In Focus - Music Week 3

Last week Early Childhood music expert Julie Logan, told us how to develop the musical potential in babies, this week she shares how to make music a part of your day with children aged 1 to 3.

Making music a part of your day with 1-3’s

A toddler clamouring for your attention while you attempt to complete daily chores or frustrated by a block tower that keeps falling down; a rainy day with no escape from the house and a child who can’t settle down for a nap; loading the car with shopping and a toddler only to realize as you shut the boot that you’ve locked the keys in the car. Listening to music, singing a favourite song or making up amusing words to match your activities or feelings may just help to calm a storming toddler. Dancing to music can both burn up excess energy and vent the conflicting feelings that so often precipitate a toddler’s outbursts.
 
Music, which has long been known for its therapeutic effects on the psyche, can also soothe a frazzled parent! Sharing a music break with your youngster at those times when stress typically strikes will help you both decompress. Try starting the day with a song for dressing, washing and getting into the car. End the day with a child’s favourite action songs and calming lullaby or listening music. Different styles of recorded music, songs and rhymes may create the perfect background for every activity of the day. Use a mix of styles you enjoy as well as children’s traditional rhymes and songs.
 

Singing in the shower:

bathrooms have great acoustics and a great feeling of privacy for exploring a wide range of vocal sounds. Parents can try different styles of singing in the shower before letting loose on your children! Singing your way through the children’s bath time may make hair washing just that bit easier. Likewise have the towel do a “dance” over a wiggling body for drying time. Afterwards, a gentle lullaby is perfect for wrapping and rocking a child fresh from a bath. Remember that when children see and hear their favourite adults play with music, they want to sing and dance too.
 

Singing and Moving in the rain:

weather can inspire strong feelings in people of all ages, so when you’re stuck inside on a rainy day, make up songs, chants or instrument “sound-stories” about whatever is happening outdoors. Use dolls or duplo figures to create mini-musicals, moving the figures as you sing your favourite songs. Once children are upright, they want to move all the time – support this development by exploring a variety of ways to move to recordings or songs. Change the words to the following song to suit your child’s interests (maybe a horse trotting, dinosaur stomping, fairy flying).

Sung to tune of Polly Wolly Doodle:

I’m a train that goes, and I go and go, and I go and go and then I stop! (Words repeated to end of song)
 
Move and stop as the words suggest, try clapping, rolling hands or playing and stopping instead, (a good distracter in the supermarket line).
 

Kitchen Band:

provide a lower shelf equipped with safe but noisy kitchen items, such as pots, spatulas and plastic containers. Encourage your child to use these music-makers by sitting on the floor and exploring sounds together – loud or soft, fast or slow, tapping or scraping. Three year olds love this rhyme for making pretend fruit salad or soup.
 
Chop, chop, choppity- chop (hammer hands)
Chop off the bottom, chop off the top (karate chops opposite wrist then elbow)
What we have left we’ll put in the pot (clap on word “put”)
Chop, chop, choppity-chop. (Hammer)
 
The Jingle Jive, Music from 0-5 is a booklet which outlines what to expect musically at each stage of development from birth to five years. It provides simple ideas for parents about how to use their voices, together with playful movement and games to nurture your child’s musical development.
$15.00 + $2.00 postage (proceeds support music programs for children with special needs).
 

The do-re-mi music for children program develops the children’s enjoyment of all aspects of music whilst leading them towards reading and writing music (once in school) through a carefully researched curriculum. The children are exposed to a range of singing games, movement and playing percussion and orchestral instruments throughout the program which is sequenced for children from 6 months – 8 years.

For more information please contact: JULIE LOGAN 4963 2026 www.do-re-mi.com.au

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