Tag: music

Baby’s Song

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There’s a reason educators use songs as teaching tools so often; lyrics are remembered long after spoken words are forgotten, and simply hearing a familiar tune can become a cue when it is consistently attached to a specific activity. Today, Veronika and I focused on specific songs for specific occasions.

You can make these up entirely for your baby as long as you are consistent. We like to use the songs from Baby Signing Time, which helps connect word signs to specific moments. Like mealtime…

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Or playtime…

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Or diaper time, or bedtime, and on and on.

I always sing the same song when she wakes up (Frere Jacques) which helps her understand the day has begun, and it’s no longer night.

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If you make up your own song, try a familiar melody. At bathtime, I always sing the following to the tune of “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush”:

“This is the way we wash your hair

wash your hair

wash your hair.

This is the way we wash your hair

While you take a bath”

Similarly, I have a wordless melody that I hum to Veronika before her morning nap. It works like a charm every time, and I love that we made it up and it’s unique to the two of us.

What musical cues or songs do you use during your baby’s day? Please share in the comments!

 

Music is Hiding

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Musical toys are a great way to teach babies about object permanence since they can be out of sight but not out of ear shot. Today, I pulled out several of Veronika’s musical toys and music boxes to see if she could find them once hidden. This is a slightly more sophisticated variation on a musical “hide and seek” game we played when she was just an infant. This time around, there’s an added element of enticing your baby to crawl.

She loves music boxes when out in the open.

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I thought for sure she’d go for them right away once I hid the box under a blanket, but little Miss Busy had her attention elsewhere.

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A toy music cube grabbed her attention better. I pretended to crawl around next to her. Where was the music?

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I had to slightly pull back the edge of the blanket before she truly noticed the musical toy.

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But now she’s got it!

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If you repeat this game over and over, you’ll reinforce the idea of object permanence. Later in the afternoon, I hid the music box behind pillows.

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This time she was more interested. She bopped along to the sound and then went looking.

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Ta da!

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You can have so much fun with this one in various ways as your baby continues to grow. Once he or she is really crawling, try hiding the musical toys behind furniture. And during the toddler stage, let them be the hider, and mommy and daddy can go on a music hunt.

Maraca Music

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I’ve made homemade maracas for Veronika before, but today the idea was to see which one she liked best out of a few variations!

I set out three small snack containers. Make sure whichever container you use has a tight-fitting lid, or one that you can tape shut.

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The first received a few scoops of dried beans, the second some dried orzo pasta, and the third a little bit of dried rice.

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Next I presented them to her to shake. Veronika has loved bopping along to music lately, so she loved having a container in her hand to shake, too. Beans were a big hit!

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She seemed to enjoy the subtle sound of the shaking rice when I held it up to her ear.

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Of all of them, the orzo seemed easiest for her to shake and made her preferred sound.

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She also loved when I piled the “maracas” into a tower which she could then knock down, or reach over and pick up a container to shake.

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These made for great solo play while I prepared dinner, too!

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Sing in a Silly Voice

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I love musical play with Veronika, but today when I pulled out the songs, it was less about rhythm and more about the giggles!

Sit with your baby and sing a few favorite childhood tunes. Each song you sing, use a different voice. For inspiration, I flipped through a small songbook we have with musical chimes. The chimes definitely held Veronika’s interest, sometimes more so than my voice!

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But she took notice and started giggling when I began singing oddly. Try a high voice.

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Or a low voice. Mom, you sound weird, her look seems to say here.

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I sang in silly accents, like country or French. And of course, I provided Veronika with a few baby instruments to play along.

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If you prefer, stick to only one song but switch up your voice each time. This might even help your baby anticipate the change! Another fun one to try is whispering the song.

Dance to Different Tunes

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Dancing with baby never gets old, as evinced by the blogs I’ve already posted on the topic. Today, for variation with Veronika, I deliberately selected a few types of music with different rhythms and tempos in order to expose her to a range of sounds.

First up was marching! For this, my go-to music is Sousa marches. Put on some good old Stars and Stripes, and march around.

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For added fun, I gave Veronika some bells to jingle as we marched about the apartment to the beat of the drums and brass instruments.

Next up, a slow song! As the intro chords played, I held her close and we swayed side-to-side. Warning: you might get a little verklempt during this part of the activity.

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Then it was time to bounce around. We put on an exuberant upbeat song (from one of big brother’s favorite TV shows!) and just had some good old dancing fun.

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Try this game with any style music you like, making sure to mix it up, and have fun feeling the rhythm.

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Play the Pots and Pans

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A few days ago, the family formed an impromptu band and entertained Veronika. Today it was her turn to play! Make sure your child is sitting comfortably for this game; if he or she can’t sit unsupported yet, add a pillow so there’s no falling over near the “drums”!

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I set out a few small pots, and gave her a variety of tools with which she could make percussive sounds. We had fun testing the differences between each one.

The whisk was soft but very metallic.

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The wooden spoon made a fun boom boom.

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You can even hit the pans with a baby rattle or plastic spoon! And of course I demonstrated simply drumming with my hand.

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In all honesty, Veronika had way more fun putting each item in her mouth than drumming with them.

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But she looked so pleased every time she made a sound by accident.

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Drum drum drum!

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Form an Impromptu Band

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I love musical play with babies – they take to it so readily! Today, we struck up a band for Veronika as a family, using two types of instruments: real ones that we’ve accumulated over the years, and some improvised ones, too.

Because what is a pot and spoon if not a drum?

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Or a rolled piece of paper if not a horn? Big brother Travis loved the way this one sounded.

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We got jamming and handed Veronika instruments to play, too.

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Travis found a new way to play on this pot – with a kazoo as the mallet!

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Then we shifted our focus from playing the instruments to dancing to some tunes.

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Wiggling is such a funny thing for babies both to see and feel. Set your music player to Music Together’s “Wiggle” and, well, wiggle! I wiggled my fingers, my arms, my legs.

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Travis got into the moves wiggling his whole body.

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By the time we wiggled Veronika’s own toes and fingers, she was giggling with delight. Wiggle your hands all over baby’s body, too, for more giggles.

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Don’t forget to just pick up your baby and get your whole bodies into the rhythm. We danced from room to room.

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Now that she’s older, the dance moves can be more active than those with a newborn; we went up and down, spun around, stepped back and forth, you name it. Dance it up!

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Mirrored Action Song

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I’ve been doing fingerplays and action rhymes with Veronika since she was tiny, but now it’s time to encourage her to get in on the action! As your baby nears his or her sixth month, you’ll find they might be trying to copy all the moves. You can help the process along with this cute game. It’s a great one for big siblings who are eager to interact with a little sib, too.

I sat Veronika down in a chair facing me, and Travis and I acted out a few simple motions. Clapping first.

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Then stomping.

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Then patting your head.

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For each action, we gently moved Veronika’s limbs in imitation. Travis loved helping her hands clap.

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And feet tap.

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She looked very surprised at patting her own head!

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Now we wanted to put it all to music, and we knew just what to sing: If You’re Happy and You Know It, of course! Based on her smile, I think I’m a good performer.

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We sang through the song, doing each motion (“If you’re happy clap your hands… If you’re happy stamp your feet… If you’re happy pat your head… If you’re happy shout hurray…” and so on).

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It’s only a matter of time before she’s doing all the moves right alongside us.

Join a Local Music & Movement Class

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Children are drawn to music right from the start, which is why it’s literally never too early to start a music class. Perhaps that’s why my favorite program, Music Together, (available across the country), bills itself as appropriate for age birth to 5 years.

Veronika and I joined when the winter session began in January, and admittedly she was the youngest in the class. Now at three months, I already see a difference. She’s alert for the entire 45 minutes, so clued in to the teacher’s movements and sounds, and fascinated by the visual of the instruments and the bigger kids (most of them 1 to 2 years old).

My first tip for a baby this young at a music class is to bring a blanket; you’ll want to lay him or her down on the floor at times. Here’s Veronika, ready for class to begin!

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Just as a sample, today’s session included movement and rhythm play through the form of a bouncy ride on mommy’s lap…

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Getting to shake bells…

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And learning to tap or rub rhythm sticks.

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Don’t worry if instruments end up right in the mouth! Babies learn so much about the world this way, and any reputable class for children will have a designated “wet bin” for the germ-y toys.

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In sum, if you haven’t already taken your child out for music play, it’s a great time to start. Check your local library for offerings at little or no cost!

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Baby Playlists

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Quick, think about music and infants, and you probably think about lullabies – am I right? And for good reason, of course, because what parent hasn’t resorted to a song to soothe a crying child to sleep?

But upbeat, silly, and rhythmic songs are also great for infants, and indeed can help signal that its playtime or time to stay awake. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to get your baby into a rhythm with distinct naps and wake cycles.

So today I created two playlists for Veronika. The first was what you’d expect: soothing lullabies. You can download these from online services like Spotify or itunes, and make a quick playlist that you can return to again and again.

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This way, you don’t have to stay and sing; Veronika’s list includes 45 minutes of soothing songs culled from our favorite Music Together collections. I can set the music near her and tackle chores around the house without having to stay by her side and sing.

Looks like the songs are working!

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The second playlist was completely different! This time I added our favorite upbeat tunes, with silly lyrics, great drum beats, or other playtime elements.

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Once she’s awake, I turn on this list, and let it be the background music to our play.

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She looks ready to have a good time!

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A few ideas to get your list started. For the lullabies, try:

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

Shenandoah

Braham’s Lullaby

There’s a Little Wheel a’Turning

Ally Bally

The Water is Wide

and All the Pretty Little Horses

For playtime, try:

When the Saints Go Marching In

Don Alfredo Baila

Ridin’ in the Car

Alabama Gal

Hey Ho Nobody Home

Jim Along Josie

Frere Jacques

Train to the City

Mississippi Cats

and Noses and Toes

Note: All of the above songs are part of Music Together CD collections.

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Finally, please do check out the my own lullaby CD! Hopefully the a cappella tunes can soothe your little one long after you’re tired of singing.