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An exciting Musical Year with your Little One

with Silvia Sopkova, mother of three & Kindermusik teacher at Bodytree

It’s that time of the year when everyone is talking about resolutions, health and wellness.  Whatever resolutions you’ve chosen to fulfill in this 2018, let’s add few which are musical, easy to make and stick to, and will bring you and your children even closer together.

Resolution #1 – Sing More with your Child 

Music is an essential part of the human experience, of self-reflection, expression, and community. The joy of singing is something every child needs to experience.

With a little effort you’ll find you can come up with – or make up! – a song for nearly every part of your day. Daily routines become a little easier, and even the unexpected becomes a little more manageable when you have a song or two to ease you and your child through.

And remember, whether you would ever sing in public or not, to your child, your voice is the most beautiful sound in the world. Filling your child’s heart now with special songs makes for really precious memories that your child will cherish for the rest of his life.

Resolution #2 – Dance Together

This resolution will take some intentionality to successfully implement, but deliberately taking more time to cuddle and dance together will definitely bring you closer together. You’ll probably find that your own stress levels are reduced and that your child will have fewer meltdowns as a result of taking a little time for loving connection.

A spontaneous dance can happen anytime throughout the day.  Nothing gets rid of the grumps or brings a smile of delight more than a quick dance around the room – with or without recorded music!

Resolution #3 – Find Time for Relaxation

Being able to actively calm and relax yourself is an important skill. As your child experiences the sensations of relaxation from the security of your arms, he is actually learning how to achieve calm. He can use this skill to sooth himself to sleep as well as manage excitement, frustration, and overstimulation. As he grows, he’ll be equipped to handle stressful social situations with self-control. Listening to calm music accompanied by rocking, massage, or just lying down, is the best way how to relax together.

Resolution #4 – Listen Together

Active listening differs from simple hearing in that we much choose it as an intentional act. Analytical listening, like the kind we do in Kindermusik class when we explore different sounds and identify them, takes the development of music listening skills to a whole new level.

You can practice listening together by going on a listening walk so that your child begins to learn what it feels like to focus in on a specific sound. And life becomes much more interesting when we open our ears to what is happening around us. Listening walks can happen almost anywhere: around the house, in the back yard, around town, in a park, anywhere!

So have fun together as you listen to and imitate the sounds of a bird, cat, fire engine, aero plane, rain, or leaves moving in the wind.

Resolution #5 – Foster your Child’s Musical Development

Enrolling in weekly Kindermusik classes is certainly a wonderful way to foster your child’s musical development. Not only do you and your child benefit from the weekly classes together, but you also come home with a whole treasure-trove of resources, ideas, and music – from what you learn in class and from what you receive in your Kindermusik Materials. And we’re absolutely sure that you’ll love your Kindermusik classes as much as your child does!

So go ahead. Make these five musical resolutions.  Commit now to enjoying a more musical year with your child. We promise it will make your everyday routines a little easier and special memories a little more lasting. Music does it all!

After a year of teaching (in January 2013), Silvia started running her very own programme “Kindermusik with Silvia and Friends”. She loves bringing parents and children together, and giving them the opportunity to create unforgettable moments which will be treasured for all those years to come. To find out more or enrol your child email info@bodytreestudio.com