Again! Again!

Have you ever wondered why a child will ask you to read the same book over and over or perhaps never tires of rolling the ball back and forth? A newly published study may shed some light on this learning technique of young children. Nicknamed the “Goldilocks effect”, the study examines the attention span of infants in relation to the complexity of the world around them. The results showed that infants focus only on situations that are neither too difficult nor too easy.

“The study suggests that babies are not only attracted by what is happening, but they are able to predict what happens next based on what they have already observed,” says Kidd, lead author on the report. “They are not passive sponges. They are active information seekers looking for the best information they can find.” Children who are engaged in a sensory rich learning experience are best equipped to receive and retain new information. The repetition of a fun activity likely yields new information each time for your child and provides an opportunity for them to test their predictions based on their latest observations.  ”Parents don’t need to buy fancy toys to help their children learn. They make the best use of their environment. They are going to look around for what fits their attention level. Kids learn best from social interaction,” reminds Kidd.

I hope your family can enjoy some fun, social interaction in a Kindermusik class this summer!Click here for a free preview coupon.

This article is from Miss Aimee, of Delightful Sounds, a Kindermusik Studio in Brandon, Florida. Miss Aimee is named  a Maestro in Outreach by Kindermusik International, recognizing her considerable efforts each year to reach underserved populations of children in her community.

Why Kindermusik?

A Kindermusik mom explains why Kindermusik is important to her family.

Why Kindermusik?

WHY KINDERMUSIK? “To sing well and to dance well is to be well-educated.”-philosopher Plato

I'm with the band

Parenting Magazine mentions Kindermusik as the best place to start your little ones in music. Of course we know that, but it's nice to hear it somewhere else! :D

Kids lovemusic. They sing, they boogie, they bust out the ol' air guitar. And they boost brainpower in the process: “The pattern recognition in learning music as well as the discovery aspect are enormously helpful later with math and science,” notes Lindley Schmitt, a veteran children's music instructor at the University of Puget Sound's School of Music, in Tacoma, WA. But when are they actually ready to rock an instrument? Here's a sound, er, reality check:

Xylophone

Age to start: 4 years

Skills needed: Mallet wielding!

Where to learn: Kindermusik classes (kindermusik.com) are loads of fun because kids learn by singing and playing games with other preschoolers. The Kid's Xylophone app by Goatella is pretty cool, too. ($1; market.android.com oritunes.com).

Piano and Violin

Age to start: 4 to 5 years

Skills needed: A love of patterns and rhythm. Does your child enjoy a game of Memory or like to sort his Hot Wheels cars by color? Then he's probably good to go.

Where to learn: The Suzuki style of teaching is big on parent involvement;suzukiassociation.org.

Guitar

Age to start: About 7 years

Skills needed: Hand strength and dexterity should be naturally developed enough at this age. Coordination helps, too. See if your kiddo can rub her belly and tap her head while walking with ease.

Where to learn: Childrensmusicacademy.org has age-based classes.

http://www.parenting.com/article/musical-instruments-for-kids

We Love Kindermusik!

This is adorable! =)

Why Kindermusik?

WHY KINDERMUSIK? “An educational foundation is only part of the equation. In order for creativity to flourish and imagination to take hold, we also need to expose our children to the arts from a very young age.” -First Lady Michelle Obama

Babies' Brains Benefit from Music Lessons, Even Before They Can Walk and Talk

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120509123653.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmind_brain%2Fchild_development+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Mind+&+Brain+News+--+Child+Development%29

ScienceDaily (May 9, 2012) — After completing the first study of its kind, researchers at McMaster University have discovered that very early musical training benefits children even before they can walk or talk.

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See Also:

Mind & Brain

• Child Development
• Child Psychology
• Perception
• Language Acquisition
• Intelligence
• Educational Psychology

Living Well

Reference

• Premature birth
• Peripheral vision
• Tinnitus
• Maternal bond

They found that one-year-old babies who participate in interactive music classes with their parents smile more, communicate better and show earlier and more sophisticated brain responses to music.

The findings were published recently in the scientific journalsDevelopmental Science and Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

"Many past studies of musical training have focused on older children," says Laurel Trainor, director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. "Our results suggest that the infant brain might be particularly plastic with regard to musical exposure."

Trainor, together with David Gerry, a music educator and graduate student, received an award from the Grammy Foundation in 2008 to study the effects of musical training in infancy. In the recent study, groups of babies and their parents spent six months participating in one of two types of weekly music instruction.

One music class involved interactive music-making and learning a small set of lullabies, nursery rhymes and songs with actions. Parents and infants worked together to learn to play percussion instruments, take turns and sing specific songs.

In the other music class, infants and parents played at various toy stations while recordings from the popular "Baby Einstein" series played in the background.

Before the classes began, all the babies had shown similar communication and social development and none had previously participated in other baby music classes.

"Babies who participated in the interactive music classes with their parents showed earlier sensitivity to the pitch structure in music," says Trainor. "Specifically, they preferred to listen to a version of a piano piece that stayed in key, versus a version that included out-of-key notes. Infants who participated in the passive listening classes did not show the same preferences. Even their brains responded to music differently. Infants from the interactive music classes showed larger and/or earlier brain responses to musical tones."

The non-musical differences between the two groups of babies were even more surprising, say researchers.

Babies from the interactive classes showed better early communication skills, like pointing at objects that are out of reach, or waving goodbye. Socially, these babies also smiled more, were easier to soothe, and showed less distress when things were unfamiliar or didn't go their way.

While both class types included listening to music and all the infants heard a similar amount of music at home, a big difference between the classes was the interactive exposure to music.

"There are many ways that parents can connect with their babies," says study coordinator Andrea Unrau. "The great thing about music is, everyone loves it and everyone can learn simple interactive musical games together."