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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.

Peter’s Story

He was in our Village class for such a short time….I’ll call him Peter. Just a few weeks to enjoy the waning days of Rhythm of Our Day and a little Busy Days, but in that short time we saw a flower open.

I remember his first visit to our class. Peter brought Mommy, Daddy, and Auntie with him and all were intently focused on Peter; his every move mattered. Any indication of pleasure or displeasure a one year old could convey was noted and evaluated. There were tears as he clung to Mommy, not knowing what to make of the wiggling bunch of bouncers and shakers surrounding him. “Peter doesn’t usually hear English spoken in his home.” But there were many hands to console….six to be exact! “I think we’d like to join this class…at least for a little while. They are only here for a short time,” said Auntie.

Only Mommy & Daddy came along next week to shore up little Peter. Fewer tears, but still well sheltered by slightly anxious parents, Peter’s fearful gaze seldom came my way. Mommy and Daddy quietly tapped his tiny hand keeping the steady beat he was not ready to feel.

Week 4: Peter brought only Mommy this week. Timid hands reached outside the cozy confines of Mommy’s legs to pick up a bright red shaker. Mommy and Peter stayed around after class to enjoy the chatter of their cohorts.

Today: Peter sat happily in his white plastic carriage…which looked remarkably like a Target laundry basket. Even a ride to the “Doctors office” wasn’t so bad if all your friends were going, too! The sudden stops for red lights created a palpable tension in the circle and even Peter’s gaze turned towards me in anticipation. Snug in his green towel, he peered out at those around him as if he had been doing this forever….well, for at least 3 weeks. Time to dance! I stood opposite Peter and Mommy. We swayed happily to Mama Paquita, do-si-doed a sly peek-a-boo, and as we met in the middle to say “hello”, Peter giggled and gave me the biggest smile ever!

It’s a friendly and chatty class who linger long, but Mommy and Peter were the last to leave today. Mommy quietly and shyly said, “This is our last class, Miss Colleen. We will be moving far away next week. I just want you to know Peter is much different child now. He loves class. He loves you. Thank you for my child happy now.”

~ Special thanks to Miss Colleen at Studio 3 Music for such a beautiful post, shared with permission from the Studio 3 Music blog

6 Ways for you and your child to live it up — for free!

The best things in life are free. Check out these wonderful ways for your child to live it up without spending a penny.

Free Music

Of course, we think the best thing you can do with your child is Kindermusik! Go to play.kindermusik.com to register and receive three, free music downloads. There are just so many incredible developmental benefits to exposing your children to music early in life. You can also preview our children’s music classes at no cost, while connecting with other parents and spending quality time with your tyke.

Check the Local Library

Libraries are one of the best no-cost places to take your kids. They’re stocked full of books, music, and DVDs for your learning little one.

Kids Eat Free

Many restaurants nationwide have specific days of the week where kids eat free. Websites like kidseat4free.com will find the restaurants in your area that offer free dining for kids.

Your Local Museum for Free Kids Day

Most museums offer free days for kids. Mark the free local museum deal days in your calendar early on so you remember when the days roll around. You’ll be learning together in no time.

Fishing Classes

Teach your little ones about the fun and excitement of the great outdoors while doing some kid-friendly angling. Many fishing retailers offer free fishing classes for kids. For example, Orvis offers free fly-fishing classes May through July.

Free Bowling for Kids

Strike up some learning fun at a participating alley near you—for FREE. Keep score the old-fashioned way—by hand—to practice counting and simple math. Go to kidsbowlfree.com to get rollin’.

FOL Fridays: Imagination and Pretend Play

“Learning to imagine [is the] first step in stretching the human potential.” (Karen Miller, Ages and Stages, p. 65) The ability to pretend and imagine usually starts at around 18 months. From there, the developmental progression of pretend play generally moves from using one object to represent something else, to dressing up and/or pretending to be something else, to role-playing and interacting while in that role. Kindermusik classes help provide the kinds of experiences that provide the opportunity for imagination to blossom, but you will probably notice that your child engages most readily – and sometimes most humorously! – at home where your child is the most comfortable.

IDEA: Simple toys like blocks and stuffed animals, dress-up clothes from the thrift store, and even empty containers or cardboard tubes can inspire hours of pretend play. Organize these items into containers that are easily accessible to your child.

– 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.

The teacher makes the difference

When you have a Google alert set for “Kindermusik,” you end up with a whole variety of posts on the subject. One recent alert contained some comments from a mom who made the insightful observation that the TEACHER makes all the difference in the quality of your Kindermusik experience. She couldn’t be more right. Here’s a little of what she had to say:

“I recently enrolled my 18mth old in an Our Time class. She LOVED it. I loved that the teacher wasn’t busy corralling kids, everyone was left to enjoy and experience the class however they wanted/needed to. The teacher was energetic and informative on WHY activities were chosen and made transitions from one activity to the next very smooth. I would recommend the class to anyone IF the teacher has good reviews.”

As a whole, Kindermusik educators are a group of loving, nurturing, musically inclined individuals who have two things in common – a love for children and a passion for making a difference in the lives of children and their families through music. Personally, I am very blessed to have a wonderful staff of eight Kindermusik teachers teaching with me here at Piano Central Studios. You know what? We’re all different. We have different personalities and different teaching styles even though we follow the same lesson plans. The beauty of it all is that parents and children have different personalities and learning styles too!

Just like the Kindermusik teachers on my staff, not all Kindermusik programs are the same. Often it is “love at first sight.” Sometimes it’s just a matter of allowing time to adjust to a new environment and a new experience. But sometimes it’s necessary to try out another teacher or another program offering Kindermusik. As independent educators and programs, we all bring different goals, gifts, abilities, and experience to the table. Don’t be afraid to seek out the Kindermusik program – and the Kindermusik educator – that’s just right for you! That’s one of the reasons why KI’s Class Finder is set up like it is – to help parents find a class that’s conveniently located with scheduling and educators that meet their needs. I think this mom said it best, “I’d try again with another instructor before writing it off completely. [Our teacher] Ms Amy really loves her job and it shows in how she teaches the class.”

To read this mommy’s comments in their entirety, click HERE. To try a FREE Preview Class, click HERE.

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

FOL Fridays: Movement and Body Control

During movement activities, children learn to organize the available space in relation to themselves and in relationship to objects and other individuals… this is how they develop body control, spatial awareness, and confidence in the power and ability of their own bodies. (Linda Carol Edwards, The Creative Arts)

TIP: Turn on some dancing music and dance around the room together. Add a prop like a scarf, a ball, or a hoop for more movement and body control fun and learning.

– 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

FOL Fridays: Emotions and Learning

Emotions have a tremendous impact on learning. Simple family activities like rocking together help develop a child’s sense of security and worth, allowing him to grow into an assured, confident learner with healthy self-esteem.

IDEA: Need some music to set the mood? KI’s music site, play.kindermusik.com, has some great lullabies that make for perfect rocking music.

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

Highlighting one of our Good Beginnings grant recipients

One of the best things a child can have is a good beginning. That’s because the early years are the most impressionable and formative for a child. At Kindermusik International, we believe this so strongly that we chose as our tagline “a good beginning never ends”.

Though we primarily focus on supporting Kindermusik programs around the globe, we’re always looking for ways to make children’s lives better and do what we can to get children off to a great start. This led to our Good Beginnings Grant Program, which was open to anyone–both Kindermusik educators and non-educators as well–in the U.S. and Canada who had a good idea for a project that would benefit the lives of children. We allowed the public to vote on the projects they liked the most.

The response was overwhelming. In the end, over half a million votes were cast in the space of just over one month. Kindermusik educator Katie Henderson of Bloomington, Illinois, is leading one of the winning projects. Her project was to provide a bilingual Kindermusik class for low income Hispanic families in her area. We recently received a wonderful note from Katie, and wanted to share an excerpt here.

“Music Connections is in its 17th year of offering Kindermusik in central Illinois. We consist of a passionate team of 10 educators who have witnessed the profound ‘Kindermusik difference’ in ‘normal,’ middle-class families. We are committed to finding a way to provide these benefits on a larger scale to children and families who have special needs and cannot afford our program. We have witnessed, firsthand, how language is greatly enhanced in normal children who are experiencing the song-rich, literature-rich environment of Kindermusik. We are SO excited by the gains the Spanish-speaking children in this project will make as they have a joyful, loving experience with their parents, our teaching team, and other volunteer English-speaking moms who can model and connect with them.”

Kindermusik International is very excited that we could play a small role in making this happen. But the real credit lies with Katie and her team. Keep up the great work! Check out the Music Connections website to learn more about Katie’s program.

Check back here at Minds on Music for regular features on the progress of our Good Beginnings grant winners.

A lifetime of benefits

The musical experiences your child enjoys in the early years can provide a lifetime of benefits. At Kindermusik, we see this every day. And our numerous research studies have proven the results as well. We’ve found that a child who stays enrolled in Kindermusik classes is highly likely to exhibit growth in some or even all of the following areas:

perseverance
confidence
responsibility
identity and self-esteem
discipline
love of music and art
culture
identification of talents
using time wisely
teamwork
following directions
intellectual and social development
precision and motor control
overcoming fears in public speaking and shyness
commitment to excellence
creativity and self-expression

Want to find a Kindermusik program near you? Visit our Class Finder, or come try a free preview class. You’ll be glad you did!