FOLs Archives - Minds On Music – The Kindermusik Blog

FOL Fridays: Listening

Focused listening activities are part of every Kindermusik class. Why is the skill of listening so important? Being able to focus on, listen carefully to, and distinguish sounds is an important skill in school, work, team play, and even friendship-building. Becoming a focused and

discriminating listener will help your child become a better, happier, more well-rounded learner.

IDEA: Plan a toy hunt! Hide a couple of toys, then instead of saying “You’re getting warmer” or “You’re getting cooler,” use your voice or an instrument. High sounds can mean the seeker is getting closer, while low sounds can indicate the seeker is getting farther away. Then it’s your turn—let your child hide the toys and guide you, the seeker, with high and low sounds.

Compiled by Theresa Case, M.Ed., who has an award-winning Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in beautiful Upstate South Carolina.

FOL Fridays: Modeling

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.

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

FOL Fridays: Pairing Language with Movement

Pairing language with movement sets the stage for cognitive and kinesthetic learning. The right hemisphere of the brain is our emotional side where much of our creativity is channeled. The left hemisphere organizes logical skills, such as language. When children are engaged in movements determined by the lyrics, the brain automatically cross-references both hemispheres, mapping creativity and logic (Fishbourne, G. 1998)
Tips for parents: Family involvement in education can be as simple as turning on a favorite recording with lyrics or singing a favorite tune. Listen for a bit and then discuss the different ways you could move based on the words of the song. As you dance together with your child, you can also label some of those movements, further strengthening the impact of the “moving to learn” experience. Plus, parent involvement in early childhood education through singing and dancing strengthens your role as your child’s first and best teacher.

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

FOL Fridays – Creativity: It's In All of Us

Creativity isn’t a trait that some people have and others don’t. It’s a way of using your mind and body as you engage in a task that has no prescribed approach. In the creative process, your ideas, feelings, skills, and knowledge flow together in innovative ways, allowing you to make or learn something new.”
(“Creative Minds at Play” in Scholastic Parent & Child Dec./Jan. 1998 by Charlotte Doyle, Ph.D.)
Ideas for parents: There are many simple ways to effectively encourage your child’s creativity. Here are just a few…

Ask open-ended questions or silly “What if…” kinds of questions.
Use the technique of scaffolding – Observe what your child is doing. Copy it, then suggest or model a slight change to what they’re doing. (This is a good technique with instrument play.)
Recycle paper towel tubes, plastic containers, and boxes and keep them available for open-ended play inspiration.
Keep a box of dress-up clothes in the playroom – from cowboy hats to princess shoes to tutus to a fireman’s vest to scarves.
Stock up on simple art supplies like large sheets of paper, washable markers, finger paints, and crayons. Turn on some music and encourage your child to draw what he hears.
Turn off your cell phone, sit down, and play with your child. Pretend play is a great way to relieve stress and bond with your child!

Try this Creative Activity with your Kids

Here’s a sample activity from Kindermusik@Home that allows your children to show their creative side. Watch these silly animals and let your kids imitate their movements – in their own creative way.
Shared by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

How to Help Your Child Become a Better Reader

We all know that reading to our children is an important part of their intellectual and emotional development. But why is this so? Susan B. Neuman, professor of childhood studies at the University of Michigan, gives some insight.
Dr. Neuman points out that reading is fun, stimulates the imagination, provides knowledge of the world and life, including problems and the solving of problems. Language development is also strengthened by hearing words being read aloud. Children who are read a variety of books on a daily basis also develop a sense of community, an understanding of “what it means to be human,” and to learn empathy as they are introduced to cultures and people that are different than their own.
Most parents are already convinced of the importance of reading, but with so many children’s books on the market, it can be hard to know which books are best. Here are some simple tips for choosing – and reading! – books according to your child’s age.
birth – 1 year
Look for small, brightly colored books with photos of babies and familiar objects like balls and bottles. Draw attention to the objects by saying things like, “Look at the ball,” or point to pictures and ask, “What’s that?”
1 – 2 years
Look for sturdier books that can be handled and carried; few words on teh pages or simple rhyming themes. Talk about the pictures — you don’t necessarily have to read the book to tell the story.
2 – 3 years
Look for silly or funny books with subjects like food, animals, or making friends. SImple word books are good choices. Keep stories short and read them with few interruptions. Then, re-read them.
3 – 4 years
Look for books that tell simple stories with a beginning, a middle, and end; stories that relate to life, like overcoming fear; information books about children’s interests. As you read ask your child questions about the story: “What do you think will happen next? Why?” Keep them engaged.
5 – 6 years
Look for stories and information books that evoke children’s lively imagination and interests; books about space, machines, time, and other cultures. Ask your child to tell you what interests her most about the story. Use open-ended questions to encourage her to relate her ideas. Allow her to ask questions as you read.
Compiled by Theresa Case, whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

FOL Fridays are Back!

We educators have a favorite acronym for the Foundations of Learning that are the fundamental underpinnings of the Kindermusik curriculum – we call them FOLs. These Foundations of Learning statements, or FOLs, help us communicate the “why” and the “so what” behind many of the activities we do in class. But our FOLs are also rich and nuggets of information for educators and parents alike! They give a coveted window into your child’s growing mind and body. With that in mind, we celebrate the return of FOL Fridays when we will highlight an interesting FOL along with correlating tips, ideas, and/or resources for parents.

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

FOL Fridays: Unstructured Play

Child-development specialists describe unstructured play as essential to children’s growth and crucial in cultivating creativity and imagination. Unstructured play also has a role in expanding intellectual, emotional, and social skills. “In other words,” according to MacPherson (2002), “unstructured child’s play – the kind with no rules, few gizmos and little or no adult direction – packs a powerful developmental wallop.”

HELPS for Parents: PARENTS magazine has this great article online about nurturing your child’s ability to play alone. Click here for an article with ideas for teaching your older children how to play alone.

– Compiled by Theresa Case, M.Ed. Theresa’s program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

FOL Fridays: The Power of Reading

So much of the intelligence children will ultimately have is developed before they even go to kindergarten. When you read to them, you are building pathways in their brains needed for successful reading experiences. They will develop auditory perception that allows them to think about how words sound. Listening to stories helps children enhance their vocabularies and use longer sentences. Another wonderful benefit of reading to children is that it increases their attention spans and ability to focus on what is being said. More than anything else, reading to young children gives them a desire to read (Gisler and Eberts).

TIP: Check out the fabulous Parents’ Choice website for book reviews and tips on reading to young children.

– Compiled with Theresa Case, M.Ed. Theresa’s program, Kindermusik at Piano Central Studios, is proudly among the top 1% of Kindermusik programs worldwide.

FOL Fridays: Routines and Rituals

While routines provide continuity, comfort and security for children, rituals provide children with the opportunity to build connections with others. In a sense, rituals are routines with “extra sparkle.” Families often have rituals associated with holidays and birthdays. According to Becky Bailey, author of I Love You Rituals, “loving, healthy rituals foster the development of loving, emotionally healthy children.” From infancy on, children count on rituals and routines for comfort and security. Routines comfort children and serve as cues for what is expected of them, giving children a sense of control over their environment. When a child knows what will happen next and what is expected of him, he will be better able to participate and to act independently, which is an important developmental step (Poole 1998).

IDEA: Plan for simple, fun ways to add the sparkle to your everyday routines that will turn them into special rituals. A “wake up” poem in the morning, a posted schedule for the day, a special placemat at lunch, letting everyone tell about one favorite part of their day around the supper table, a family dance, and a lullaby sung before bedtime at night – any of these are the kinds of little things that can add joy and predictability to your child’s day.

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