social emotional development Archives - Minds On Music

3 Ways to Build Grownup Social-Emotional Growth

A mom dances and builds social-emotional growth with her daughter in a Kindermusik class.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) for children has been a huge focus in early childhood development over the past 10 years, but what about “Grownup Social-Emotional Growth?” It turns out, it’s just as critical for parents and caregivers to fill this specific brain bucket on a daily basis.

Not to be confused with a fancy face mask or a day at the beach, The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines SEL as “the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

And while it can be hard to focus with little ones around, it’s important to recognize that parents and caregivers shouldn’t put social-emotional growth on hold for alone time.

Newborn Bonding: How Infant Music Classes Connect Parent and Baby

Newborn Bonding: How Infant Music Classes Connects Parent and Baby

From the benefits of skin-to-skin to rocking to massage, there is so much conversation around newborn bonding. And that’s a good thing!

Here’s one idea you may not have heard of…infant music classes.

First, let’s look at the why, when, and how of this critical part of early development.

Outdoor Music Classes Bridge COVID Socialization Gaps

When the pandemic forced families to social distance and quarantine, the negative effects of social isolation hit young children perhaps the hardest. The need for connection is pressing and real. And that’s where Kindermusik’s outdoor music classes come in.

Many Kindermusik families love our virtual class opportunities (they’re a huge hit!) and they’re here to stay. However, some of our educators found that children responded better to a physically distanced, outdoor environment.

Toddlers Learn through Laughter. No Kidding.

While some say laughter is the best medicine, it turns out that it’s not so bad for learning either! A new French study found that humor helps toddlers learn. In the study, Rana Esseily and her colleagues designed an experiment to see whether using humor impacted the learning abilities of 18-month-olds. During the study, each child watched an adult using a tool to grab an out-of-reach toy. In one group, the adults played with the toy after retrieving it. In the second group, the adults immediately threw the toy on the floor after getting it. This made half of the toddlers laugh.

When the research team reviewed the data, they found that the toddlers who laughed were able to repeat the action themselves more successfully than those who didn’t laugh, as well as those who were included in the control group.

Young Children Give Us Permission to Be Silly

We laugh a lot in our classes. A lot. Children somehow remind us to laugh and smile and notice the little things in life. Take this child. He can’t stop laughing at what his dad does.

Children develop a sense of humor over time as they learn what is and isn’t funny—and when it is appropriate (or not) to laugh. With classes in over 70 countries, we know a thing or two about families and children around the world. We know, for instance, that every child speaks music and laughter sounds the same in any language. And, to a child, funny things can be found anywhere—blowing dandelions, made-up words, knock-knock jokes, chasing the dog, and even—sometimes—mommy’s “angry face.” (You know it’s true.)

On average, children laugh about 200 times every day. Silliness is a great way to evoke laughter and foster the development of humor (and help kids learn, too!). So, we include a lot of it in class each week, including singing songs with silly words (guli, guli, guli), playing one-bell jingles with our feet or on our head, and even a surprise tickle. All that laughing encourages a child’s physical, emotional, and social health. Plus, it’s a lot of fun and can be a developmentally appropriate way to motivate, engage, and redirect children during the early years.

Try out some of our favorite musical jokes and see if you can get a chuckle out of the kids in your life!

Contributed by Lisa Camino Rowell who admits to laughing with her young kids so much that tears fall.

When It Comes to Baby Talk, Moms Matter

Sometimes it seems that a mother knows what a child is thinking and feeling even before that little one can verbally communicate. That’s because even brand-new moms are somehow inexplicably endowed with this special ability to be tuned in to their little one’s thoughts and feelings. Some may call it maternal instinct. It might be better called the “mom thermometer.” Dr. Elizabeth Kirk, from the University of York, called it “maternal mind-mindedness” or “tuning in.”

What kind of “reading” a mom gets on her “mom thermometer” then often translates into not only she cares for her baby, but more importantly to Dr. Elizabeth Kirk and her research team, this instinctive tuning in is the basis for how a mom interacts and talks to her little one. Dr. Kirk’s study found that a “…a mother’s ability to tune-in to her baby’s thoughts and feelings early on helps her child to learn to empathise with the mental lives of other people. This has important consequences for the child’s social development, equipping children to understand what other people might be thinking or feeling.” Pretty amazing!

Well since we here at Kindermusik are all about using music, movement, and the weekly Kindermusik class to help make great parenting a little easier, we have some “talking points” for all parents as you are interacting with, tuning into, and bonding with your babies and young toddlers by identifying and labeling their emotions.

Emotional Talking Points

When Mommy sings your favorite lullaby, you feel all better.

You love cuddling with Daddy, don’t you?!

I can tell when you smile that you are happy.

Are you feeling frustrated because you can’t fit that into the box?

Does it make you feel upset when your beans fall off your spoon before you get them in your mouth?

Emotional Activity Ideas

Listen and/or dance to “emotional” music. (You can define what “emotional” means at any given moment.) Talk to your child about how the music makes them feel.
Use simple songs or rhymes at routine points throughout the day – waking up, getting dressed, going down for nap, bath time, or bed time. The songs or rhymes can not only help the transitions go more smoothly, but you can talk to your baby about their reaction. Upset? Happy? Sad? Frustrated? Contented?
Deliberate eye contact will help you tune-in more to your baby and his/her emotions. Look into their eyes as you talk to them and love on them.
Take time for some gentle baby massage. This is a great time to “converse” with baby and make that all-important eye contact.
Sing or hum a lullaby as you rock your child. You might use rocking as a nap time or bed time ritual. But rocking is also a great time to really focus on your child, saying “I love you,” and getting a good “read” with your “mom (or dad) thermometer.”

We get that some of these examples might sound just slightly cheesy when written out, but don’t worry – they won’t come across as cheesy when it’s just you and your little sweetie one-on-one. And later on, when your child is growing to be happy, self-confident, thoughtful, and sensitive towards others, you can give yourself a big pat on the back. It was your intuitive connection, tuning in, verbalization, and yes at times, one-sided conversations, that made all the difference.

Want more insight into your child’s social-emotional development? Follow us on Pinterest!

Shared by Theresa Case who has loved every minute of helping parents connect with their children through music at Piano Central Studios in Greenville, SC, for over 20 years now.

3,600+ ways to build a healthy parent-child bond in a baby's first year

3,600. That’s the approximate number of times a baby needs a diaper change in the first year alone. (Yowser! That’s a lot of diapers.) Of course, every diaper change satisfies the physical needs of a baby, but it also meets a baby’s developing social and emotional needs. Every time a baby cries and a parent responds to the need, it strengthens the vital parent-child connection. Building an attachment and a sense of trust not only lays a solid foundation of social and emotional development but also primes a baby’s brain for learning.

Strong healthy parent-child bonds as infants help children make friends

Researchers from the University of Illinois recently published a study in the journal of Developmental Psychology that showed young children with strong parent-child bonds tend to be more responsive and adaptable when meeting—and playing with—other children. They also tend to be more sympathetic to the needs and moods of other children.
In the study, the team measured the security of child-mother bonds for 114 children who were 33 months old. As part of the study, the parents reported on their child’s temperament, such as propensity towards anger or social fearfulness. Then when the children reached 39 months old, the researchers paired same-gender children and observed them playing together over three laboratory visits in the course of a month.
“Securely attached kids were more responsive to a new peer partner the first time they met,” explained Dr. Nancy McElwain in a press release. “A more securely attached child was also likely to use suggestions and requests rather than commands and intrusive behavior (such as grabbing toys away) during play with an anger-prone peer during the first two visits.”
The researchers believe that toddlers and preschoolers who develop strong bonds with their parents learn early on that their needs matter and confidently express themselves.

Kindermusik supports strong parent-child bonds from birth

Building healthy parent-child bonds starts in infancy. In our music classes for babies (for all ages actually!), we create many moments to strengthen and celebrate this vital parent-child connection. Every time a parent sings lovingly to a wee one, the bond grows stronger. With each intentional and gentle touch, rock, or lap bounce, the bond grows stronger. And every time a caregiver gazes into a child’s eyes and smiles during tummy time, the bond grows stronger. As babies grow, this sense of security—and trust—gives little ones the confidence to explore new environments, try new things, and make new friends.

Enjoy this free activity from Kindermusik@Home that supports parent-child bonds.

Contact your local Kindermusik educator to experience for yourself how music creates healthy parent-child bonds.

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

How Kindermusik Classes Encourage Healthy Social-Emotional Development in Your Child

One of the often overlooked benefits of early music education and particularly a program like Kindermusik is that the music experience itself – both in class and at home – actually promotes healthy social-emotional development, a vital part of early childhood development. A class like Kindermusik gives families a place to just be together, and that together time with music becomes the basis for the kinds of things that contribute to happy, healthy, confident children.

The early years

In the early years, strong emotional ties are fostered as mom or dad cuddle, sway, or bounce their little one while humming a lullaby, rocking to a favorite song, or dancing around the room. Loving intentional touch during massage time releases those “feel-good” hormones in the brain responsible for feelings of safety and security. And a Kindermusik-inspired lullaby ritual before naptime or bedtime becomes a cherished time that strengthens the loving bonds between parent and child.

The toddler years

Later on, the time spent enjoying music together becomes a way to spend quality time, to enter into the child’s world through imagination and play, and to express through music sometimes what words cannot. It’s during these sometimes turbulent years of toddler-hood that children most need those special reassurances of their parents’ love, interest, and care.

The preschool years

As a child moves into the preschool and early school years, the security of the emotional bond with a parent paves the way for developing healthy relationships with peers and teachers. A child is ready and able to expand on the social skills that were first developed in the early years, skills that lead to confident and happy interactions with others.

Nothing more powerful than music

When it comes to your child’s social-emotional development from newborn to 7 years, there’s nothing more that will impact him more than experiencing the benefits of music, and no better choice for delivering those benefits than Kindermusik.

Try a free Kindermusik class today and see how Kindermusik can make all the difference for your child!

– Contributed by Theresa Case whose Kindermusik program at Piano Central Studios is proudly among the top 1% in the world.

Kindermusik and Your Child: Social-Emotional Development

Making friends.
Sharing.
Learning how to express frustration appropriately.
Figuring out conflicts peacefully.
Helping someone who has been hurt.
Waiting patiently.
Following rules.
Enjoying the company of others.
Internal motivation to succeed.

All of these qualities (and more!) describe what we all wish to see as parents is the healthy social development of our children. Like any skill, young children develop these abilities in small steps over time, and they learn them from you, their first social connection and teacher. On the whole, young children who spend time singing, playing, and moving with other children are better prepared to be confident and self-aware, build positive relationships with peers, and get the best out of the learning environments and opportunities that life will bring them…just one of the many reasons that Kindermusik is so much more than music!

The Kindermusik classroom is the perfect place for your child to practice and develop social skills. Our activities help children learn to work with, understand, and enjoy others, while teaching parents to model activities that include social interaction and the joy of learning. At every level from Birth – 7, Kindermusik curricula are written to support the development of your child’s social & emotional skills with age-appropriate, challenging activities.

In fact, studies show that music and movement experiences in a group setting impact all seven areas of social-emotional development* identified by researchers. Those seven areas are:

Confidence
Curiosity
Intentionality
Self-control
Relatedness
Capacity to communicate
Cooperativeness

*Click to read more FABULOUS Research on the 7 Social Competencies and Kindermusik by Heidi Bennett.

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