Have you noticed your child humming around the house? Or tap tap tapping away at the kitchen table during meals? Maybe they clap and dance when their favorite song comes on (is it Baby Shark?).
If you’ve noticed these behaviors you may be wondering if your child would do well in a musical setting. You might want to know how to continue to enrich this interest or best support their learning.
After teaching music and private lessons for 10+ years I have noticed a pattern in the way children learn about music and through music. I have also collected activities in my bag of tricks to encourage participation in music!
If you want to share music with your child here are some activities and suggestions I have for you:
MUSIC EXPLORATION
I love doing this, especially with my early beginning students. Letting your child explore an instrument or song allows them to do what comes natural to them without having to meet any expectations or boundaries. We use music as a form of expression so it is nice to let kids enjoy this as well.
As much as you may want to ask them to play a certain way or pattern, let them problem solve first. After a few minutes and if you notice your child needing more support or visual/physical aids then you can play with them and enjoy a musical moment together.
CHILD-FRIENDLY INSTRUMENTS
I learned this tip the hard way! As much as I enjoy a nice sounding instrument, it is better to pick child-friendly instruments. Think: Plastic, hard, bright colors, with letters, fall-proof, small scale. This way they can hold the instrument without any assistance or awkward grasps and you can clean and disinfect as needed.
And I have learned that some instruments meant for kids don’t sound too bad either!
Here are some of my favorite instruments. Pick a few from different instrument sounds and families to encourage music exploration. (You can click on each image for an Amazon link to purchase. I am not affiliated to any company nor do I get compensation. These are just my opinions based on my experience!)
SING WITH THEM
Especially if you have a newborn to toddler aged child, sometimes instruments may be too distracting or too much stimulation. This is not a problem! Use your voice as an instrument. You can sing their favorite sing paired with movement (Twinkle Twinkle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Pat-a-cake) or sing out instructions for them to do! If your child is beginning to communicate verbally this would be a great space to interact together and play around with creating sounds.
EXPOSURE
As someone that has worked with many different age groups and people, I can confidently say that anybody can like any type of music. So just because your child is young doesn’t mean you should stick only to Wheel on the Bus or Head Shoulder Knees and Toes. I love these kid-focused songs for teaching purposes but by exposing your child to different types of music and songs you may be surprised to see what they really like and are motivated by.
I love showing my students Disney songs because they tend to be musically complex and interesting yet still age appropriate and fun. As my students grow we can also talk about song themes and discuss the movies and practice communication.
I’ve also had students LOVE classic rock and even jazz! All of this to say is try different genres and see notice what perks your kid up or spikes his interest.