Preschoolers - Learning Through Contrast!

Parenting Tip: Explore opposites with your preschooler – using music!

 

Why?

Learning through opposites enhances vocabulary and word association, encourages sensory and motor development, develops discrimination and classification skills, and provides plenty of opportunity for fun games!

 

How?

Play the Dolphins & Seagulls game!  Will you swim down low, or fly up high? 

Then, search around town for some dinosaur (or dragon?) eggs!  Help your child to discover the opposites in the game (that egg is up high, on the shelf, but this egg is down low!). 

Teach your whole family how to dance at the ball, by playing 'Sing a Song of Sixpence' (from Kindermusik's Make Believe CD).  Remind them that the Queen prefers tiptoe dancing, with much grace and restraint, while Rupert & the pirates rather enjoy jazzy dancing.  Enjoy exploring contrasting movement together, at home!

 

Want to Learn More?

On our blog – Do you like the jazzy sections of 'Sing a Song of Sixpence?'  Then try this Scooby-Dooby-Doo-Wop jazz activity!

 

Kindermusik 7-Year Continuum:

As a baby, you helped your child explore opposites when you would move up high during high musical sounds, and down low during low sounds. During Kindermusik toddler classes, your child explored opposites by imitating you as you played loud & quiet sounds, or as you moved the scarf in smooth or bumpy ways.  Now, as a preschooler, your child is exploring more intricate opposites, like the difference between the classical and jazz styles of Sing a Song of Sixpence (from Kindermusik's Make Believe CD).  As a big kid in Young Child classes, your child will explore opposites in relation to musical instruments (did you know that the long bars of the glockenspiel play the lowest sounds, while the short bars play the highest ones?  How can you play the glockenspiel in a staccato, or legato way?)