educational activities for kids Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Minds On Music

Using Kindermusik@Home to Make Parenting a Little Bit Easier

One of the fabulous benefits of your enrollment in Kindermusik is Kindermusik@Home – a whole new way to access and enjoy your Home Materials throughout the week. But how can Kindermusik@Home make parenting a little bit easier? Well, you might turn to Kindermusik@Home when you…

need a lullaby to calm your baby to sleep
are looking for a special way to connect with your child and sneak in a few giggles or cuddles
are desperate for a diversion in the long line at the grocery store or the waiting room at the doctor’s office
can’t remember the words to your child’s favorite song from class
can’t get out on a rainy day and an educational activity for kids like a video field trip or kid-friendly recipe might be just the thing
want to help your child get even more out of his or her weekly Kindermusik class
have a few minutes to really engage with your child and need some inspiration to make that time meaningful and fun
have a child begging you to read his favorite story from Kindermusik class and you’re not anywhere near the bookshelf at home (Gotta love these mobile apps for kids!)
want to play a developmentally appropriate, kid-friendly game together
are ready to download all of the great music from your Kindermusik class
need expert advice and a window of insight into the precious miracle that is your child
are looking for an easy way to begin expanding your child’s awareness and understanding of the world around her
need some great music and activity ideas to soothe or clam, play together, chase away the blues, or share some giggles
need all of this with you wherever you are – at home or on the go

Kindermusik@Home… It’s all in there!

And here’s your sneak peek:
Take a TOUR on your PC, your Mac, or your Tablet or Mobile Device
Try a FREE Kindermusik@Home Activity, “Stroll around Town“
Written by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

3 ways to turn Garbage Day into recycling activities for kids

Garbage day causes lots of excitement in homes with small children. Preschoolers and toddlers can often be found with faces pressed to windows or jumping up and down in delight as they watch those big trucks noisily shift from house to house. And, oh happy day, if the driver actually blows the horn!
When parents think about activities for kids at home, most probably don’t think of “Trash Day” as one filled with educational activities for kids. However, it can be, especially if parents think about the environment! Try these three ways to learn about sustainability for kids.

3 ways to turn Garbage Day into learning about the environment for kids

1. Go on a virtual field trip—courtesy of NPR— to see what happens to glass bottles after they leave your at-home recycle bin.

2. Read “How a New Bottle Becomes a Used Bottle” and ask your child questions about what you read together. Make connections between what you read to the video you watched. Identify glass recyclables in your own home.

3. Play with magnets. In recycling centers, metal objects are separated from glass objects using powerful magnets. Gather various child-friendly objects from around your house and use magnets together to sort the objects into two piles.

Recycling activities for kids can be fun for the whole family. Plus, it helps your child to understand how we all impact the world around us.

Parenting in the age of smart phones, Ipads, Ebooks, and mobile apps for kids

Nearly eight years ago, every employee-owner at Kindermusik International received an iPod with the engraving: “This changes everything. The potential is endless.” Over the years, we’ve experienced many changes in technology, music and early childhood education, parenting, and their connections to each other.

Smart phones, tablet devices, and eReaders—and iPods—did not permeate the everyday routines and rituals of the average family when we handed out those MP3 players. Now, they do in many cases. A new national study by the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University set out to better understand how mobile devices, including mobile apps for kids, influence and change parenting and childhood in families with children newborn to eight years old. The study is based on an extensive survey of a nationally representative sample of more than 2,300 parents of children from birth to eight years old.

6 Key Takeaways from the “Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology” report:

Parents use media and technology as a tool for managing daily life, but books, toys, and other activities are used more often.
Parents still turn to family and friends for parenting advice far more often than to new media sources like websites, blogs, and social networks.
Parents are less likely to turn to media or technology as an educational tool for their children than to other activities. About two-thirds (62 percent) say they are very likely to point their child toward a book when looking for an educational opportunity and 41 percent to a toy or activity, compared to 15 percent who say the same about using the computer, 12 percent for TV, and 10 percent for a mobile device such as a smartphone.
Seventy-one percent of parents who say mobile devices help make parenting easier say it’s because there are lots of fun mobile apps for kids to keep them entertained, while a similar percent (68 percent) say it is because these tools have lots of educational activities for kids.
The media and technology use of parents help shape the media environment for the household, which influences how much time children spend with media.
Children’s use of media is not a top concern among parents with children eight and younger. However, parents do look ahead and worry about what the future holds when it comes to their children’s social skills. In addition, parents see a connection between media use and a lack of physical activity.

You can read the full report here: Parenting in the Age of Digital Technology by the Center on Media and Human Development at Northwestern University

Mobile apps for kids and Kindermusik@Home

“It turns out parents use a range of tools to help them as parents, and these include new mobile screen devices like smartphones and tablets,” explained Alexis Lauricella, one of the study’s co-authors in an interview with the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media. “But even more regularly, parents are relying on more traditional tools like toys and activities to help them out.”

With Kindermusik@Home and our mobile apps for kids, parents receive the best of both worlds: hands-on educational activities for families to do together both on and away from digital devices. After all, we understand that in reality after the birth of a child, every family can say: “This changes everything. The potential is endless.” As a child’s first teacher, we want to help provide parents with the tools and activities–both inside and outside the classroom–to use music as the vehicle for learning and unlocking that potential.

Contact your local educator to learn more about enrolling in Kindermusik classes and receiving access to Kindermusik@Home.

3 Advantages of Kindermusik@Home

You might have heard the exciting news – there’s something new at Kindermusik. But not only is there a brand-new curricula with fresh and delightful themes, there is also a whole new kind of home materials to complement those themes and extend the classroom experience in a whole new way.
Introducing… Kindermusik@Home!

Advantage #1: More educational activities for kids to enjoy

The new curricula introduce a new theme every four lessons, and with every new theme comes another set of learning activities and parenting resources, automatically delivered to you.

Advantage #2: With you wherever you (or your device!) are

As long as you have your phone, your tablet, or your computer, you have your Kindermusik@Home with all of the activities, resources, play ideas, and music at your fingertips.
Whether you’re at home, or on-the-go, you and your kids can enjoy fun and educational activities, any time or day of the week!

Advantage #3: Yours for always and forever

The longer you’re enrolled in Kindermusik, the larger your library of Kindermusik@Home learning games and educational activities for kids becomes. And that library will always be available to you, even if you are no longer enrolled in Kindermusik classes.
There’s no better gift you can give your child than Kindermusik, especially when it includes all of the advantages of Kindermusik@Home!
Shared by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

5 Reasons to Choose Kindermusik for Your Children

Early childhood is a wonderful window of opportunity for music learning. Music activities are not just fun – they are also a perfect way to help children learn and grow. But a program like Kindermusik offers much more than just a music class.

Backed by more than 30 years of experience, Kindermusik is a carefully planned curriculum that celebrates the importance of music and movement to the development of young children.

5 Reasons to Choose Kindermusik

Music stimulates learning, lowers stress, and advances memory, attention, and brain development.
Combining music with movement creates new learning pathways in the brain while enhancing motor skills and muscle development.
Kindermusik combines structure with flexibility to enable children of all temperaments to flourish. A quiet child is allowed to observe and absorb, while a highly active child’s energy can be funneled into a creative and positive experience.
Kindermusik includes a storytime in every class, encouraging early literacy development and skills such as listening, sequencing, empathy, and anticipation.
Gathering in a group to sing and play is a positive way to lower inhibitions, build self-esteem, and foster a sense of inclusion and belonging. Group learning also helps children develop social skills such as turn-taking and cooperation.

One of the basic premises of Kindermusik has always been that the parent is the first and best teacher, and that what happens throughout the week at home is just as important as what happens in the once-a-week class. Kindermusik promises to give you the time and the tools that help make parenting just a little bit easier. There’s never been a better time to be a Kindermusik parent than now when Kindermusik@Home puts educational activities for kids and resources for parents right at your fingertips, with you wherever you go.

A window of opportunity for your child – a world of opportunity for you both.

With your licensed educator in class and your online learning resources at home or on-the-go, Kindermusik is the best head start you can possibly give your child. The benefits of music for children are immense. And no matter when you begin your Kindermusik journey, you will find that Kindermusik will give you special moments and delightful memories that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your lives.

Try a free class on us today!

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