Here is one of many articles that The Creativity
Institute has reviewed and reprinted on nurturing creativity in
children and on educational toys. Infants, toddlers, preschoolers
and school age children can all benefit from the right educational
toys and musical opportunities, even on the toy piano.
Music and the Young Child
By Sherry Frewerd
Having operated a successful Family
Child Care in my home for over 10 years, I have had many opportunities
to introduce various aspects of the Arts to young children. Being
naturally musical myself, providing a musical curriculum to my
kids was a simple and obvious way to enhance the daily activities
of my child care and my own children as well.
Children respond to music at a
very young age. Nearly everyone can remember their mother or grandmother
singing nursery rhymes to them as little children. I have vivid
memories of swinging outside and singing 'Hey Diddle Diddle' as
loudly as I could just to hear the sound. With my own children
I have always used music to calm and entertain them; singing softly
to them in the rocker or energetically leading them in finger-plays
and sing-a-longs. However you may choose to do it, singing or
playing music with children gives them a beginnings of music appreciation,
not to mention the special memories that are created.
My son is a wild and wholly two-year-old,
and greatly affected by his environment and the sounds and sights
he encounters. Getting out of control is very easy with this little
boy, and it's up to me to find ways of calming him down and quickly
distracting him and hopefully changing his mood. Music affects
a child's mood, and quiet, comforting music can relax an anxious
child. It's amazing the way my son reacts to his special CDs that
he knows and enjoys. Often he'll just stop what he is doing and
I'll see him stand and look toward the stereo and just sway and
sing to himself.
Children will naturally relate
movement with music giving them the opportunity to explore their
own creative expression. They love to act out movements to the
songs such as moving around the room like different animals based
on the type of sounds they hear. They can explore how their bodies
move and their physical coordination begins to grow and develop
as a result.
Music activities in group settings
help children develop social and interactive skills by sharing
the activity with the other children around them. They love to
join hands and form circles while singing simple nursery rhymes
and dancing around together. Friendships are made easily when
children share musical activities and even the shyest child can
join in and become part of the group.
Recommended
Music for Young Children:
Sing Dance and Play - Genius Products
Baby's First: Animal Songs - Various
Artists)
Walt Disney Records : Children's
Favorite Songs, Vol. 1 :
Best of the IQ Builder [2001]
- Bach
Children's Songs [2001] - Genius
Products
Sesame Street Platinum: All Time
Favorites - Sesame Street
Baby's First: Playtime Songs -
Various Artists
Magic Mozart (Baby Genius Classical
Series) - Mozart
Favorite Nursery Rhymes - Genius
Products
Favorite Children's Songs [Box]
- Genius Products
Baby's First: Nursery Rhymes -
Various Artists
Toddler Favorites - Favorites
Series
Night Night Classics - Ludwig
van Beethoven
Sweet
Dreams Lullabies [2001] - Genius Products
Introducing music to young children
will provide them with a foundation to help develop language and
listening skills, along with enhanced coordination and emotional
development. Little children love to express themselves through
music and given the opportunity, will reap the benefits of a lifetime
of music appreciation.
About the Author: Sherry Frewerd
is a Proud Work At Home Mother of 3 musical children. A Family
Child Care Provider for 10 years, she also publishes several websites,
specifically http://familyplayandlearn.com Family Play and Learn:
Play and Learning Resources for Parents and Family Child Care
Providers.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
MORE ON CHILD CREATIVITY
Make
your child
more creative for life.
Every child has creative
ability just waiting to be tapped. Even infants have budding creative
potential. The right educational toys can bring it out. and let
children enjoy the benefits of creative pursuits at many levels.
Infants,
toddlers,
preschoolers,
early
school age and older
school age children all delight in opportunities for creative
expression through colors, shapes and sounds.
At The Creativity Institute, we handpick each infant educational
toy, every creative plaything, each piece of furniture and every
toy musical instrument based on its potential for developing vital
creative resources in your child.
Toy
pianos, oversized
foam building blocks, puppet
theaters and puppet stages and people
and animal hand puppets, art
supplies and children's
easels, play
tents and more. The scale and durability of many of these
toys make them perfect for classrooms, homeschool,
day care centers and waiting rooms, too. The benefits of nurturing
creativity can be profound, offering children tools for success
in all endeavors athletic, artistic or academic. Let your baby
begin now.