Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Words with Toddlers!

Parenting Tip: Build your toddler's vocabulary by singing familiar songs!

Why?

Receptive and expressive language skills develop from infancy. Receptive language skills (the ability to take in language and understand) include being able to follow directions, understand a story, and understand figurative language. Expressive language skills encompass the many ways of conveying a message.

The more you talk, sing, and read to your child, the stronger his verbal skills will be.  Linking motions to words (like with the song, Mr. Sun), advances memory and language. 

Words are just 'sounds,' until they are associated with an object, action, experience, or feeling.  It's one reason why we label so many of the things we do, each week, in Kindermusik!

 

How?

Read the Mr. Sun e-book, with your child!  Enjoy looking for the sun, on each page, making animal sounds to match the illustrations, and don't forget the motions that go with the song

Use describing words to help your child Be a Cloud!  For fun, follow up with a rendition of the Cloud poem, from your new home CD. 

For fun with movement words, listen to I Like to Sing When the Sun is Shining!  As a family, enjoy moving around the room, using the movements sung in the recording.  Can you add your own movements & verses to the song? 

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  Discover some of the ways that music is one of the Best Things for Early Language Development!

 

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum:

As a baby, your child used your vocal model as a place to begin experimenting with the many sounds her own voice could make.  Today, your toddler is taking all of those sounds, and putting them together to form words – many times with her singing voice, linking those words with motions.  In Kindermusik preschool classes, your child will add new words to his vocabulary, as he learns specific musical terms, like staccato, legato, and glissando.  Big kids in Young Child classes exercise their language skills in a new way, as they read traditional music rhythms and notes. 


 

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