Music and Movement for Babies - Starting Them Young
Many parents wonder when the right time is to start a music programme and whether their tiny baby can really get anything out of a class so young. Well the answer is yes!Music has an effect even earlier than this. We have heard about babies in the womb responding to music and once born ‘recognising’ a familiar tune their parents may have played before birth. Music, especially lullabies, have been shown to have a positive healing effect on sick babies in intensive care units. Infants as young as 2 months are able to match pitch, loudness, melodic contour and by 4 months can match rhythmic structure as well. And very soon after birth a baby will show a preference for sounds that mimic the mother’s voice.
Regardless of babies active musical responses there is evidence that the musical stimulation they receive from birth to 18months really does influence their later development – that’s powerful stuff!
The great thing about music is that it stimulates all areas of the brain so it’s an all round activity for your child’s development. Social, emotional, language, cognitive, physical and musical skills are all enhanced through a well written music and movement programme. Ideally that programme should incorporate the latest research on early childhood development specialists and Kindermusik meets this need.
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Kindermusik Village for babies provides a relaxed, happy environment where parents connect with their children and exchange experiences with other parents. Parents also learn about music’s effect on their baby’s development.
The 45 min class is designed for babies as young as newborn up to 18 months and each activity can be adapted to suit lap babies, crawlers and walkers. That’s important as this age group covers a wide range of developmental stages and physical abilities.
Here are some of the features of a Kindermusik class:
 Bonding/Quiet time
Kindermusik provide lots of opportunities for the parent to bond with their baby.
Parents who are reluctant to sing because they don’t think they are ‘good enough’ soon realise what matters most to baby is that the parent is seen to njoy music with him. Spending a quality focussed 45 mins in a music class with a baby can be a wonderful rewarding experience. With our baby massage/ warm up activities the parent makes all important eye contact as she bonds with the child whilst also helping stimulate circulation and digestion. Rocking to lullabies can be incredibly soothing for the child especially if the adult is singing too. Quiet time , where we have completely unstructured time to calm music is an opportunity for the child to understand he can relax at times other than his bed time. It also aids their listening skills and appreciation of music.
Musical baby
Each week baby is exposed to a variety of musical styles from multicultural music to jazz, classical and folk along with a wide choice of different instruments, all which are safe and developmentally appropriate. We always have a featured music/movement focus selected for special emphasis each lesson. Lyric charts are provided as many songs are unfamiliar and original pieces. Kindermusik is not, however, about making a musical genius! However, research confirms that the amount of time you engage musically with your child in both class and at home will impact their development . So, unique Home materials ( CDs, books, games etc) are designed to enhance the parent-child bond through the joys of play, literature, movement, and the highest quality children’s music
Baby’s brain
Each experience which a baby has in the early years and how often he has it influences how that brain will function in the future. Chemical and anatomical changes occur as a result of repeated exposure, helping baby retain what he has learned and build on it in the future. In a Village class by experiencing a variety of objects, movements and sounds new neural connections are made in the brain and strengthened. That’s why variety and repetition are key elements of the Village class.
Moving with baby
Repetition of movements is also key for baby’s brain and motor development. Holding baby in or moving baby to different positions is important for development of their vestibular system which helps control balance. From trotting in circles, flying through the air, jumping or dancing together your baby gets to see a different view of the world .Baby exercises also help keep him moving and help the child feel a steady beat.
Baby’s Communication
Communication with baby starts with physical contact – cuddling, stroking, rocking etc. When vocal play activities are introduced in our class a conversation can unfold where the adult matches and imitates sounds, be it the moo of a cow, chug of a train or a click of the tongue. The guided and free exploration object play we do in class from a shaker to a scarf, to flower or sponge is key to language development as it encourages the child to make sounds and words about their actions. Reading to baby and nurturing a love of reading is also important and one of the reasons we provide a music and movement story book as part of our home materials. Our courses also contain some baby signing to enable the child to communicate effectively before they have the words available and overcome frustration of not being understood
Making it Fun
It is clear that the strongest effects of music are found from active participation in music making so its important that a baby music class is fun for the parent and child and the social interactions they have with others in class.
In Kindermusik Village the parent can spot baby’s emerging sense of humour as he smile, coos, babbles and dances to her favourite musical activities and laughs with other children. The bonus is that in this happy environment music is also helping her overall development.
Vanessa Webb ( Kindermusik Maestro Educator)
For more details on Kindermusik classes contact 01276 62407
www.kindermusik.co.uk
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