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Bed Time? And do lullabies really work?

Bed time?!

“What are you doing? You’re supposed to be going to sleep.”

It’s late at night, and your baby needs to go to sleep. Everything’s been taken care of – clean diaper, quiet house, feeding, burping … so what’s with all that squirming? Maybe all that’s missing is a lullaby.

All research points to yes — lullabies are scientifically proven to lull babies to sleep, stimulate language and cognitive development, as well as strengthen the emotional bond between a parent and child.

This bond is communicated without words. Since your baby can’t yet understand words and language, a lullaby can communicate that everything in the house is taken care of, there is no danger, and so much love that a voice is literally lifted into song.

See (or sing) for yourself

Many thanks to Kindermusik parent, Janice Müller, who filmed this video of herself singing her baby to sleep with a lullaby in the Zulu language. Janice is enrolled in Brandy Butler’s Kindermusik class in Switzerland.

You can watch the video and hear Janice sing here: Click the Oct. 1 blog post.

Janice writes:

“If you want to hear the legendary Miriam Makeba do it justice: click here. The words and translation:”

Tula Baba | Traditional Zulu lullaby

Thula thul, thula baba, thula sana,
Tul’ubab ‘uzobuya ekuseni
Thula thul, thula baba, thula sana,
Tul’ubab ‘uzobuya ekuseni

Kukh’in khan-yezi, zi-holel’ u baba,
Zim-khan yi-sela indlel’e ziyak-haya,
Sobe sik hona xa bonke be-shoyo,
Be-thi bu-yela u-bu-ye le khaya,

Thula thula thula baba,
Thula thula thula sana,
Thula thula thula baba,
Thula thula thula san.

English Translation

Hush, little man, hush, child of mine
Daddy is coming in the morning
Hush, my child, hush, my son
Hush, Daddy is coming from the mountains

We will be here, as the saying goes
They were saying; come back home
We will be here, as the saying goes
I say come back, my child, come to your home

Hush, hush, my son
Hush, hush, my little man
Hush, hush, my child
Hush, hush, my little man

Keep quiet my child
Keep quiet my baby
Be quiet, daddy will be home by dawn

There’s a star that will lead him home
The star will brighten his way home

The hills and stones are still the same my love
My life has changed, yes my life has changed

We’re working to celebrate the diversity of languages around the world, as well as to preserve the lullabies from disappearing languages, and we’d love your help. Do you have a favorite lullaby in your mother tongue? Let us know, and check out “The Mother Tongue Lullaby Project,” a special effort from ABC English & Me.

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Music for Halloween Knights, Princesses, Engineers, and more!

Are you having a Halloween Party for your Kindermusik or ABC English & Me classes? We have a few albums and songs in mind to help you and your little ones enjoy a little musical play with their holiday costumes — and here’s the trick: sneak in a little musical learning along the way!

Sir Henry the Polite Knight

The Polite Knight

He might be shaking under his armor, but Sir Henry the Polite Knight always uses good manners. You can find out how to make an easy, no-sew costume here, and play the Knight-themed music while you and your little one get ready for Halloween!

Listen to song samples and download the music on play.kindermusik.com

Rupert the Wrong Word Pirate

Rupert the Wrong Word Pirate

Pirate costumes are always a favorite around Halloween, and with a few pirate-themed songs sung in English, you can help your little pirate capture a treasure chest full of fun, music, and stories in English. And don’t worry, Rupert always uses the wrong word, too, but that’s how he learns! Look here for a simple no-sew pirate costume and “Ahoy! Mateys! Trick or Treat!”

Listen to song samples and download the music on play.kindermusik.com

Tressa the Magical Princess

Tressa the Magical Princess

Almost no one in Tressa’s family believes she’s a princess, until she uses her magical princess powers to quiet down a crying baby brother! Find some princess themed stories, songs, and activities to lend a little musical magic to your child’s no-sew princess costume.

Listen to song samples and download the music on play.kindermusik.com

10 in the Bed

Favorite Farm Animals

Find more songs about farm animals and animal-themed games in “Old Macdonald.” Find some super easy, no-sew animal themed costumes and play simple counting games, sing songs together, and make animal noises while you go from house to house.

Listen to song samples and download the music on play.kindermusik.com

All Aboard!

Calling all Airplane Pilots and Engineers

Transportation-themed sound effects abound when you search for music by the “transportation” theme in the online music store.

Listen to song samples and download the music on play.kindermusik.com

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FOL Fridays: Pattern Awareness

Kindermusik - Learning About Patterns with Kids Instruments

Pattern awareness is crucial to learning and memory. Just as in reading stories, singing and rhythmic speech expose participants directly to the patterns of language, including rhythm, speech sounds, syntax, and rhyme.

Tips for parents:

Patterns are all around – outdoors, indoors, in colors, how we arrange items on the counter or table, and even on the clothes we wear. With patterns surrounding us, it’s easy to play “pick up” pattern games with your child. First, point to the pattern. Have your child identify the individual parts. Then work together to point out how it all goes together. If there are objects that can be moved, you can even challenge your child to create some patterns of his own.

You can even try learning about patterns with your Kindermusik instruments!

Kindermusik - Learning About Patterns with Kids Instruments

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

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Kindermusik Olympics – Involving Your Kids

Kindermusik Olympics - Involving Kids in the 2012 Olympics

Kindermusik Olympics - Involving Kids in the 2012 OlympicsHas Olympic Fever hit your house? We know many of our Kindermusik families are making the games a family affair. We’ve seen pictures of Opening-Ceremony-themed family dinners (fish and chips, homemade signs for Team USA, Olympic Rings and Gold Medal cookies), glow-in-the-dark baths with red, white, and blue glowsticks, and even know a family who is playing a version of Olympic BINGO that will span from the Opening Ceremony to the Closing Ceremony.

The games provide endless possibilities for conversations with your child. While watching the events, here are some age-specific conversation starters:

Babies and Toddlers

  • Name the colors of the uniforms and flags.
  • Talk about the shapes you see (the pool is a rectangle,  the ball is a circle).
  • Describe the events you are watching.  Use verbs to label the movements, etc.
  • Use your best Olympic Commentator voice to narrate a gold-medal winning session of getting dressed, drinking a bottle/eating lunch, or even bath time.  Be sure the crowd cheers at the completion of the event!

Preschoolers

  • Ask which event they’d like to try.  Pretend to be an Olympic athlete.
  • Keep a count of medals won.  Let your preschooler add tally marks to keep track of gold, silver, and bronze.
  • Play a rhyming game with Olympic words (what rhymes with red?  White?  Blue?  Badminton?)
  • Discuss how to be a good sport.

School-Aged Kids

  • Talk about goals.  Imagine together how hard Olympic athletes must have to work to meet their goals.
  • Find some of the countries competing in the Olympics on a map.  Talk about the similarities and differences between the USA and each country.
  • Design a team flag, poster, or uniform.
  • As you watch events where the athletes earn points, talk about greater than/less than, do some simple addition and subtraction, talk about fractions and decimals.

Because we know music makes everything more fun…

Check out this Kindermusik Olympics Playlist:
(To hear a sample of each song and to purchase, click on the song title to visit Play.Kindermusik.com)

What a Day
Catch Me
Yankee Doodle
Keep the Ball a-Rolling
The Keel Row
Burpee, Burpee, Jumping Jack & Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Swimming, Swimming
Walk and Stop
Follow My Leader to London Town

We know the [Kindermusik and] InJoy Music community is full of creative parents and great ideas. What is your family doing to celebrate the Olympics? Have you been watching the events? Which are your favorites? Will you have a family version of the Olympics? Share with us in the comments!

Contributed by InJoy Music, proudly offering Kindermusik classes in the Lenexa, KS area.

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4th of July Music for Kids

4th of July Children's Music

Happy 4th of July!

It’s a day of celebration and along with fireworks, parades, and BBQs why not have a little more fun by teaching your kids songs for the 4th of July.

4th of July Music for Kids
Source: blog.beliefnet.com

We came across a few songs that can be sung to the tune of many childhood favorites! Thanks to childfun.com for these great suggestions…

Designs In The Sky
(sung to “Frere Jacques”)
Fourth of July, Fourth of July,
It is fun, it is fun.
A picnic in the park,
And then after dark,
Designs in the sky, Fourth of July.

On the Fourth of July…
(sung to “London Bridge”)
It’s our country’s birthday,
Birthday, birthday.
It’s our country’s birthday,
On the Fourth of July!

On Independence Day…
(sung to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
Fireworks go snap, snap, snap!
Crack, crack, crack!
Zap, zap, zap!
Fireworks make me clap, clap, clap
On Independence Day!

Way Up In The Sky…4th of July activity
(sung to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”)
Wave, wave, wave the flag,
Hold it very high.
Watch the colors gently wave,
Way up in the sky.

March, march, march around,
Hold the flag up high.
Wave, wave, wave the flag,
Way up in the sky.

If you know of any 4th of July songs for kids, please share! Our community is always looking for new ideas and fun activities for kids.

Also, check out play.kindermusik.com for more fun kids songs. With our vast selection, you’ll be sure to find a few songs your kids will enjoy!

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FOL Fridays: Why Make Music Together?

Kindermusik_MakingMusicTogetherEnsemble

When creating music together in an ensemble, or group setting, each participant has the opportunity to experience music with “greater harmonic color, musical depth, variety of sound, and rhythmic complexities” than when participating alone.  Ensemble opportunities also “stimulate and challenge” self-confidence, imagination, and musical understanding (Leung 2006).

Kindermusik_MakingMusicTogetherEnsemble

Ideas for parents:

Create a little “ensemble” of your own.  You can use homemade or purchased instruments and play-along to a favorite song on the iPod or radio, or even a song you sing.  You might also have fun making an instrument out of something that isn’t usually an instrument – a bowl and a spoon make a great drum, a slightly inflated paper bag makes a nice rhythm instrument, and even two spoons tapped together add a nice sound.

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

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FOL Fridays: Ring Around the Rosie

Circle Dances

Circle dances come from the wonderful tradition of communities dancing together, a tradition which is timeless in origin and yet relevant today in its capacity to foster togetherness. Dancing in a circle actually benefits the mind, body, and spirit.

“It is a very accessible form of dance for people of all ages and abilities, with the emphasis on participation, not performance” (Michaelsen).

Tips for parents:

Remember the fun of making a circle and singing “Ring Around the Rosie” when you were a child? That fun lives on nearly every week in a Kindermusik class where we do all

kinds of circle and group dances together.

But you don’t have to be in class to enjoy a circle dance – even just two people can make their own circle and dance to their own song or a favorite recording. You’ll still experience the same wonderful benefits whether it’s two or a whole class dancing in a circle together.

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

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Activities for Babies 6 to 12 Months: “Pop!”

Sit on the floor cross-legged holding baby in your lap. Sing Pop! Goes the Weasel and sway from side to side with the beat of the music. On the word “Pop!” gently topple backward, and then roll forward again. Helping your baby feel a steady beat by engaging him in music and movement is important to his developing physical coordination.

Download Pop Goes the Weasel and other Kindermusik baby songs on play.kindermusik.com

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FOL Fridays: Benefits of Reading Aloud

Reading to Toddlers

Reading to ToddlersReading to a child on a regular basis benefits him in several key ways. Reading increases his knowledge of the world, his vocabulary, his familiarity with the written language, and his interest in becoming literate. In fact, the larger the variety of fluent readers a child hears, the better.

Ideas for parents: Even if other special adults in your child’s life do not live nearby, it’s still possible for your child to hear them reading aloud. Hallmark has recordable books. Skype offers free video calls. And MailVU makes it possible to record and send a video email. The possibilities are endless!

– Contributed by Theresa Case, whose Greenville, SC program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

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Kindermusik and Your Child: The Development of the Singer

Because they are experiencing an explosion of language, many preschool children tend to respond first to the words in a song rather than the rhythm or melody. Once they have heard the whole song and understand the song’s "story," they are most likely to then be able to concentrate on the melodic line. Children are most successful when singing songs that have a limited range, common rhythmic and melodic patterns, simple words, and plenty of repetition. That’s why Kindermusik songs are so catchy!

Joanne Rutowski, an expert on the child’s voice, describes the stages of vocal, or singing, development:

The Pre-Singer
Speaks rather than sings; uses little vocal inflection
The Speaking Range Singer
Talk-sings in a limited speaking range, with little vocal inflection
The Limited Range Singer
Sings in a range that is a bit higher than the speaking range but still limited
The Singer
Sings in a wide range; uses much vocal inflection when speaking

So what can you do to foster your child’s singing development?

  • Children love singing when they are singing songs they know. Download the tracks from your Home CD onto your iPod at http://play.kindermusik.com and keep your Home CD in the car so that your child can become familiar with the music from this semester.
  • Encourage your child to sing in a light head voice.
  • Surround your child with a rich listening environment.
  • Sing with your child. Love and enjoyment of singing is contagious!

When children are happily singing, they are stimulating all developmental domains: physical, emotional, language, and cognitive. Particularly

significant is the reinforcement singing provides in abilities relating to sequences, patterns, memory, and language.

Compiled by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.