Gross Motor Movement for Babies

Parenting Tip: Help baby make BIG movements!

 

Why?

Playing on the seesaw, driving our 'lawnmowers,' standing tall as a tree - all of these activities help your child exercise her large muscle groups.  Older babies & toddlers are definitely in 'movement mode!'  Crawling, pulling themselves up, walking, running, climbing stairs, using push toys, kicking balls... developing their gross-motor skills!  Gross-motor skills are the actions and movements of the large muscles in the body (arms, legs, torso, etc).  Our dance and movement activities, in class, support the development of those muscle groups, and encourage coordination and balance - with each child moving at his own pace. 

As we move, your child is also becoming familiar with the interval between the notes 'sol' and 'mi.'  These are the first two notes a child learns – from 'It's our time..' in our hello song, to 'eggs away…' to 'rain, rain, go away…'  Sol-Mi is everywhere!

 

How?

Read the e-book 'In My Sandbox,' together! 

As you listen to music this week at home, dance around the room, with your child.  Encourage her to reach up high (like a tree!), out wide (like a house), in thin (like a pin), and crouch small (like a mouse) as you dance, together. 

Help build your child's gross-motor skills, with these Classic Back-yard Games - toddler style!

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog: Learn about 4 Benefits of Baby Music Classes (including gross-motor development!).

 

Kindermusik 7-year continuum:

Now, you are helping baby move her large muscle groups (or maybe doing those moves completely for her).  As a toddler, he will copy your big motions with his own body, learning how to do those moves himself.  In Kindermusik preschool classes, your child will use those big body motions to learn about musical concepts, like forte & piano, or staccato & legato.  In Kindermusik Young Child classes, big kids refine those movement skills to discover just how much muscle (or air) power it takes to produce a good tone on the glockenspiel, dulcimer, recorder, and other instruments.