Big idea for Village, Sign and Sing and Our Time: Kindermusik makes it easier to communicate with your baby or toddler
Traveling to another country can be exciting. New sights, sounds, customs, food, and time zones that wreck havoc on your sleep! If the locals speak a language you don’t understand, your communication abilities quickly downgrade to that of a one-year-old: the use of full-body gestures and speaking louder and louder in YOUR language thinking that will increase comprehension. Yikes! Where is the loo?
At Kindermusik, we know parenting a young child can be a bit like visiting a foreign country. New sights, sounds, customs, food, and your sleep is definitely wrecked! Plus, your little one does not exactly speak your language. Most grown-ups are no longer fluent in baby or toddler. We understand, which is why we intentionally include activities that will increase your child’s communication abilities. In class, when we use sign language, sing “Oh well, you walk, and you walk, and you walk and you stop” or when we listen to and imitate different sounds, your child is learning and practicing language. Eventually, this will lead to him speaking your language. (Well, until the teenage years, and then you’ll need your passport again!)
Everyday connection: A match made in Kindermusik. Your child loves the sound of your voice. Feed his love and grow his use of language at the same time by singing, listening, moving, and dancing to the music from class. The repetition helps increase language acquisition and retention. Plus, music is a language you both understand.

Big Idea for Imagine That!: Where are your listening ears?

This week, listening took on a whole new meaning.  This time with a new song, “Oh, Watch the Stars,” we used a concept called analytical listening. So many things are happening in this activity. Your preschooler has to understand and follow directions, make decisions while they’re listening, and wait to share their thoughts until the song is over. They listen to new lyrics, explain to themselves what the song is about as well as what they think about who is singing.   I am so impressed with the level of this challenge for your preschooler. It is a joy to see and hear them discover these great abilities!