Movement is BIG for your preschooler!

Musical Parenting Tip:  Create a 'Big Movements' dance, with your preschooler

 

Why?

As a preschooler, the fruits of your playful labor in our babies' music classes and toddlers' music classes are exposed and expanded as your children begin to own their movements both large and small!  This week, she designed her own Punchinello dance, for her friends to emulate.  He also helped us list all of the ways that the carnival clowns like to move - then we moved, too!

When you send in the clowns, you can also introduce a whole lot of fun practicing all kinds of ways to move, jump, listen, focus, and even stop.  At first glance, it might seem like an activity such as "I Am a Clown" is just about moving and dancing.  But watch a little more closely, and you'll see that there are a whole lot more benefits than just developing gross motor skills.

 

How?

Login to your Kindermusik @ Home account, and have more fun with clown movements!

Then, take a video field trip to the carnival!  Can you move like the rides that you see?  Can your voice follow, too? 

Make your own merry-go-round!  Cue up the Merry Go Round song from the Carnival of Music CD, and gather some family & friends to help.  Using a large sheet, blanket, or tablecloth, put your child in the middle, and rotate the merry-go-round (or use a parachute)!  Have fun - and don't forget to pack your pretend toolkit, for repairs

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog:  Send in the Clowns, and move! 

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum:

In Kindermusik baby classes, adults move their baby's body for her, so that she becomes aware of different ways to move. 

As toddlers, children use those body movements to connect to the music, and to learn basics like steady beat. 

Now in preschool Kindermusik classes, your child uses body movements to represent musical concepts like high and low sounds, and loud and quiet sounds. 

As a big kid, in Young Child classes, those early experiences in movement and spatial awareness will help him as he explores the geography of a glockenspiel (with low notes on the left side, and high notes on the right), the technique of strumming a dulcimer, and the muscle-memory needed to use proper fingerings on a recorder.

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