Repetition Repetition Repetition

repetition

Humans are built for repetition. So much of what we do as living beings is rooted in repetitive structure. We have a cycle each day that we repeat: get up…do daily activities…eat…more activities…eat again…more activities…eat a third time…rest a bit…and sleep. The next day its starts again. We brush our teeth the same way each day. We shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse, and style. We put clothes in the hamper, wash them, dry them. and put them away. Over and over.

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Repeat After Me: Kids Learn from Repetition

mom reading to her baby“Again! Again!” It is not a coincidence that young children ask to read the same book 22 nights in a row. While the adults involved may secretly (and not so secretly) wish for more diversity, all that repetition strengthens the learning or growth of neural connections in children’s brains.
Repetition is good for children. In fact, it’s how they learn. A one-time experience is not enough for a neural connection to form and stabilize. Children need repeated exposure to an experience. Each time an experience is repeated the neural connection grows stronger. Think about it. Even as adults, we don’t usually learn how to do something the very first time we try it. According to Conscious Disciple, for a child to learn a new skill or concept, it takes 2,000 times in context. Whoa! That is a lot of readings of Good Night Moon!
Repeated exposure also helps children become comfortable with new objects and experiences. So, for example, in a Kindermusik class the first time we bring out a new instrument children may only want to watch it being played, but the next week they might decide to try playing it, and the next week they may try suggesting a new way to play it.

Why We Love Repetition in Music

Musical repetition can be heard across most musical genres around the world. There are reasons for it, too. According to the TEDx video, “Why We Love Repetition in Music,” people actually prefer familiar music. During repeated passages or songs, listeners shift their attention and hear or notice different sounds. (By the way, this happens with repeated readings of the same book, too!) In one scientific experiment, people even rated music with repetition as more enjoyable and more interesting.
Watch the TEDx video here:
[youtube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lo8EomDrwA[/youtube]
Kindermusik Tip: Tap into a child’s love of and need for repetition. Repeat songs and re-read books to children. (It’s one of the reasons we repeat songs, stories, and activities from week to week!) Point out different sounds and instruments or fast and slow parts of the music. In books, make note of the illustrations in the story—the different shapes, colors, or even the numbers of objects on the page.

Find out more about Kindermusik at www.Kindermusik.com

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

FOL Fridays: Repetition

Again, again!!  Children learn through repetition.  Each time a child is exposed to a new object or experience, new neural connections are made in his brain.  Through repetition, these connections are strengthened and learning occurs.  Every Kindermusik curriculum is designed to repeat certain activities – in part because of this important connection between repetition and learning, but also because repetition of activities helps to create the Kindermusik class community.  Ritual and repetition at home are important components of a predictable and nurturing home life as well. 

TIP:  So go ahead, sing that song or read that book again.  For the hundredth time.  Take satisfaction in knowing that you’re doing your child’s brain a world of good!

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

Again, again!!

Again, again!!  There’s a reason why those are two of your child’s favorite words – repetition is the way your child learns best.  Repetition also provides children with a sense of security and predictability, setting the stage for optimal learning.  Kindermusik takes full advantage of a learning environment that capitalizes on the comfort of repetition, both in class and at home – especially through the Home Materials.

Childhood is all about learning.  And while it’s tempting to indulge in all the latest learning trends, videos, or technology, for a child, the single best learning tool is repetition.  Each time a child is exposed to a new object or experience, new neural connections are made in his brain. Through repetition, these connections are strengthened. Add a little twist to the repetition, like when we add a new verse to a song or a new prop in class, and these neural pathways strengthen and become super-highways of learning.

Repetition is not only good for your child’s brain; it’s highly beneficial for your child’s overall development.  Repetition helps your child learn and remember new information, thus giving her a boost of joyful self-confidence because she can predict what comes next.  Then there’s also the immense satisfaction of mastering something.  Repetition is the way that your child reminds himself of a newfound skill, and the way he experiences a great deal of pleasure through a sense of completion and mastery.  Parents can use this love of repetition to their advantage by establishing predictable routines and rituals in the morning or evening, thus helping their child feel secure and in control – something that’s very important to a small child!

Each Kindermusik curriculum from Village to Young Child is deliberately designed to repeat certain activities, in part because of this important connection between repetition and learning, but also because repetition of activities promotes bonding and nurtures a sense of community and belonging. With the Kindermusik experience, ritual and repetition are key components of a predictable and nurturing environment in which learning, bonding, and a love for music naturally and beautifully unfold.

Benefits of repetition in a nutshell:

  • >Repetition fuels your child’s memory, confidence, and motor skills.
  • >Repetition expands your child’s understanding of the world around him.
  • >Repetition contributes to your child’s intellectual development by reinforcing her understanding of the way the world works.
  • >Repetition spurs motor development.
  • >Repetition helps your child feel good about himself because it reminds him of what he can do.
  • >Repetition builds a sense of trust, helping a child develop healthy relationships with others.
  • >Repetition is one way your child can exert some control over his environment, which is extremely gratifying for someone with such limited control over her world.

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