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.”

Recommended Products
Hand Tom Tom (TOM)
Wooden Sorting and Matching Ducks (CLRDUCK)
Gingerbread Sort and Snap (GINGERB)

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.

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.

Circles and Music
Sit with your baby in your lap facing you.
Take one of his hands and move it around in a circular motion.

As you move it in a circular motion, sing the following to the tune of “In and Out the Window.”
Go round and round the circle
Go round and round the circle
Go round and round the circle
A circle’s very round.

Take the other hand and do the same thing.
Now move both hands at the same time.
Make circles high in the air, sideways, down low, etc.
Play some instrumental music and make the circles as you listen with your baby.
This game is a good prelude for drawing shapes to music.

Song Patting
Try song patting when changing a diaper, giving your child a bath, or any time.
Sing a favorite song to your little one and, at the same time, pat her tummy or back with your index finger to the rhythm of the song.
Always end the song with a snuggly kiss.

You can also sing one line of the song and pat only one word. For example, “Twinkle, twinkle, little (pat the word “star” but don’t sing it).”

This game helps develop a child’s sense of rhythm and listening skills.

Brain research says that for a young child's brain to grow and thrive, the child needs to be loved, held, talked to, read to, and allowed to explore.

SUGGESTED PRODUCTS FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Soft Block Farm - 29pcs - SFTFARM
Dressing Dolls - 18" - DRESSY
Squishy Turtle Book - NBBK33
Rhythm Sticks Movement Set - 25 pcs - ROCKSET

Games for Toddlers

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.

FOR TODDLERS

Choo Choo Happy Game
When you repeat the same word many times and then change to a new word, your toddler will pay attention to the new word. This is called “shaping.”

Hold your toddler on your lap facing you.

Say the words “choo choo” as you bounce her up and down on your knees. Repeat the words several times and then add a different word. For example:
Choo choo choo choo happy

Repeat this several times so that she becomes familiar with the new word “happy.”
Now, use the new word “happy” in several sentences.
“I’m a happy mom,” or “Here’s a happy face.”
Now say the word “happy” several times and add a new word.
Happy, happy, happy, happy, (new word).
Use the new word in a few sentences before you play the game again.

Your baby will become familiar with the word “happy” and other words that you use and will recognize them when she hears them.

This game teaches word recognition.

Games for Infants

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.

FOR INFANTS

Develop your infant’s language skills when you prepare a meal or snack by chanting the following verse or singing it to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell.”

It’s time to find the milk
It’s time to find the milk
Hi, ho, the derry oh
It’s time to find the milk.

Walk to the refrigerator and take out the milk carton. Say, “Oh boy, I love milk. Yum, yum.”
Use the chant with other foods or household items. Take out the item, chant the verse, and then talk about the food.
-------------------------------------------------------

Expressing pleasant emotions with your baby is very good for brain development.
In addition, games such as this one develop language skills.

Brain research says that tone and facial expressions are understood before words. Emotional learning is intertwined with all domains of learning.

Try this game.

This Is Bill
1. Sit your baby on your lap
2. Hold one ankle in each hand as you say the following rhyme:

This is Bill and this is Jill.
They went out to play.
Over and over, (move his legs over each other)
Over and over, (move his legs over in the other direction)
“This is fun,” said Bill and Jill.
And then they said, “Hooray!” (give your baby a big hug)

Learning Rhythm

THE ANTS GO MARCHING
Sing to the tune of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.’

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching one by one
The little one stops to suck his thumb
And they all go marching out to the big parade.

Additional verses
two by two- the little one stops to tie his shoe
three by three - the little one stops to climb a tree
four by four - the little one stops to fall on the floor
five by five - the little one stops to joke and jive
six by six - the little one stops to do some tricks
seven by seven -the little one stops to point to heaven
eight by eight - the little one stops to shut the gate
nine by nine - the little one stops to read a sign
ten by ten - the little stops to say “THE END.”

1. March around the room and sing the song. Act out each part that says, “the little one stopped to...”

2. Substitute other actions for the word marching, as follows:

The ants go skipping . . .
The ants go hopping . . .
The ants go swimming . . .

3. Experiment with ant voices. Teeny, squeaky voices are lots of fun.

4. Party stores carry plastic ants. Singing and counting the ants as you move them along is a great game.

Moving to Music
The more rhythm experiences a young child has, the better they will relate to the world. Talking, reading, and moving all improve with rhythm activities.

Play some instrumental music and move with your child. If the music is fast, move quickly. If the music is slow, move slowly.

Encourage the children to copy your actions. Say things like “Can you turn like me?” or “Can you bend like me?”

Vary the musical sounds from high to low, loud to soft, and fast to slow.