Happy Week of the Young Child Everyone! Let’s take a minute to give pause to all the uncertainties and praise to all the children in our lives. I have attached a link from the National Association for the Education of Young Children in case you want to learn more about Week of the Young Child.
https://www.naeyc.org/events/woyc
Also- we are having a Scholastic virtual book fair this week. Books get shipped right to your door which is great during this time. I have provided the link to our book fair below. Supporting the book fair means our center gets more books to share with all the children so we hope you consider supporting us while sharing the love of literacy with the children in your lives!
We hope everyone has fallen into a routine that makes sense during this time. This week I wanted to bring you some literature about music with infants. We used music often in the infant classroom. Not only did singing songs provide comfort during times of distress, singing to infants provides endless opportunities for language development. I wanted to include a couple songs we sang in the classroom often. Give them a try and let us know how your infant responds to the songs.
The Good Morning Train
(sing to the tune of “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain”)
The Good Morning Train is coming how are you? CHOO CHOO!
The Good Morning Train is coming how are you? CHOO CHOO!
The Good Morning Train is coming,
The Good Morning Train is coming
The Good Morning Train is coming how are you? CHOO CHOO!
And we say Good Morning to Suzie (Point to child) How are you? CHOO CHOO!
And we say Good morning to Suzie (Point to child) How are you? CHOO CHOO!
And we say Good morning to Suzie
And we say Good morning to Suzie
and we say Good morning to Suzie How Are you? CHOO CHOO!
(replace “Good Morning” with “Good Night” etc. and sing the song using each family members’ name)
Clap Your Hands!
Clap, clap, clap your hands
clap your hands together!
Clap, clap clap your hands
Clap your hands together!
(Repeat with various actions including: tap your foot, touch your nose, turn your head, wave your arms, etc).
Do not be concerned that your child isn’t repeating any of the actions or singing along. At this age their receptive language (what they comprehend) is much stronger than their expressive language (what they can say). Think of them as a sponge- they are basically “soaking up” every word and attaching it to the actions you do every day. I have included an article on the benefits of using music with infants that I hope you will find beneficial.
Have you ever created an infant drum circle? I challenge you to give it a try! Grab some pots, pans and bowls, create a large circle and set your infant inside. Model the “drumming” using a spoon then hand it over to your infant and see what they do. Here are some questions to ponder and talk about while your baby explores what surrounds them:
- How do the plastic bowls differ from the metal pots in terms of sound?
- Does the metal spoon make a different sound than the wooden spoon? What if we use our hands?
- Is your child imitating your drumming motions or are they creating their own?
- Does your child favor one sound over the over? Do they prefer one utensil over another?
- Are they showing preference to one hand over another?
http://playcreateexplore.blogspot.com/2012/06/pots-and-pans-drum-circle-let-them-be.html
After you and your child have had enough fun drumming, check out some traditional “Drum Circle Music.” I have included a couple of songs for you to listen to with your infant. How do they react to the music?
If you try any of these activities, please email us and let us know. We’d love to hear what the infants are up to!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyFWuq0ATAE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zuETyY85go
~~Happy Birthday to our much loved graduate assistant Hailey!!!!!
Be well… today and always,
Nadine and the Infant One Staff
