Tag: Parenting tips

We all know gentle sounds and lullabies are a way to soothe babies and create bonds. But beyond bonding, music serves a higher purpose in the early development of babies and children.

Music Classes Help Your Child Build a Solid Developmental Foundation

A 2017  study on Music Interventions and Child Development revealed that the impact of music has indicated positive effects on a variety of skills. Their findings suggest musical interventions may the potential to support educational processes and development of children. Based on our findings there are at least three distinct ways music can support your child’s growth. 

Language Development : Research shows children in transition from kindergarten to school develop fundamental skills important for the acquisition of reading and writing. Previous research pointed toward substantial correlations between specific language- and music-related competencies as well as positive transfer effects from music on pre-literacy skills. 

Strengthened hand-eye coordination : Whether its playing the violin, strumming the strings of a guitar or shaking a maraca, musical instruments  are known to enhance dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

The opportunity to develop motor skills is higher in young children and in our classes children interact with different instruments which are beneficial in developing these skills. 

Improved Mental processing : One of the lesser discussed benefits of music exposure to younger children is its ability to process events. In 2020 Neurologists found that have found that Musically trained children perform better at attention and memory recall and have greater activation in brain regions related to attention control and auditory encoding, executive functions known to be associated with improved reading, higher resilience, greater creativity, and a better quality of life.

Although these are just a few benefits, we know our classes can have a life-long impact on your child’s development. Learn more about our class offerings below and how they can help your child.

For Children Ages 6 months to 16 Months

Our Music I class is for children that are learning through listening and watching, moving, and “singing” with coos and babbles.

What to expect in class: Experience music from all around the world– music from both past and present, near and far! From The Beatles to Bach! In Music 1, children will delight in the sound of instruments, and “singing” through musical baby talk. They’ll enjoy being sung to, experiencing new sounds and the anticipation of surprise!

Benefits:

Physical: Sensory exploration time is supported while children practice their motor skills, which is crucial for your baby’s overall development.

Cognitive: Music-play helps activate parts of the brain responsible for music and speech processing. It creates an early appreciation of music and supports language development.

Social: Through music, you can hear and feel emotions. Tunes can be happy, sad, or angry! This supports social development in understanding emotions in a new way.

Adults: You get to engage with your little one making emotional connections and strong bonds. Being involved in your child’s play helps both of you feel more connected.

For Children Ages 16-28 Months

Our Music II class is for children that are ready to learn through a progression from receptive to expressive musical behavior.

What to expect in class: Experience music from all around the world-music from both past and present, near and far! From The Beatles to Bach! In Music 2, children will begin to experiment with ways to play musical instruments, accompany a song with rhythm, and act out lyrics through movements using both gross motor and fine motor skills. Children know so much about music at this stage, and are at the beginning stages of being able to express themselves musically!

Benefits:
Physical: Sensory exploration time is supported while children practice their motor skills, which is crucial for your child’s overall development.
Cognitive: Music play helps activate parts of the brain responsible for music and speech processing. It creates an early appreciation of music and supports language development.
Social: Through music, you can hear and feel emotions. Tunes can be happy, sad, or angry! This supports social development in understanding emotions in a new way.
Adults: You get to engage with your little one making emotional connections and strong bonds. Being involved in your child’s play helps both you feel more connected.

For All Ages

Our Family Music class is for children of all ages, at every stage who want to learn about music!

What to expect in class: Engage your little one in a multi-age music class which provides opportunities not only to learn musical techniques, styles, and about different instruments, but also supports social and emotional development.Benefits:

Physical: Sensory exploration time is supported while children practice their motor skills, which is crucial for your child’s overall development.

Cognitive: Music play helps activate parts of the brain responsible for music and speech processing. It creates an early appreciation of music and supports language development.

Social: Through music, you can hear and feel emotions. Tunes can be happy, sad, or angry! This supports social development in understanding emotions in a new way.

Adults: You get to engage with your little one making emotional connections and strong bonds. Being involved in your child’s play helps both you feel more connected.

It’s fall and we’re going full STEAM ahead!

STEAM is an educational discipline that aims to ignite an early interest and love of math, art, and sciences in children. Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math are similar fields of study in that they all involve creative processes and none uses just one method for inquiry and investigation. 

Not only do these activities support the development of math and science skills but also provide opportunities to strengthen language skills. A study by researchers at the University of California Irvine even found that early math skills were the most consistently predictive measure of future academic success among kindergarten to fifth-grade students.

This month, as we continue our partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Netflix for Gabby’s Dollhouse, we’re focused on highlighting the STEAM activities that are in the show. Some of our locations are hosting STEAM Parties to explore Bubble Science, but just in case you can’t make it, or don’t have an event near you, we pulled 10 STEAM-themed experiments you can do at home with your pre-schooler.

1. Ice Cream in a Bag

Looking for a simple treat that’s fun to make? Try this easy recipe for making ice cream in a bag. Little ones will get to expend some energy as they shake, shake, shake to churn the ice cream. This activity is best for preschool-age children (~22 months and older).

2. Black Pepper Soap Science Experiment

Teach little ones in an abstract way why it is important to wash your hands to keep yourself and others healthy. This activity is best for Explorers and preschool-age children (~2 years and older).

3. Soap Playdough

Use this playdough recipe for a fun STEM-building challenge that your kids will love! You can use simple materials to challenge children to build, create and problem solve with this recipe.

4. Magnetic Fishing Game

Practice your hand-eye coordination with this easily-assembled fishing game. You can even talk to your little ones about how magnets work! This activity is best for Explorers and preschool-age children (~20 months and older).

5. Sensory Bin Coffee Grounds

Don’t throw out those coffee grounds just yet! Learn 3 ways to use coffee grounds for a super sensory bin! From a Spring garden to a construction site, what else can you think of to do with your coffee grounds? This activity is best for Explorers and preschool-age children (~20 months and older).

6. Toy Car Painting

Bored of your paintbrush? Try painting with a toy car instead! Afterward, you can bring out a tub of water and have a car wash. This activity is best for Runners, Explorers, and Preschool-age children (~20 months and older).

7. Slime

This slime recipe is super! Mix together water, borax, wet glue, and a bit of food coloring or paint. This activity is best for preschool-age children (~2.5 years and older). Be sure to supervise your little ones while they play with their slime!

8. Color Explosion Science

Chemistry doesn’t have to be boring—especially when you can get a cool art project out of it! This science experiment demonstrates chemical reactions. Not only is it fun to watch, but even more exciting to do.

 

9. Five Green Speckled Frogs

Enjoy this fun stop-motion version of a classic finger-play song! This activity is perfect for children of all ages!

10. Threading Practice

Let your little one practice some threading using simple supplies. Great for developing fine motor skills and preparing for tasks like lacing up shoes or stringing beads. This activity is best for Walkers, Runners, Explorers, and preschool-age children (~14 months and older). Make sure younger children are no longer mouthing and be sure to supervise them during this activity.

Whether we consciously know it or not, we all have certain beliefs about our abilities and our future potential. These beliefs form the foundation of our mindset early in life, ultimately fueling our behavior, and shaping our everyday lives.

This month we’re discussing the idea of the growth mindset, and why it can support the future success of your child. We took a deep dive into the research of Dr. Carol Dweck, which was featured in her 2014 TED talk. 

In her research at Stanford University, Dr. Carol Dweck identified two different types of mindsets. Read more below. 

What are the mindsets? And why do they matter?

According to Dweck, the beliefs children have about intelligence, effort, and struggle impact the choices they make about learning. Based on her research, people tend to hold one of two different beliefs about intelligence:

• • Children with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be developed. These students see school as a place to develop their abilities and think of challenges as opportunities to grow.
  • Children with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence is fixed at birth and doesn’t change or changes very little with practice. These students see school as a place where their abilities are evaluated, they focus on looking smart over learning, and they interpret mistakes are a sign that they lack talent.

Developing the right mindset early on is crucial for a successful, happy life. When kids learn putting forth effort and using the right strategies can help them get better at things, they feel empowered, and try harder. When they know their brains are capable of growing, they are more confident, resilient, and are not afraid to fail! 

So how do we instill this simple and incredible concept to children? To start, it’s important to understand the basics.

Step 1: Build the Foundation 

Take time to talk to your child about the following questions:

1. What does it mean to GROW? What sorts of things grow? Answers will vary. Growth means to develop, change, mature, evolve. Living things grow – plants, animals, and people. Even our brains can grow!

2. When you think of the brain or minds, what do you think MINDSET means? Mindset is the way our brain perceives ourselves and the world. Our mindset helps us look at problems and mistakes in a positive way!

3. Let’s put those words together: growth and mindset. When we combine them, it means something really important. What could growth mindset mean? A growth mindset is believing in the power of yourself and your brain! We know our intellect and abilities develop when we try difficult things, use the right strategies, and don’t give up. So a growth mindset is when we know, with practice, we will get better at something.

4. If fixed is the opposite of growth, what does it mean to have a FIXED mindset? A fixed mindset means you think you can’t get better at things, even if you practice. Wanting to quit, give up, or deciding we’re just not good at something are all clues we have a fixed mindset.

Step 2: Share Examples from Your Life

Share a personal story about when you were stuck and used hard work and/or help from others to overcome a challenge. 

Ask your child to share similar examples from their lives. You can encourage other caretakers like grandparents, babysitters or siblings to do this with your child as well. 

Step 3: Practice Switching from a Fixed to Growth Mindset

Ask your child/class to think of some FIXED mindset phrases commonly used at home or anywhere else (“I am not good at this”, “I can’t do anything right”), and write them down.

Next, create a list of alternate phrases that reflect a growth mindset (“I’m not good at this yet”). Above the fixed mindset column, write “Instead of” and on the Growth mindset column, “I Can Say…”

Ask your children how they can change each statement from negative to empowering. For example, you could ask, “What is a better way of looking at a situation?”

Step 4: Use the Power of Yet

With one simple word, any fixed mindset phrase can be transformed into a statement of hope. “I can’t do this…yet.” It’s all about the FUTURE, and not giving up until we get there.

Make a “YET” bulletin board or designate a wall at home for all the things you can’t do…yet!

Step 5: Encourage Productive Struggle & Reframe Mistakes

In the safe environment of your home or class, give children time to think through their challenges, brainstorm solutions, and seek help if needed. Grappling with a problem builds resilience, so give kids time for reflection before jumping in to help or “save” them.

Get excited when opportunities for growth occur! In a challenging moment, say things like, “This seems like an opportunity to grow our brains!” Create  
an environment where setbacks are expected and even celebrated

Content appearing from this blog was originally published on TED, and Big Life Journal. 

 

We all know our children will eventually take their place in the world, but long before they become Olympians, doctors, and teachers, they are just little tykes who are looking to us to understand the basics of life. Whether it’s confidence, grit, or independence, our small cues help them better understand how to approach these things and how to practically leverage them in their environment. Below are some proven tips to help you support your child develop their own independence as they grow. 

 

Give Them Tasks

One way to help your child understand independence is to give them tasks to complete on their own. Research supports that small tasks and chores for children are a way to building a sense of responsibility, teaching collaborative skills and nurturing empathy. Not only does it give the child the opportunity the finish things on their own, but it’s a subtle way to help them understand your expectations. Some simple tasks to try are: 

• Putting away toys.
• Let them select the bedtime story.
• Let them determine their daily snack, get it out of the fridge and clean up.
• Help make bed.
• Select clothes for the day.

Ask Questions 

As parents, it’s common to step in and make decisions that we feel is in the best interest of our kids. But what’s not so common is to ask the child if they agree with what we’ve selected and why. By asking questions we get a sense of their preferences, and we help them think critically about what they prefer and why. Some simple questions to ask are: 

• What kinds of snacks should we buy?
• What kinds of shows do you want to see?
• What kinds of places do you want to visit?

Let Them Struggle (A little)

No one likes to see their child struggle. But when it comes to their long-term success, sometimes allowing them to struggle temporarily is a good thing. Let your child to try things that are difficult (for them) to solve on their own. When children are first learning to walk, we let them fall. When they try something that’s spicy (that we told them not to), we wait for the tears and offer something to quell the burn. Leave room for your child to feel discomfort, learn and try again from their own learned experience.

 

Give Positive Feedback

It goes without saying that we should always support a job well done. But what’s important when it comes to independence, is to support all of the attempts and failures. Children need to know that their progress is a step in the right direction. When you provide the cue that some failure is normal, and they will get it right, they will thrive through those hiccups.