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song

The Power Of Music – Influencing Your Child With Song

Music.jpgMusic is a powerful thing. Certain songs that you hear on the radio, can take you back to a certain time, or place in your life. It can bring forth emotions & feelings that you had forgotten were there. It can make you cry or smile, soothe you or get you pumped. It has an amazing effect on all of us big & small.

It’s calming. When my daughter was a newborn, she cried all the time. Rocking or dancing with her was my most popular method for calming my little girl & it was usually always accompanied by song. My favorite song to sing her was ‘Once upon a dream’. I still sing it to her now, only now she joins in.

It is said that introduction to music at a young age aids in physical and mental development. We enrolled our daughter in music classes when she was 18 months old. She loved everything about it. She was fascinated by the instruments and the lyrics. She was learning to talk during this time. It was fun hearing her try to mimic the song lyrics. Each session began with a song introducing each classmate. What a wonderful tool to help remember your classmates names, I thought. It is a great memorization tool. How do you think kids have learned their ABC’s for years?

It gets them moving. If your child is anything like mine, she loves to dance. Whether it is an up tempo song or a more soothing ballad type, she will move to the beat of the music.

It is incredible the influence music can have in influencing our lives…

Our daughter is like a tornado through our home. I call her “Destructor” because she leaves a path of destruction in her wake where ever she goes.

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Mai has not been the best at picking up her toys. She is great & taking them out, but does not like putting them back. Mai is at an age now of understanding. She may not always listen, but she hears me & comprehends what I am saying. I have tried several different methods for getting her to put her things away. She often liked to challenge mommy & would take out some toys, pour them out & then say “Mommy pick up”. No, no, no, this was not going to happen.

One day after she had made a particularly big mess. I started singing while picking up her toys. I asked Mai to help me.

We’re going to pick up our toys…

We’re going to make some noise… (making noise)

We’re going to pick up our toys, right now…

(Clap hands) Good girl!

I have only sung this song probably about 3 times.  A couple of days ago, my daughter in a “destructor” moment, pulled out a box of her flash cards & threw them all over the floor. Mommy very calmly, said “Mai Mai, please pick up your cards.” All of a sudden she broke out singing. “Pick up tooooooyyyys, make noooooisse…pick up toys, right now. Gggggood girl.” She proceeded to pick up all of her flash cards & continued singing. I was floored. Floored not only that she remembered this little song, but that it actually worked. I could not believe it. She has done this everyday since. Never underestimate the power of song.

Who Needs Toys – Playtime Made Easy

047You always hear people joke that you don’t need to buy young children expensive toys because all they end up wanting to play with is the box. This is no joke. There is no truer statement. Toddlers are easy; they can find the fun in anything. Their little spongy minds are absorbing and exploring everything. Things as simple as the box, are still new and fascinating territory for them. At 2 years old, my daughter is past the excitement of the box, but still has a taste for the simpler things in life.
We have more toys in this house than we know what to do with. Between the play kitchen, Little People Villages & Twisty Tracks, she should have enough to keep her occupied until she is in her teens, but as kids tend to do, she gets bored of these things very quickly. There are many things that you can do to occupy your child’s day without the use of fancy toys.

Here are some simple and fun things for your child to do.

Water play

It doesn’t get much simpler than this. This is one of my favorite activities to give my daughter while I am cooking or doing dishes. Lay out a towel & fill a large container half way with water and add some measuring cups & spoons. Here my daughter told me she is making coffee.

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Chick Peas, Beans & Rice

Similar to above, I have a container of chickpeas & colored rice set aside just for play. It is amazing how long my daughter will play with them. She will count them out & transfer them from cup to cup.

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Couch Cushion Fun

My daughter has a lot of energy. She loves to jump & is always throwing herself on the ground for some odd reason. Take your couch cushions off the couch & place them on the floor & let your child roll around on the pile of pillows.

Stringing Pasta

Pasta necklaces are an old classic. This requires a little bit of hand – eye coordination. Mai strung up the 3 shown below & told me that it was the mama pasta, daddy pasta & baby pasta.

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Read, read & read some more

We spend about a half hour before bed reading books every night, but books are not just for bedtime. We often read to our daughter while she is eating to keep her firmly planted in her chair during her meal. Many times even if my daughter insists that she does not want a story, if I just start reading she will eventually jump up on my lap.

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Bubble Wrap

We order from Amazon a lot, I mean a lot. Bubble wrap comes with most of these packages. I think that bubble wrap is fun for small children and adults alike. Who doesn’t love popping that stuff?

Blanket forts

Being that mommy is always cold, even in the summer, we have blankets all over the house. Mai loves it when we make forts over the couch. “Mommy, play in the fort toooooooo?” Definitely! Here she is reading with a flashlight under her fort.

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Song & Dance

My daughter loves music. She has been dancing as long as she has been walking. She also loves to sing songs with mommy & daddy. Don’t underestimate the power of music.

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Red Light, Green Light & other games

My daughter loves running around our house in circles. I had to teach her Red light, Green light just to catch my breath in between chases. Pheeew! Also try Simon Says or Hide and Seek.

Get outside

If your toddler is like mine, then he or she loves to run free. Take them outside, weather permitting & let them run & jump and play. Here is Mai walking the track at the Relay for Life in memory of her grandmother & namesake.

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Color & Draw

I have an unlimited supply of poster board in our home. My daughter loves to doodle & color. She also loves when we draw for her too. She & I will lie on the floor and she will ask me to draw pictures of caterpillars & horses. She has a vivid imagination. She creates different scenarios for these pictures. Here Mai asked Mama to draw a mama & dada spider. She said that they were both sick & needed medicine.

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Stacking boxes

I love stacking boxes & have quite a few sets strewn all over the house. My daughter shares my love for them. She likes piling them up & placing them inside of one another.

Styrofoam & Yarn

Seriously! Yarn sticks to styrofoam. If you are like me & have styrofoam cones laying around this is a great busy activity.

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What easy & simple activities do you have for you & your toddler. I would love to hear.