Kids Activities Archives - Page 7 of 16 - Minds On Music

How to Throw a Music-themed Birthday Party

Looking for a unique way to celebrate your child’s birthday? Whether your child is turning 1 or going on 7, we have the perfect solution – a customized musical birthday party!

Kids LOVE music, and there’s no better way to involve the whole crowd than to throw a musical birthday party. And it’s EASIER than you might think! Here’s how:

Step 1 – Contact your local Kindermusik educator.

Kindermusik educators are the experts when it comes to making music and making children smile, and they know how to put together the perfect blend of music, dancing, instruments, and singing to celebrate your child’s special day in the most memorable of ways.

Step 2 – Choose your theme.

Your Kindermusik educator is one of the most creative people on the planet! She can plan a general music-themed party, or she can customize the music and activities to the theme of your choice – themes like 1st birthday, princess, teddy bear picnic, under the sea, bubbles and balloon, on the farm, monster trucks, and more!

Step 3 – Plan your guest list.

Consult with your Kindermusik teacher, but usually about 10 – 12 children is a good size for a Kindermusik birthday party. If the children are 3 years or younger, you’ll want to be sure that the children’s parents know that they get to participate too!

Step 4 – Put together your party favors.

Carry the musical theme right on through to the favors. Your Kindermusik teacher can help you plan some musical party favors, or you can put together your own with age-appropriate instruments available from the Kindermusik store.

Or you can do a “Make it, Take it” party favor and make your own homemade instruments at the party.

Step 5 – Plan your decorations.

As with most things involving young children, the simpler, the better. Colorful balloons make for a nice table decoration. Make your own banner using these free printable banner letters or frame this Kindermusik Birthday Cheer printable to put on the table by the cake or gifts.

Step 6 – Relax and enjoy!

The smile on your child’s face will be worth it all. You’ll love not having to do much more than show up. And the memories? Well, they’ll be priceless. That’s the beauty of Kindermusik!

Contributed by Theresa Case whose award-winning Kindermusik program is located in beautiful upstate South Carolina at Piano Central Studios.

It’s Rhyme Time!

Jack and Jill, Humpty Dumpty, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider may not have the most compelling storylines (it’s mostly lots of falling down, right?), but these beloved nursery rhyme characters have entertained generations of children with their antics. Why? Well, nursery rhymes are silly, catchy, and memorable. They also happen to be a fantastic pre-reading tool. In fact, exposing young children to rhymes even before they can understand the principle behind rhyming is as important as introducing children to music before they can create it, or to books before they can read them.

Being able to hear and identify words that rhyme is the earliest phonemic awareness task. Phonemic awareness is the understanding that a word is made up of a sequence of discrete sounds, or phonemes, and it is an essential skill for learning to read. Plus, rhyming is the precursor skill to identifying syllables within words.

3 Tips for Playing Rhyming Games with Young Children:

Ask children to listen for the “words that sound alike.”
Try to use rhyming words that have only one syllable, such as cat, sat, and mat.
When first introducing the concept of rhyming, use words that can be associated with pictures, such as bat and hat. Later, progress to playing rhyming games without visual support.

Looking for more activities that support a young child’s development? Find a local Kindermusik educator at www.kindermusik.com and visit a class.

Sing in the New Year with Kids

The holidays look a little bit different when children enter the family and New Year’s Eve is no exception. So, while you probably won’t be watching the ball drop in Times Square, oohing and awing at the fireworks at the stroke of midnight, (or even staying awake that late…unless you count that midnight feeding), your young family can start new traditions. We put together a few of our favorite ways to ring sing in the New Year with young children.

4 Ways to Ring in the New Year with Kids

Make a musical time capsule with a 2015 playlist of your family’s current favorite music. Over the years, your family will love listening to past favorites and rediscovering the memories, too.
Pick a country ringing in the New Year about an hour before your child’s regular bedtime and celebrate the stroke of midnight with them. After all, it’s midnight somewhere in the world! This will help to keep your child’s bedtime at a “normal” time while also giving your family plenty of opportunities to celebrate 2015 through song and dance and, of course, the countdown to the New Year.
Sing “Goodbye” to 2014. Change the words to your favorite Kindermusik goodbye song or make up your own. These two Kindermusik cuties brought out instruments for their special goodbye song.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdpyDGi0Zh4[/youtube]

Put a Kindermusik twist on a New Year’s Eve staple. The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a nostalgic expression of friendship. So, why not celebrate the turning of the calendar with your favorite Kindermusik activities to remember your new and old friends from class? Some of our favorites include lap bounces like “Giddy Up Horsey,” instrument exploration, hayrides, ball play, and hammocking. Need some more ideas? How about 24 more?

Want to sing in the New Year with your family? Find a local educator at www.Kindermusik.com and visit a free class in 2015.

Contributed by Lisa Camino Rowell, a freelance writer in the Atlanta area.

Make a Today Book with Kids

It’s easy to think about taking pictures or making scrapbooks about “important” days like holidays or birthdays. But even the ordinary days can transform into extra special memories with an easy homemade book that marks the momentous occasion of “savor-this-moment.”

Follow these easy instructions to make – and enjoy! – this simple together time craft.

And if the warm fuzzies and happy moments that you’ll have from making a memory book with your child aren’t enough, we thought we’d share another wonderful benefit of making a Today Book.

One important pre-literacy skill is called “Concepts of Print.” Simply put, it means that before children can learn to read, they need to understand what a book is and how it works—which way to hold it, which direction their written language goes (left-to-right, top-to-bottom, or right-to-left), and that print carries meaning. Making a book is a terrific way to develop this valuable pre-literacy skill that will put your child on the path to reading.

Oh, and we’re pretty sure you’ll love the cuddles and hugs that are sure to occur when you read and re-read your Today Book with your child!

Looking for more activities to do with your child? Come visit a Kindermusik class. Find your local licensed Kindermusik educator at www.Kindermusik.com.

Rhythmic Dictation and Early Literacy Skills

Do you remember taking spelling tests as a child? Sitting at your desk, listening intently as your teacher said a word, and then trying to visualize what the word looked like while also attempting to write it on your paper or (gasp!) spell it out loud in front of the whole class? Ugh! For English speakers, that silent “e” caught many of us off guard. You probably didn’t realize it at the time but listening, identifying the word, and then writing the word down helped you become a better reader.

Although we don’t give spelling tests (or any tests, for that matter) in Kindermusik, we do give children’s ears lots of musical practice in listening to rhythms, identifying what they hear, repeating them, and using rhythm cards to “write” the patterns down. We call this process rhythmic dictation. So, while we “ta ta ti-ti ta,” clap, pick out the right rhythm card, or play an instrument along with a song, children gain practice in recognizing relationships between sounds and symbols, which supports children’s budding musicianship and early literacy skills.

Rhythmic Dictation Inside the Kindermusik Classroom

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPosMJF1mBQ[/youtube]

You can try this at home or in your classroom, too. Clap out a rhythm and let child(ren) repeat it. Make each clapping rhythm more difficult than the last. Take turns being the copycat.

To learn more about the benefits of music on early literacy development visit http://www.kindermusik.com/schools/benefits

Contributed by Lisa Camino Rowell, a freelance writer living in the Atlanta area.

Leave the Detective Work to the Kids

The ability to think critically about a situation is essential for all problem solving and academic learning. Deductive reasoning, the ability to reason from general premises to more specific premises, is one essential aspect of critical thinking.

In fact, renowned educational researcher, Dr. Howard Gardner, includes deductive reasoning within one of his seven areas of intelligence—the Logical/Mathematical Intelligence. Dr. Gardner (and other researchers) argue that the ability to detect patterns, think logically, and to reason is critical for developing text comprehension, mathematical, and science skills later in school.

What might be surprising to some is that very young children are at the very tip of their capacity for deductive reasoning, but like many areas of development, the most effective growth in learning comes through practice – in this case, brain practice.

The Critical Thinking Co., puts it this way, “Deductive reasoning can be taught, but it is its regular practice that yields the benefits to students. The brain acts like a muscle and exercising it through logic, analysis, and critical thinking is what gives it the strength to question, to learn, and to discover.”

So… if your young child is at the tip of their capacity for deductive reasoning and practicing those skills is so vitally important for learning and discovery, how can a parent tip the cognitive development scale in a child’s favor?

Use this free Kindermusik@Home activity: “Who Could It Be?” to practice some deductive reasoning skills with your child.

This activity may take some adult interaction and support—but then your child will be hooked! You’ll both delight in that first moment when your child figures out one of the answers on his/her own.

One way to reinforce a child’s growing deductive reasoning skills is for you to articulate your own reasoning for coming to a conclusion and then to ask your child to do the same. For example, in “Who Could It Be?,” you can clearly explain that you figured out that the sheep took the bunnies in his car because there were tire marks leaving the Pet Shop and only the sheep was driving a car. Then ask your child, “HOW do you know it was the monkey who made a mess at the ice cream cart?”
Predicting what comes next in a story is another way to develop deductive reasoning. For example, ask your child, “WHAT do you think will happen next? And WHY do you think that?”

It doesn’t take much to boost your child’s critical thinking skills, but it does take intentionality mixed with fun and engaging activities. This is why Kindermusik has been such a favorite experience for parents for so many years – our class activities and @Home Materials give parents the time and the tools to make great parenting – including giving your child every possible cognitive and academic advantage – that much easier and that much more joyful.

To learn more about music supports the development of deductive reasoning skills, visit www.Kindermusik.com.

5 Musical Ways to Manage Holiday Meltdowns

A mom uses gentle rocking to comfort her toddler during a meltdown.

Ah, the holidays—a time of rest, joyous family gatherings, and the harmonious sound of…meltdowns.

The reality is that this season often adds stress to families, especially for its youngest members.

Different schedules, new places, travel times, rich foods, family photos, and general overstimulation affect everything from mealtime to bedtime, which can contribute to not-so-merry meltdowns.

While grownups have the ability to command self-control faster, the brain’s pre-frontal cortex (where this function is typically associated) is not fully developed until adulthood. Additionally, relaxation is a learned behavior, which is why trying to reason with a toddler during a tantrum doesn’t usually work.

So, in the midst of holiday chaos, it’s important to gently teach children how to relax. Music and movement are some of the best tools out there to help little ones reset, recoup, and get ready for the next event.

Continue reading “5 Musical Ways to Manage Holiday Meltdowns”

7 Crafts to Get Kids' Hands Dirty and Minds Engaged

We love this quote around here at Kindermusik: “We didn’t realize we were making memories – we just knew we were having fun.”
This perfectly summarizes what happens in a Kindermusik class and at home whenever families engage in musical activities together. This quote also rings true around the November and December holiday season, too. As you gather together with family at home—or at school for special holiday open houses—consider adding a few of these hands-on crafts for kids into the mix. Of course, we would also suggest adding in some music, too!
TIP: Whip up any of these ahead of time so that it’s easy to give your child something new to explore while you wrap gifts or cook dinner.
#1: Puffy Paint
1 part white glue
1 part shaving cream
glitter or food coloring
squeeze bottles
Mix equal parts of the shaving cream and glue in a bowl. Now you can add food coloring or glitter. The surprising texture after it has dried is fun, too.
#2: Bubble Bath Finger Paints
2 cups flour
water
1 teaspoon salt
food coloring
bubble bath (not the foamy type)
Mix water with the flour until you get a paste. Add food coloring and bubble bath until you get the thickness you like. This works well in the bath tub. They can paint themselves or the walls and it washes right off. It may turn the water the color of the food coloring but it won’t stain the child. If you want to make different colors, try putting them in a muffin tin!
#3: Bubbles
1 cup water
1/3 cup dish soap (Joy, Sunlight, etc.)
2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
Combine ingredients and enjoy. Try using different objects from your utensil drawer as a bubble wand.
Bubble Blowing Tools
Use a plastic straw, or make lots of little bubbles by wrapping colored masking tape around five or six plastic straws.
Berry baskets
Fly-swatters
Plastic rings from soda six-packs
Wands made from pipe cleaners
#4: Flubber!
In a large container combine:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 cups white glue
Food coloring
In second, smaller container, combine:
1 1/3 cups warm water
3 tsp. Borax
Mix ingredients in each container thoroughly. Pour contents of smaller container in to large container. Gently lift and turn mixture until only about a tablespoon of liquid is left. FLUBBER will be sticky for a moment or two. Let excess liquid drip off then FLUBBER will be ready! Next, play! You’ll be amazed at how your Flubber will stretch, bounce, and roll!
Store in an airtight container for about three weeks of use.
#5: Silly Putty
1 part Sta-Flo Liquid Starch
1 part Elmer’s White Glue*
Food coloring (optional)
Mix glue and starch together until it feels like a putty. If desired, add food coloring and mix thoroughly. When not in use, Silly Putty may be stored in an airtight container.
*Important Note: Be sure to use Elmer’s White Glue, NOT Elmer’s “Washable” or “School Glue.”
#6: Edible Peanut Butter Playdough
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup powdered milk
Knead until smooth, then shape and enjoy!
#7: Slime
Corn starch
Water
Food coloring (optional)
Put cornstarch in bowl. Add enough water to make a paste. If desired, you may also add food coloring. This makes a messy slime that goes from liquid to solid.
Did you know?? Children rely on sensory input to learn about their environment. Sensory play builds neural connections that support thought, learning, and creativity.
Learn more about music classes for kids at www.Kindermusik.com.

Happy Universal Children's Day!

Make and celebrate! In celebration of Universal Children’s Day, we’re happy to share this Kindermusik @Home activity idea for a homemade instrument that you can make and enjoy together.