Heyyyy, Get Rhythm!

Did you know that by 16 weeks pregnant, your tiny can start to hear? Singing to your tiny while you are pregnant is a great way to let baby know all is well. After birth, if you sing your baby's favorite tunes, you should notice quite a soothing reaction from your newborn.

Not only will your baby recognize songs, but if Daddy talks to your tiny before birth, baby will also turn towards dad when he talks over any other male voice when he is first born.

Music and the arts are crucial to young children's brain development. Playing music with varying tunes creates connections in your baby's brain pathways. Music can be flowing and unpredictable (like classical) or repetitive and rhythmic. It triggers the brain to work and creates bridges for your baby's neurons to travel across.

In my classroom, I create lots of opportunities for singing and making music. Children love to make noise music, and it is good for them, too!

Some must-haves, in my opinion, for tiny music sessions, are some kind of shakers, a keyboard, drums (or, just pots and pans), rhythm sticks, and a xylophone. My students also love to sing when I let them take turns with a pretend microphone I have in my classroom. Give a tiny a microphone, and all of a sudden, they're a star!

I also integrate the arts in other ways. One classroom favorite for us is to provide the students with paint and paintbrushes and play classical music. It is a quiet activity, and lasts about 10 minutes, but they make some beautiful artwork and get a lot of satisfaction out of it.

How do you integrate music into your day with tinies?