Grow Your Child's Brain with ILY Rituals

Parenting Tip:  Add “I Love You” Rituals into your child’s daily routine.

What is it?

“I Love You” rituals are activities that create deep emotional bonds with our children. They include eye contact, touch, play, and being in the moment.  They can be as simple as enjoying a favorite finger play like “This Little Piggy” or they can be rituals that you create together just for your family or your child!

Why?

• Human connection creates neural connections in the brain (they grow your child’s brain).
• The health of a child’s relationships with others is THE VITAL LINK to academic success.
• Promote learning and literacy
• Increase attention span and cooperation
• Decrease power struggles
• Enhance self-esteem through permanent brain chemistry changes
• Integrate the brain

How?

• Try including a rocking time ‘I Love You’ ritual in your bedtime routine.
• Add a finger play during bath time, like “I Can Wiggle” from Kindermusik Sing & Play “I Can Do It” Album
• Sing ‘Goodnight Baby…. It’s time to go to sleep’ (to the tune of Goodbye Babies, and using your child’s name)

Want to Learn More?

• On our blog, read why kids & parents love their Kindermusik class!
• Find Becky Bailey’s book:  I Love You Rituals.

Teach Your Child to Sing

Parenting Tip:  Sing with your child each day!

Why?

• Singing is an important form of self-expression. 
• Healthy singing for children is important, and includes songs with a limited range of notes, starting with the interval of ‘Sol-Mi’ (like in ‘Rain, Rain, Go Away’), using a light, head-voice (like when we toss our scarves up and say ‘whooo!’),  acapella singing (children learn melodies faster, by hearing that melody sung, unaccompanied)
• Your voice is your child’s favorite!
• Singing together creates emotional bonds (rituals) that increase attention span and help children work through conflicts.
• Your are your child's first and best teacher. By singing with them each day, YOU are teaching them how to sing and the joy of singing!

How?

• Sing the Hello & Goodbye songs with your child.  (The ‘Sol-Mi’ interval can be found in the words: “It’s our time…”  and in the ‘Goodbye’ echo).
• Sing without the CD.
• Play with vocal expression by imitating animal sounds where your child can explore the vocal range: high-pitched cat sounds, cock-a-doodle do like a roster, etc.

Want to Learn More?

• On our blog, read:  A Song a Day May Keep the Doctor Away!
• Also:  Developing the Young Singer!

Rituals and Routines for Babies

Musical Parenting Tip:  Establish daily rituals and routines with your child.

Why?

Daily Routines help your child regulate his day and learn what to expect. Overtime, you are helping your child learn to adapt to change.

Rituals are connection moments that are filled with a sense of playfulness that build bonds between you and baby that last a life time. "I Love You" rituals  increase attention span, decrease power struggles, and promote language and literacy development.

How?

• Attend Kindermusik every week!  We keep routines each week, by including our Hello song, rocking time, story time, a circle dance, and Goodbye song in each lesson. 
• Create some ‘helper’ rituals, at home! 
• Make pre-meal handwashing a ritual, by singing ‘Wash, wash, wash your hands, Wash your hands with Mommy/Daddy/Nanny/Grandma’ (to the tune of ‘Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands!’)
• Create a Bed-time ritual using a favorite book or song. Consider hammocking baby on a blanket with parents holding each end.
• Add a special rhyme to bath time and then another for clean up time.

Want to learn more?

On our blog:  Read Music and Movement Benefits:  Routines and Social-Emotional Health

Also, find Becky Bailey’s book, “I Love You” Rituals
OR Check out Pinterest Page: https://www.pinterest.com/consciousd/i-love-you-ritualstm/