Kindermusik by Deborah

To Nap or Not to Nap

deborah — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:09:18 +0000

Naps may be more important that you think.

Toddlers between two and a half and three years old who miss only a single daily nap show more anxiety, less joy and interest, and a poorer understanding of how to solve problems, says Monique LeBourgeois, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her results indicate that insufficient sleep alters the facial expressions of toddlers—exciting events are responded to less positively and frustrating events are responded to more negatively.

Read more here on how naps help toddlers “face” the day.

Early Literacy

deborah — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:15:16 +0000

At Kindermusik, we love the quote by Emilie Buchwald: “children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” Reading picture books together with adults helps children internalize some skills that are crucial in the development of true literacy.

Reading together:

Fosters reading enjoyment
Provides predictability through repetition
Introduces new vocabulary
Expands understanding of story structures
Promotes critical t hinking
Encourages language play and creative expression

Each week in class when we read Shiny Dinah or another favorite story, your child receives all these key early literacy benefits. Plus, children develop music literacy through the rhythm and movement elements of Kindermusik stories.

Everyday connection: Act on it! Read your child’s favorite book together and then pretend to be the characters in the book. Is it Shiny Dinah? Be the train or a passenger. Where are you going today and what will you see and hear along the way?

Kindermusik makes it easier to communicate with your baby or toddler

deborah — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:32:02 +0000

Traveling to another country can be exciting. New sights, sounds, customs, food, and time zones that wreck havoc on your sleep! If the locals speak a language you don’t understand, your communication abilities quickly downgrade to that of a one-year-old: the use of full-body gestures and speaking louder and louder in YOUR language thinking that will increase comprehension. Yikes! Where is the loo?

At Kindermusik, we know parenting a young child can be a bit like visiting a foreign country. New sights, sounds, customs, food, and your sleep is definitely wrecked! Plus, your little one does not exactly speak your language. Most grown-ups are no longer fluent in baby or toddler. We understand, which is why we intentionally include activities that will increase your child’s communication abilities. In class, when we use sign language, sing “Oh well, you walk, and you walk, and you walk and you stop” or when we listen to and imitate different sounds, your child is learning and practicing language. Eventually, this will lead to him speaking your language. (Well, until the teenage years, and then you’ll need your passport again!)

Everyday connection: A match made in Kindermusik. Your child loves the sound of your voice. Feed his love and grow his use of language at the same time by singing, listening, moving, and dancing to the music from class. The repetition helps increase language acquisition and retention. Plus, music is a language you both understand.

We LOVE Kindermusik!!!

deborah — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:31:55 +0000

As We Love Kindermusik month comes to a close, I want to thank all of the families that participated! By either attending our special Let Me Call you Sweetheart playdate class, sharing what you love about Kindermusik on Facebook, displaying the We Heart Kindemusik decal on your car, or donating to the Ruth D Anderson Children’s Scholarship Fund, you truly helped share the love and the idea that so many of us have been touched by being a part of something that’s more than just a curriculum or a weekly activity. I think we were all reminded of the magic that is uniquely Kindermusik!

My heart is overflowing with joy to announce that because of your extremely generous contributions, our program is sending a donation of $1050 to the RDA scholarship fund in the name of our president and CEO, Michael Dougherty, in honor of his father and brother. An estimated 21 children will be able to experience Kindermusik that wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity. Giving a voice to that light in a child’s eye, that song in her heart, that little person just waiting to blossom-to acknowledge all those precious, miraculous moments that I as a Kindermusik educator am privileged to nurture and celebrate with our Kindermusik families each and every week. Please click on the link below to enjoy a slide show featuring past recipients of the fund. Kindermusik Loves You!!!!

ChildrensFundKidsSlide

Multi-Sensory Learning

deborah — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:17:28 +0000

Think about something that you experienced with your child that you hope to hold in your heart forever. What do you remember? The sound of her laughter, the smell of his head, the sight of her sleeping in those footed pajamas, the warmness of his skin right after a bath, the taste of bananas when she tried to feed you her snack? Whatever the memory, you probably recall it through more than one of your five senses. There is a reason for that!

Experiences that integrate several senses simultaneously are responsible for lasting impressions. Each of our five senses (sight, smell, sound, touch, taste) activates specific neurons in the brain. For your child, multi-sensory activities provide more learning opportunities than single-sensory activities. In Kindermusik, we encourage multi-sensory learning. So, while your child listens to and imitates animal sounds vocally or with an instrument, sees the animals in the story, and moves around like them, he is learning….and making musical memories that he will hold in his heart forever.

Everyday connection: Multi-vitamins for the senses. Turn your child’s favorite book into a multi-sensory literacy experience. Hold her in your lap while you read together. Let her feel the pages. If the book features an animal, include a stuffed animal in your time together. Is it a bedtime book? Bundle her up and say good night to the real moon, not just the one in the story.

Socialization

deborah — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:01:23 +0000

Becoming a parent turns your world (and your social calendar) upside down and inside out. You move from lengthy conversations over dinner to brief chats scheduled around naptimes. Eventually, you progress to speaking in short sentences interrupted by wardrobe and diaper changes, boo-boo kissing, rocking, sharing interventions, and a few paparazzi moments. (Your child does do the cutest things after all!).
When enrolling in Kindermusik, many parents list “socialization” as one of the reasons. We do help your child develop social and emotional skills, but we also connect you with other parents and caregivers who understand the unique joys and challenges of parenting a child the same age. So, next week in class take advantage of Gathering Time and look around. Your newest BFF just might be sitting next to you or changing a diaper or kissing a boo-boo or experiencing a paparazzi moment, too.

Everyday connection: Come all you playmates! Connect with other parents from class on Facebook and invite them to join you and your child for a play date. Through this unstructured playtime, your child will expand his intellectual, emotional, and social skills and you will get some social play of your own.

Play Ball!

deborah — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:15:05 +0000

In the midst of toys with lots of bells and whistles it can be easy to forget simple toys such as the ball. Balls are toys that grow with the child. They are good for solo play, 1:1 play with a parent or caregiver, or play with several friends. For information on playing with balls at different stages of baby development, click here for an article from Ask Dr. Sears.

We Love Kindermusik Week!

deborah — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:28:44 +0000

It was a simple concept, really, this idea for a WE LOVE KINDERMUSIK Week. It was born out of an increasing recognition of just how many of us – educators, children, and families – have been touched by being a part of something that’s more than just a curriculum or a weekly activity. The idea came to life as we reflected on just how much love there is for Kindermusik and how meaningful it would be to set aside a week to come together and purposefully delight in all that Kindermusik is and means to all of us.

With this one annual specially designated week, we will be able to publicly and corporately give voice to that light in a child’s eye, that song in her heart, that little person just waiting to blossom – to acknowledge all those precious, miraculous moments we as Kindermusik educators are privileged to nurture and celebrate with our Kindermusik families each and every week. Simply put, WE LOVE KINDERMUSIK WEEK is a small way we can raise up together to celebrate the wonder and magic that is uniquely Kindermusik.

And so, with much joyful delight and anticipation, Kindermusik International and the Partnership for Kindermusik Educators invite you to join us in celebrating WE LOVE KINDERMUSIK Week during Valentine’s week, the week of February 13 – 18, when Kindermusik educators and families around the world will join together to show – and tell! – how much we all love Kindermusik and what Kindermusik means to each of us!

As a little background, you might find it interesting to know that WE LOVE KINDERMUSIK Week, to be held annually in February of each year, was designed to:

raise awareness and generate good will for the Kindermusik brand
unite families and educators around a common cause
give educators a way to show families how much we love Kindermusik and how much we love them!
encourage families to share why they love Kindermusik
highlight ways we can all do some good and spread the joy of Kindermusik
remind all of us of the magic that is uniquely Kindermusik.

WE LOVE KINDERMUSIK week is truly intended to be a week of happy reminders of why we all love Kindermusik and most importantly, of all the special people – educators, families, and children – who come together every week to change the world through music…. one child and one song at a time.

Welcome!

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:14:35 +0000

Welcome to our new website. Explore our classes, register online and get in touch with us!