Category: Benefits of Music
Newborn Sensory Play: Exploring Scarf Play with Music
Scarf play with music for a newborn? OH YES! Discover the magic of scarf play with music for your newborn and how it can engage their senses and promote development.
Multi-Sensory Stimulation:
As your baby feels, touches and sees the scarf moving, and hears the music match the movements, so many of their senses are sending messages to the brain all at the same time. In turn, your baby’s brain is absorbing and integrating this sensory information, building neural connections that can become automated awareness, leaves their brain energy for new things to learn.
Interactive Play for Development:
Because infants rely on interactive play with a loving family member to stimulate them, calm them, and enable them feel joy… all which are key to optimal infant development, scarves offer a gentle way to accent your play and spark creativity.
Incorporating Scarf Play in Family Time:
Mommy and me music playtime with a scarf can provide all of that… moving the scarf along with vocal play, describing words, upbeat tunes or sweet lullabies. Daddy and me activities can be a bit more robust, holding baby up to their chest facing out, and marching through the room with a scarf hanging over their legs… swishing on their skin with the movement. Siblings can lay down in front of Baby, facing them for some delightful infant tummy time playing peek-a-boo, or bouncing the scarf to the beat of rhymes they chant. Scarves are actually a wonderful prop for infant play with your whole family seated in a circle around them tossing the scarf to each other and peeking out at baby in turn.
Understanding Your Baby’s Sensory Sensitivity:
Be aware, each baby has their own sensory sensitivity. Now is a good time to carefully watch to see what your baby is communication to you and adjust accordingly. When your baby seems to avoid or whimper during scarf play, you may need to slow down, start with just visual play or only gently touch extremities. Often young babies can become averse to scarf play when it is immediately used on their face and it may freak them out since they don’t understand it. Any peekaboo play should start with your own face, and they will love it. Once your baby knows what to expect, and enjoys this multi-sensory play, they may be eager for more close to the face movement and robust movements.
Enhancing Scarf Playtime:
Try this: Start with vocalizing on “aah” or “ooh” going higher or lower in pitch MATCHING the movements of the scarf above them as they are laying on the floor. (They love your voice, even if you don’t.) You may include describing words to add the benefit of language development. Use directional words such as up-down, around, over-under, in-out, or action words like swoop, swish, swirl, hop, jump, etc.
Add a personal touch by singing your baby’s name. As you slowly move the scarf upward, focus on the first vowel in their name as the pitch in your voice slowly climbs higher before finishing their name in a playful way. Enjoy the same going lower until the scarf rests on their belly. If they reach for it, let them bat it around and maybe even grab it and pull it in toward the center of their body.
Enhance your play by playing some instrumental music and move the scarf along with the flow of pitch, with small movements for quiet music and bigger movements for louder music.
Benefits of Scarf Play:
As a tiny infant, your baby may not be moving their head side to side yet, so seeing the bright blurry scarf flow above them, and hearing the pitch of your voice sync with the scarf movement is an incredible learning experience. As your baby starts to move their head side to side, they are eager to practice and develop their independent eye tracking to watch the scarf glide across their vision.
As your baby reaches for the scarf, they are practicing their ability to extend their extremities, and as they grab at it and pull it in, they are practicing their ability to flex and hold, critical gross motor skills for infants. Stephanie Johnson, in her book “Baby Bare” calls the first three months of a baby’s life the “Squishies” stage, and these specific visual and motor skills are the first most important aspects of their critical early development.
Before babies can try to imitate anything, their brain is programmed to learn quite complex concepts from their experiences. Babies’ brains are primed to create neural pathways for intervals and math through the more rich classical and jazz music. Simply listening is a delightful background for their daily experiences, but interactive play while listening is when the real learning occurs. Once a child begins to try to imitate, we adapt it for their singing range and capabilities.
Choosing the Right Music:
The barbershop quartet version of “Home Sweet Home” on the free Kindermusik APP (available for any mobile device) is found in the Theme: Relaxation, and has a wonderful high and low flow, perfect for scarf play. For a delightful song with verbal directions, enjoy “Up, Up in the Sky” with your little bird. Download the APP today for music YOU will love to listen to repeatedly as well.
Next Step….Kindermusik!
For an ongoing supply of new ideas and music you can use together with your baby, join us anytime during your infant’s first three months with our special Newborn Offer. If your baby is older, sign up today to Preview a Class and see the musical magic in action with other families with newborn infants, and babies up to walking.
View this post on Instagram
We hope this inspires you to embrace scarf play with music as a valuable tool for newborn sensory development, fostering a strong bond and providing enriching experiences for your baby.
With Music and Magic,
Team Grow and Sing Studios
Rocking and a-Rolling Trains the Brain for Balance
By Debbie Mondale, Accredited Kindermusik Educator
Do you wonder why it is so important for our babies to rock and roll – move freely… and why toddlers love repeatedly falling over on purpose or preschool-age children spin themselves silly?
Balancing is not a skill we are born with, it must be trained in coordination with our body and brain. The good news, training for this cognitive development is natural and FUN, and this is a skill that impacts us every day of our entire lives, even essential for our survival. Encouraging children to move creatively is a good start, AND there are many mommy and me type activities that enhance this process.
The movements of our little one’s bodies train their brain to know how their body is positioned in the space around them, where UP is, and how to balance. The video below shows a pretty cool way to demonstrate this vestibular system as it occurs in the inner ear and sends messages to train the brain for balance and so much more.
View this post on Instagram
The inner ear is a curled up tube with three extra loops which are filled with a liquid, somewhat like the balloon in the video. These loops are also filled with nerves, that go with the flow as we move around and send messages to the brain. As the head and body moves, the liquid stays level with the ground, and the nerve endings tilt from their secured end as the liquid moves. Messages about HOW these nerve endings move are sent to the brain to create neural connections that allow us to subconsciously balance and move through space effectively.
When rolling and spinning round and round, the liquid in the ear whirls around too, even for a little while after stopping, which leaves a bit of a dizzying feeling which children LOVE (adults?… not so much). Spinning sends totally unique messages about balance to the brain and improves focus since coordinating both sides of the body and brain are required.
The more your child’s body moves, in every which way, the more they will be able to coordinate their actions to dance, ride a bike, play sports, and problem solve situations in which they become off balance, stuck, or disoriented.
Think about the last time your body instinctively recovered after you stumbled on uneven ground. Have you ever been disoriented under water after a wave knocked you over? These are the moments when all this vestibular training kicks in to save the day.
Movements you do with them, such as rocking, dancing with mom, wrestling with dad, and even fun pillow fights with the family are training the brain. I remember when my son was young, he loved being carried upside down. He insisted for almost a year that THAT is how he wanted to be taken to the bathroom to brush his teeth!
Movements they do for themselves, like nodding or shaking their head, rolling on the ground, falling down, spinning, jumping, tumbling… are naturally processing cognitive development in your child. If you see your child repeating a movement ad nauseum, their brain is actively SEEKING this type of stimulation.
ONE occurrence only makes the brain aware it is an option. Only thousands of repetitions can truly build the neural connections needed to make these reactions instinctual enough to act without thinking about it in an emergency situation. Early childhood development specialists WISH they could share this parenting advice to all young families since the first five years is a critical period for this brain development.
Our job can be as simple as making sure they are in a safe place to move and let them GO! Add maybe add some language development to the mix by describing their actions and how it makes them feel. Adding delightful music during movement multiplies the fun factor and increases their attention span. Download the free Kindermusik APP and get the action going with the songs in the Themes: Body and Playtime.
- As your child becomes more capable, challenge them with creative obstacles that make it fun to move their body in unique ways.
- Indoor diy obstacle courses can include piles of pillows and blanket tunnels and fun objects to pick up and toss in baskets. This can be set up in a living room, or even a hallway to keep them on a forward path.
- It can be so fun to set up their own little ninja warrior outdoor obstacle course with balancing beams, wobbly surfaces, things that spin, tunnels, rolling and tumbling paths, and so much more.
Our Kindermusik curriculum makes this all easy for you as it is designed to provide your child with a wide variety of movement experience. And our Accredited Educators here in Central Florida are specialists that will teach you more about it and provide tools you can use to meet your child’s unique needs for developing their gross motor skills and vestibular capabilities. Join us for a $5 preview class and see the magic in action.
What exactly is sensory integration?
Sensory integration for babies is the process by which their nervous system organizes and makes sense of information received through various senses. Exposing babies to diverse sensory experiences is crucial for their overall development.
View this post on Instagram
Sensory integration, essential for cognitive, motor, and social-emotional skills, lays the foundation for understanding the world. Kindermusik classes here at Grow and Sing Studios offer a structured and enjoyable way to achieve this. Incorporating music, movement, and social interaction, these classes stimulate auditory, visual, and tactile senses simultaneously. The rhythmic nature of music aids language development, while activities like touching textures and interacting with colorful props contribute to sensory exploration. Kindermusik provides age-appropriate, carefully crafted experiences that promote holistic sensory development, making it a delightful and effective avenue for caregivers to nurture their baby’s growth.
Explore Kindermusik Classes Today! Try a class for $5 Visit growandsing.com for more information.
#SensoryDevelopment #KindermusikClasses #ParentingInsights #oviedoflorida #orlandodads #parentingorlando #orlandolocal #MusicalExploration #EarlyMusicEducation #PlayfulLearning #SensoryDiscovery #MusicForKids #EducationalPlay #ExploreWithMusic #CognitiveDevelopment ##Kindermusik #BabyMusic #ToddlerActivities #ParentingJoy #OviedoKids #OrlandoFamily #BaldwinParkParents #AvalonParkLife #StoneybrookEast #WinterParkBabies #WinterGardenMoms #lakenonamoms #MusicalBabies #GrowAndSing
Join us for $1 Baby Days here at Kindermusik with Grow and Sing Studios
This goes out to all the new parents and grandparents out there!
If you have a friend or family member with a new baby, please forward this invitation to them. Thank you!
Congratulations on the newest addition to your family! As fellow parents, we understand the joy, challenges, and occasional isolation that come with the beautiful journey of parenthood. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and alone, especially in those early days.
At Grow and Sing Studios, we’ve created a warm and welcoming musical community through our Kindermusik classes. We recognize that large group activities can be intimidating, which is why our classes are intentionally small, ensuring a cozy and supportive environment for you and your little one.
Join us for our Special Baby Days offer from November 27 to December 1, 2023!
For just $1, you and your baby (newborn to walking) can experience the magic of our Kindermusik Foundations class. This exclusive offer is our way of reaching out to parents like you, providing a space where you can connect with others who are navigating the same exciting, yet challenging, parenthood journey.
Why Choose Kindermusik at Grow and Sing Studios?
Intimate Community: Our small class sizes foster genuine connections, allowing you to build a supportive network of fellow parents.
Expert Guidance: Led by accredited instructors, our Kindermusik Foundations class introduces your baby to the joy of music while offering valuable insights on early childhood development.
Multiple Locations: With classes in Oviedo/UCF, Winter Park, Baldwin Park, Lake Nona, and Winter Garden, we’re conveniently located to serve families across Central Florida.
How to Sign Up:
Click here and follow the instructions.
Select the Foundations class in your preferred location.
Use code BABYDAYS23 in the additional information section to unlock this special $1 offer.
Don’t let the isolation of early parenthood overshadow the joy it brings. Join us at Grow and Sing Studios, where every note is a step towards building a supportive community for you and your baby.
We can’t wait to welcome you to the Kindermusik family!
P.S If you have a toddler, we invite you to come preview anytime! : )
All the very best,
Holly and Will Lesnick, Owners
Grow and Sing Studios
The importance of socialization for babies and toddlers
As a parent, you may be tempted to keep your baby cocooned in the safety of your own home, away from the germ-ridden playgrounds and other children. However, research shows that socializing with other babies and children can provide numerous benefits for your little one. Lets explore the benefits of babies socializing with each other.
1. Boosts Cognitive Development
Interacting with other babies and children can help your baby develop their cognitive skills. When babies engage with other children, they learn how to communicate nonverbally, make eye contact, and use their own voice to communicate. This helps them develop their language skills and improve their social and emotional intelligence.
2. Enhances Motor Skills
Playing with other babies can help enhance your baby’s motor skills. When babies are around each other, they learn how to crawl, walk, and move around in different ways. They also learn to grasp objects, throw things, and manipulate toys. These physical interactions help build their fine and gross motor skills.
3. Boosts Confidence and Self-Esteem
When your baby socializes with other babies, they learn how to interact with different personalities and temperaments. They learn how to share, take turns, and cooperate. This helps build their confidence and self-esteem, and they feel more comfortable around others.
4. Encourages Empathy and Compassion
As babies grow and learn to socialize with others, they begin to develop empathy and compassion. They learn to recognize and respond to the emotions of others. This can help them develop a strong sense of empathy and compassion that will serve them well throughout their lives.
5. Builds a Strong Social Foundation
Socializing with other babies and children helps your baby build a strong social foundation that will benefit them throughout their lives. As they learn to interact with others, they develop communication skills, social skills, and emotional intelligence. These skills will help them build healthy relationships with others and navigate the complexities of social situations.
View this post on Instagram
So, don’t hesitate to take your baby out to meet other babies and children, and let them develop their social skills from an early age. Of course, Kindermusik is such a great option for this socialization.
Try a Kindermusik class for your baby or toddler at Grow and Sing Studios for only $5.
CLICK HERE FOR A $5 IN-PERSON PREVIEW
CLICK HERE FOR A $5 VIRTUAL PREVIEW
We can’t wait to meet you!
Why is Barefoot Best for Baby?
👣Barefoot is often considered best for babies for a few reasons:
1. Helps with sensory development: The soles of the feet have numerous nerve endings that help your baby understand their surroundings. By being barefoot, baby can feel different textures and surfaces, which can help with their sensory development.
2. Promotes proper foot development: When babies are barefoot, they can move their feet and toes freely, which allows for the natural development of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in their feet. This can help with their balance and coordination as they learn to walk.
3. Allows for better grip: Bare feet can provide a better grip on smooth surfaces, which can help with walking and prevent slipping.
4. Allows for natural cooling: A baby’s foot can be a natural to regulate their body temperature. Being barefoot allows the baby’s feet to breathe and cool down if they become too warm.
However, it’s important to note that in certain situations, such as when a baby is outside in cold weather or on rough surfaces, it may be necessary to provide them with protection for their feet. It’s always a good idea to consult with a pediatrician for advice on what is best for your baby’s specific needs.
View this post on Instagram
#barefoot #noshoesforbaby #babyshoes #babies #Kindermusik #parenteducation #parenteducator #parenttips #parentinginfo #motherhood #fatherhood
😞Feeling stressed? Let us help!
|
I had to share this “whoa” moment.
Happy December everyone!
Recently I was hired to do a presentation via video conference call for a parenting group in Arizona. This group found me on Instagram where I tend to share a lot of developmental nuggets about how music affects a child’s development. I was honored to be asked and accepted the task. Can I just say that I had the BEST TIME? Sharing my passion with a wonderful group of moms was so much fun and rewarding. I hope I left a bit of an impression that trickles down to their precious babies.
I’m not presenting to you today in my blog post, but I did want to share one “whoa” moment to consider as you enter into what tends to be a chaotic time of year. For a child in their first 2000 days, the days between birth and Kindergarten, it is the time when their brain will form the most rapidly in their entire life. I learned (and then subsequently passed it on in my presentation) that a baby’s brain forms synapses (connections) at a rate of 1 MILLION PER SECOND! The actual “whoa” though is the fact that if those synapses aren’t strengthened, they prune and shed. Like, gone forever. The ones that are strengthened, shape who your baby will become as a person. These synapses are formed for vision, hearing, language and cognitive function, and this all happens in the first year of life. Not only that but social and emotional function as well. Each of us is born with the potential to control impulses and be focused but acquiring these skills happens in the early years when these synapses are forming. It helps create a foundation that will carry through a person’s entire life.
Large bodies of research have reported that high quality Birth-8 years learning environments, with regular attendance help build a strong foundation for the forming of these synapses. (NC Early Childhood Foundation)
Okay, you probably see where I’m going with this.
MUSIC!
Music is magical.
It’s is a multi-sensory activity. When children are engaged with music and movement, their hearing and visual senses are fully engaged. When multiple senses are engaged in an activity, more areas of the brain are activated. The more areas of the brain activated, the more brain connections formed. It is a fact that MUSIC is one of the only activities that activates, stimulates and uses the ENTIRE brain. I think that is fascinating, and exciting.
For the last 18 years, I have been SO PROUD to enhance the lives of families all across Central Florida with the gift of Kindermusik. Kindermusik was created with the idea that in a child’s early years, we can use the best tool EVER to strengthen those synapses so pruning and shedding is minimal.
Okay here’s my pitch. A month of Kindermusik at Grow and Sing Studios is $68. That may seem like a lot, but, considering that your baby is forming 1 million synapses a second right now, and each one of those needs love and care, it’s a pretty good deal.
I have an even BETTER deal! For the month of December, you can attend 2 per week until Christmas at 35% off, PLUS you’ll receive an invitation to our Jingle Jam Holiday Party (our entire team of teachers is singing!). To learn more, fill out the form here, and mention our “New Family December Offer”. We’ll hook you up.
If you decide to wait, we’ll hold back the guilt and encourage you to consider asking for a Kindermusik Gift Certificate so you can join us in 2020. Click here for more on that.
Oh, and if you are reading this from far and wide, and are part of a parenting group I would love to share my presentation with you. I’m for hire! Just contact me and we can chat. Also, you can find a Kindermusik class all around the globe by clicking here.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season, and lots of strong synapse forming days with your child!
Holly Lesnick is a Licensed Kindermusik Educator and Studio owner at Grow and Sing Studios, a Bachelor of Music Therapy, mom of 2 and has been married to her husband Will for 21 years. Holly is the Kindermusik International Brand Ambassador for the U.S., and always happy to collaborate with brands and businesses she believes in.
Reference: First 2000 days information found mostly at NC Early Childhood Foundation.
It’s your child’s time
Hello Central Florida Families!
Did you know that the study, practice, and discipline of making music gives the brain and body a complete workout? Imagine activities that are designed to encourage multi-sensory learning, which employs and integrates several senses at once, stimulating multiple areas of the brain.
Our program focuses on each CHILD’S BRAIN, BODY, AND HEART.
The benefits of music are truly transformational. When paired with movement and instrument play, it creates neurological magic, lighting up a child’s brain and positively impacting all areas of development.
Here at Grow and Sing Studios, we use the power and joy of music-making to help children learn and grow during the years most critical to brain development. Our research-based curricula and interactive music experiences establish a foundation of early learning that supports sustained growth, confidence, and creativity throughout the life of a child.
What is Kindermusik?
Kindermusik is music-making with a purpose. Science has shown that children of any age learn more when the learning is playful and fun. Kindermusik kids laugh, smile, stomp, play, kick, clap, jump, sing, and dance. But having fun is just the beginning.
Steeped in educational theory, our programs engage the potential found in every child.
In our classes, children newborn through age 7 experience music of varying styles, genres, and cultures. They interact with other peers and engage in movement, rhythm, and vocal activities that develop far more than just music skills. Our approach to early childhood education primes children for success in school and in life.
Each class focuses on all areas of development including:
- Receptive Language
- Whole body movement
- Social-Emotional Development
- Sensory Awareness
- Musical Skills
- Fine Motor Movement
- Expressive Language
- Cognition
Our classes begin in just two weeks! Enroll now. Discover the power and joy of music-based learning by clicking here to view classes and enroll.
For a limited time, new families to our program receive $20 off their first month. So, for one month you receive all the amazing home materials included in class, plus a month of classes for $48. Only days remaining on this offer. Enter NEWFAMILY20 in the additional information field when you register here and we’ll adjust your first payment.
In addition to that all registrants previous and new, are invited to attend a SECOND class each week, FREE. Learn more about our subscriber benefits.
Have you already registered? Great! We can’t wait to see you (and look out soon for your music downloads!). Has your child aged out? That’s okay, we KNOW you know someone who could benefit from this email. We thank you for sharing.
We are ready to help you build a strong foundation for your child for a lifetime love of learning. Let’s go!
Oh by the way! We are giving away free prizes on our live event this Friday. Click GOING right now! Join us at 11am on instagram or facebook, to perhaps win a REMO hand drum, tushbaby carrier (as seen on shark tank) or a FREE MONTH OF CLASSES. See you there!
The Gift of Time
What is something you absolutely love to do? What are you good at? What is your favorite band? Who are your best friends?
Now, imagine how different your path with any of these things would be if you only went by your very first impression. Did you know instantly that you loved to do that thing? Or did you need to try a few times before you realized it was something you liked to do, or were good at. Maybe running, or dancing, or sports. What about your favorite song or band? Did you sing along the first time you heard it?
Think about it. How long does it take you to sing along to a song? I mean ACTUALLY SING ALONG. On first listen, you are most likely processing. Thinking about if you would like to hear it again. The second time, you may be tapping your foot, or humming along. The third time, maybe you are singing along to the chorus. You get the idea. It takes time to process experiences. It takes time to decide if it’s something we want to do again. It takes us time to form relationships, or skills.
As parents, we just want our kids to be happy. We want them to have fun, and feel safe. But the truth is, there’s growth in a bit of the unknown, in the processing.
Time and time again, we witness families with their babies or toddlers in a first time preview of one of our music classes. New experiences are challenging for children and adults. It takes time to process new environments and take it all in. Many times, as young children are easing into their first class, they may be quiet, cry, or even the opposite, it may overexcite them. This is all part of processing and it’s only the first impression. In fact, what we are really talking about here is a parent’s first impression of their child’s first impression.
“She’s never like this at home”. We hear this a lot. As educators, we aren’t surprised. Why? Because Kindermusik is a sensory rich environment filled with sights, sounds, socialization, brain work, team work and the list goes on. It would be surprising to think that a child isn’t processing this new environment. To either clam up quietly as an observer, or to run around wildly as a kinesthetic learner. All of this is part of the first impression. When a parent decides to not enroll based on this first impression, could it be that so much learning and growth opportunities are missed? Imagine an environment that allows for these first impression moments in a non-judgmental way, and allows for a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th impression before making a final decision. Imagine the possibilities.
Consider giving your child the gift of time.
Holly Lesnick is a Licensed Kindermusik Educator and Studio owner at Grow and Sing Studios, a Bachelor of Music Therapy, mom of 2 and celebrated 20 years of marriage with her husband Will. Holly is the Kindermusik International Brand Ambassador for the U.S., and always happy to collaborate with brands she believes in.
www.growandsing.com
Click here for offer for new families to Grow and Sing Studios.