preview class today!
Written by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in beautiful Upstate South Carolina is proudly among the top 1% in the world.
We’ve all had them…one of THOSE days when we’re at our wit’s end and fresh out of ideas for something – anything! – to cheer up an unhappy baby or to engage a very busy little toddler. Or maybe it’s a really good day, and we just want to take advantage of the perfect opportunity for a little extra learning through music. If you are a Kindermusik parent, look no further than yourKindermusik @Home Materials that not only complement our newest curricula, but also give you instant access to music, activities, and e-books – all carefully designed with you and your little one in mind.
And no, we’re not suggesting that you turn over your device or tablet to your small child; but rather, we’re encouraging you that some of the best activities for kids and some of the most delightful music on the planet is right there at your fingertips!
We invite you to take a quick (and free!) peek at just what we’re talking about…
From Cuddle & Bounce, our new Baby Music Class for 0s and 1s
4 (Non-Laundry) Uses for a Laundry Basket – Who knew?! Crinkly, Furry, Bumpy, Strange – Learning by exploring textures of every day objects
From Sing & Play, our new Toddler Music Class for 1s and 2s
Play Ideas: Fill and Empty – Sure to keep your child occupied for hours! Let’s Make a Doghouse – So much fun to do and then to enjoy
The secret is out…
These incredible resources that we call Kindermusik @Home Materials are really for the parents, just one of the ways that Kindermusik truly helps make great parenting just a little bit easier and a whole lot more musical.
Kindermusik International knows and respects that each family gets to decide what’s best for them when it comes to the issue of screen time or the use of technology and young children. In creating our new digital tools and parenting resources, Kindermusik has read about and researched this topic thoroughly. We have aligned our stance with that of the highly respected NAEYC and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning, recognizing that children can benefit from a responsible and age-appropriate use of technology in combination with hands-on experiences and in partnership with an actively involved caregiver. We are proud to bring these high-quality educational materials to your family in hopes we can truly embody the very best of both worlds- a responsible introduction to technology AND lots of hands-on, movement-rich, in-your-lap, down-on-the-floor learning.
Have you meet the newest members of the Kindermusik family? We are talking about our two newest Kindermusik classes: Cuddle & Bounce and Sing & Play.Babies and toddlers grow and learn at an amazing
pace. Seemingly one minute your child needs to be swaddled up snuggly and the next minute your little one wobbles (or runs!) around the room. In our Kindermusik baby music classes and toddler music classes, we use music and movement to nurture and guide all the learning that takes place during these years.
New baby music class: Cuddle & Bounce
Babies grow by leaps and bounds their first year—or more accurately by grasps and scoots. In our new baby music class, Cuddle & Bounce, we nurture a baby’s development through music and movement activities that also support a parent’s role as a child’s first and best teacher. Monthly lessons might focus on language and vocal development, brain development, fine- and gross-motor skills, social-emotional development, and musical development. Enrollment includes access to Kindermusik@Home, where parents and caregivers can download the music from class, gain developmental insights behind the activities, find practical tips to support your baby’s development, and more.
New toddler music class: Sing & Play
Your child will love playing, moving, and singing in this high-energy toddler music class. Sing & Play includes activities for toddlers with a special emphasis on movement and vocal development—two major areas of growth for toddlers. Monthly lessons include instrument play, dance, exploration time, musical concepts, together time, and expert advice offering insight behind these activities for toddlers. Plus, enrollment includes access to Kindermusik@Home, where parents and caregivers can download the music from class, read a monthly eBook during storytime at home, go on virtual field trips, discover new ideas for activities for toddlers, and more!
Children learn best by doing. Through modeling, a child has many opportunities to imitate steady beat and experiment with steady-beat playing. Practicing these emerging music skills within the context of meaningful and playful activities gives a child a rich and unparalleled learning experience. Ideas for parents: Music is such a tremendous vehicle for learning of all kinds, but to enhance and inspire your child’s developing music skills, make it a goal to surround your child with music at home – during play, as he settles for nap, at bath time, and before bed. Whether you’re singing to him or you just keep the iPod or radio playing, your child will benefit tremendously and will likely be inspired to pick up and play along. Listening and responding to music exposes your child to the many wonderful benefits of music and a musical environment.
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