Sing, Play, Learn: Why We Do What We Do
It’s true, the Sing Play Learn music classes at MacPhail have a hidden agenda; exposing your child to activities that grow their brain and prepare them for success in their future. Do you ever wonder why we do what we do? And why we repeat it? Here are a few of our secrets!
self-esteem
“Hello friends”, “Duo-Duo”, “Toodala”, and “Clap Your Hands” are songs that we sing regularly in our classes. Repeating the words and actions helps build your child’s self-esteem and confidence because within weeks they show you they know the song, too.
It is fun to finally see children’s tongues doing the “la-las” along with the class or their hands moving up and down to the song like we demonstrate in class. Not only do those songs help build them up, but they can also provide a tool to parents for helping with challenging moments at home.
Sing one of these songs sometime as you put on their coat or brush their teeth; it’s magical.
motor skills
Gross motor skills are important for major body movements such as walking, balancing, and coordination. Dancing not only practices their body coordination, but it is also a stress-reducer and giggle-enhancer for any age.
visual tracking
Visual tracking not only strengthens children’s oculomotor system, but it also allows them to scan their environment for information, direct hand movements, and accurately shift their sight from one thing to another. As they get older this skill is a key component to fluid reading.
As our children cross the middle (crossing the midline) of their bodies with a scarf or other item, they promote the coordination of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Playing peek-a-boo games with shakers or scarves teaches your child about object permanence. Understanding this is an important development in a child’s working memory, as it means they can now form, and retain, a mental representation of an object.
self control
“We tap and we tap and we tap and we STOP!”
Learning how to control impulses is a key step to school readiness. Children who practice impulse control become more independent, have more friends, develop a broader vocabulary, feel confident, and make better choices.
These are just a few of the components that we practice weekly in our early childhood classes at MacPhail. For more information about music and childhood development, visit our Read.Watch.Listen webpage.