Music for Learning

These games will help to grow the brains of infants and toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the pathways of their brains to make new connections.


Learning Objective - Using different parts of the body
Sit on the floor with the children and ask them to follow the actions. Sing to the tune of "London Bridge."
Now it's time to touch our nose, touch our nose, touch our nose
Now it's time to touch our nose
Here it is! (touch your nose)

Now it's time to blink our eyes – here they are
Now it's time to touch our toes
Now it's time to shake our feet
Now it's time to stand up tall – I am tall
Now it's time to sit back down – I can sit

Things you can do to take this activity to the next step:
For building confidence – Say, “I can touch my nose. Where is your nose?” Continue on with different parts of the body.
For developing the idea – Say, “can you touch my nose?” Name different body parts and let the child touch them on your body.
For moving forward - Ask the children to do the actions in the song with a stuffed animal.
Learning Objective - Using music for transitions
Children need time for finishing one activity and to get ready for the next one.
Music is a wonderful way to help children recognize that it’s time to finish what they are doing. Remember that their time line is different from yours. They are focusing on their project and time is not on their mind.
You can play music using the same song each time or you can sing something.
For example, you can sing to the tune of “London Bridge is Falling Down.”

Now it’s time to have a snack, have a snack, have a snack,
Now it’s time to have a snack,
Please pass the juice.

Things you can do to take this activity to the next step:
For building confidence – Compliment the children on what a good job they are doing.
For developing the idea – Ask the children how they change activities at home.
Going from sleeping to getting up and getting dressed.
Stop playing to get ready for dinner.
Getting ready to play outside.
For moving forward – Say, “let’s make up another song about changing activities.”

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Toddler Brain Development

These games will help to grow the brains of toddlers. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the pathways of their brains to make new connections.
Learning Objective - Learning to communicate verbally
You will need a rhythm stick and some smiley face stickers.
Decorate a brightly colored rhythm stick with smiley face stickers.
Seat the children in a circle and pass the stick around one child at a time. The child who is holding the stick taps it on the floor and says "My name is -----, and I like -----. Then she passes it on to the next child.

The children really enjoy this game and also discover that they have similar likes. This games is also excellent for eye-hand coordination.

Things you can do to take this activity to the next step.
For building confidence - “I like the way you hit the stick and told what you like.”
For developing the idea - “Can you tell me other things that you like?”
For moving forward: - “Lets draw some pictures of things that you like.”

Learning Objective - Developing fine motor skills
Say this finger play with your children.
Two nice fathers met in the lane
(hold thumbs up)
Bowed most politely and bowed again.
(bend thumbs toward each other)
How do you do, how do you do
And how do you do again
(move thumbs as if they were talking to one another)

Continue on with the finger play.
Index finger - two nice mothers met in the lane....etc
Middle finger - two nice teachers....etc
Ring finger - two nice children....etc
Little fingers - two little babies....etc

When you say "babies" it's fun to talk "baby talk."

Things you can do to take this activity to the next step.
For building confidence –“ Let’s say the poem again as we move our fingers.”
For developing the idea - “You be one father and I’ll be the other as we move our thumbs.”
For moving forward – “What other family members could you make up to go with this poem?”

Infant Brain Development

These games will help to grow the brains of infants. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, cuddling, rocking, talking, smelling, or tasting, you can encourage the pathways of their brains to make new connections.

Learning Objective - Identifying Body Parts
Sit in front of a mirror with your baby in your lap.
Say, “Who is that baby?”
Wave your baby’s hand and say, “Hi, baby.”
Say, “Where’s the baby’s foot?”
Wave your baby’s foot and say, “Hi, foot.”
Continue asking questions and moving different parts of your baby’s body.
Shake heads, wave bye-bye, clap hands, etc.

Things you can do to take this activity to the next step:
For building confidence – Repeat the actions with a complimentary remark. For example, you can say, “What a nice foot.”
For developing the idea – Add new actions with each body part. Move the body part up and down or back and forth.
For moving forward – Ask the person in the mirror questions about additional body parts, For example, “Where are your fingernails?”

Learning Objective - Developing fine motor skills
Show the children how to take the thumb of one hand and put it into the fist of the other hand.
Practice this activity several times.
Take your thumb and put it into the fist of the other hand.
Say the following rhyme with great drama.
Jack in the box
You sit so still
Can you come out?
Yes, I will. – pull thumb out of fist

Things you can do to take this activity to the next step:
For building confidence – “Can you show me your thumb? Can you make a fist?”
For developing the idea – “Can you put your thumb of one hand in the fist of your other hand?” (help the child if they cannot do it themselves)
For moving forward - “You did a good shop with that poem. Let’s try to make our bodies be a jack-in-the-box.