Babies and toddlers enjoy blowing. As they practice blowing, they strengthen mouth muscles and develop awareness of their breathing, which will help their language development.
With preschoolers and early elementary, blowing develops their diaphragms and builds muscle control necessary for singing and wind instrument playing.
Blowing also helps children become aware of the fact that they can use breath to make a variety of sounds, move things, blow out candles, or create a cooling breeze.
Blowing for all ages
· Blow kisses – even babies can do this!
· Blow through a straw into your milk, juice or water.
· Blow bubbles.
· Play a slide whistle or a harmonica (like the one in this semester’s Our Time).
· Put a dab of watercolor or thinned tempura paint on a piece of paper. Blow on it with a straw and make beautiful designs.
For older children
· Put a fluffy craft feather partially into the end of a drinking straw. Blow on the other end and see how far you can make the feather fly!
· Place a ping pong ball on the table. With players on each side of the table, try to blow it off your opponent’s side with a drinking straw.
· Whistle.
· Play a duck call or kazoo.
-posted by Miss Analiisa, who wants you to breathe in through your nose, and blow out through your mouth three times right now. Don’t you feel calmer?
Special thanks to Analiisa Reichlin for allowing us to share such an informative post from the Studio 3 Music Blog. Analiisa is Director of Studio 3 Music in Seattle, Washington, the world’s largest Kindermusik program.