Posted on

12 Fun Ways to Use Music to Inspire Learning in the Summer

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’re excited that we can let you in on the secret.  Your secret resource is music!  You could even think of music as your secret super power…
Well, maybe that wasn’t such a surprise, but here are some ideas for utilizing music as your secret super power – your way to banish boredom and inspire learning.

12 Fun Ways to Use Music to Inspire Learning in the Summer

1. Read together. 
There’s a strong connection between the skills required for reading books and reading music, and you can enhance both reading literacy and music literacy by reading with your child.  It’s a great way to sneak in some calming snuggle time too!
2. Take a listening walk.
Listening is a huge part of music and music appreciation.  And there’s nothing like a listening walk to captivate your child’s imagination, hone their listening skills, and develop an appreciation for the world around us.  (By the way, we highly recommend the book for children by Paul Showers called The Listening Walk.)
3. Turn on some gentle music and blow bubbles.
Blowing bubbles is one of the cheapest forms of childhood entertainment, and you can even sneak in some music appreciation benefit by playing some classical music during the activity. We suggest selections by J.S. Bach or Mozart.  By the way, a bubble wand with more than one hole is the secret to a better bubble-blowing experience.
4. Color to music with sidewalk chalk.
Want a no-mess activity that also gets your child’s creative juices flowing?  Give your child some sidewalk chalk and offer the canvas of your driveway.  Add a variety of music for fresh inspiration and enjoy watching your little artist go to work.
5. Use painter’s tape to create roads and movement pathways.
Hum along as you drive small cars around tape-defined roads or dance and move around paths marked by painter’s tape. The fun will be in deciding where to put the tape down, and the learning comes as you sing and label with movement words.
6. Use a hula hoop as a prop for dancing.
Hula hoops are great for helping children develop spatial awareness and refine large motor skills.  The joy comes in exploring all the different ways to dance with, around, and through the hoop!
7. Make a homemade instrument… or two!
Here are ideas for a coffee can drum, tubular bells, cardboard guitar, simple shakers, homemade maracas, and castanets.
8. Start your own marching band. 
Grab your homemade instrument, turn on some marching music, and have a parade through the house… and back around again!
9. Make your own musical water classes.
What a great way to learn about what makes a high sound and what makes a low sound!  A delightful experiment in sound, logic, and listening skills.
10. Play a Musical Alphabet Chairs Game.
This is a fun educational twist on a classic childhood game that combines moving, listening to music, stopping on cue, and identifying letters of the alphabet.  Perfect for when it’s too hot or yucky to be outside!
11. Dance like nobody’s watching!
Put on some homemade ankle bells and dance, dance, dance!  This is a great activity for indoors or outdoors.  You can even help your child experiment with different kinds of music for all kinds of creative movement ideas.  (Tip for the ankle bells:  If you don’t crochet, simply cut of the top of an old pair of socks and sew the bells on them.)

Not only will you have the weekly class to look forward to, but you’ll have Home Materials to use and enjoy throughout the week, including lots of great music to listen, sing along, and dance around to!  Find a class nearby.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Posted on

Take it outside—the benefits of music that is!

Ah, summertime. Warmer temperatures, playing in sprinklers, catching fireflies, and walking barefoot in the grass—summer is the perfect season to “take it outside.” In the world of childcare curriculum development, it can also mean the season of the slide. No, not the slide found at the local playground or park, but the summer slide, which refers to what can happen to the early literacy and language, early math or other cognitive development skills of children who do not participate in learning activities over the summer.
KindermusikPresents_ABCMusicAndMe_AGlobalEarlyChildhoodCurriculum[1]Thankfully, the benefits of music engage children in learning throughout the year. Summertime can be the perfect season to grab a CD player and take the educational activities outside as part of a childcare summer curriculum. Our early childhood curriculum, ABC Music & Me, includes 3-package units to make it easy to engage children in early literacy and language development as part of a summer camp or as part of summer programming. Plus, Kindermusik includes @Home activities to connect what happens at school with the every day routines and rituals of a family’s life.

3 summer programming options to take the benefits of music outside

1. Wiggle & Grow celebrates the unique joys of young toddlers. Children will love the songs, stories, and games and early childhood educators will love helping  them practice a  wide variety of skills such as gross and fine motor, turn-taking, social skills, and active listening.
The summer-friendly 3-unit package includes themes: Up in the Sky, Marvelous Me, Time for Lunch
Sneak-peek at one of the activities from Kindermusik@Home that supports parent involvement in early childhood education:
Kindermusik@Home Sky Counting From “Up in the Sky”: Sky Counting
Learning number words (e.g., one, two, three, four) is the first number sense skill. Research shows that number sense is a critical early predictor of future mathematics success. A sky full of clouds, airplanes, blimps, and more… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…families will love counting them all.
 2. Laugh & Learn encourages preschoolers’ natural love of music, storytelling, and imaginative play with age-appropriate activities that introduce early music concepts and foster independence, social and emotional skills, language growth and self-control.
The 3-unit summer-friendly package includes themes: Home Sweet Home, Let’s Play, On the Go
Sneak-peek at one of the activities from Kindermusik@Home that supports parent involvement in early childhood education:
Home on the Hive Kindermusik@HomeFrom “Home Sweet Home” Home on the Hive
Measurement is one of the core areas of early math. In the activity, families will enjoy comparing relative size and position of the bees in the hive.
3. Move & Groove engages students in music and movement activities such as songs, rhymes, and dances that also promote creativity, social-emotional skills, physical coordination, confidence and more. Plus, language rich content boosts vocabulary while strengthening cognitive and literacy skills to help increase school readiness!
The 3-unit summer-friendly package includes: Sounds Abound, Jazz Kitchen, and Dance with Me
Sneak-peek at one of the activities from Kindermusik@Home that supports parent involvement in early childhood education:
From Sounds Abound: Can You Guess What Song? 
Kindermusik@Home Guess What SongIn this game, children are asked to identify a familiar song by listening to the sounds presented through a voice humming. Sounds simple—but to be successful, children must process the sounds, connect them to the music and lyrics of songs they know, and then recall the name of the song. Processing skills are the primary skills being exercised here. Processing, or the ability to perceive information, is an important cognitive skill that starts developing rapidly during the preschool and early school years.

Want to learn more about taking the benefits of music outside at your preschool or childcare center as part of your summer programming? Email us at info@abcmusicandme.com.