Rhythmic potential

Children need a lot of movement activity to fulfill their rhythmic potential. Movement and dance promote and nurture the following:

* Beat competency - the ability to keep a steady beat to music that is generated from an outside source
* Discrimination between music that moves in duple and triple meters (2/4 and 3/4)
* Instrumental readiness - it is often helpful, though not necessary, to have children walk, skip, or hop before attempting to make related sounds on a drum or rhythm sticks
* The ability to recognize a specific rhythm pattern - children often need to clap or tap a rhythm such as "du-de du," before they can recognize that pattern aurally

Source: National Musikgarten

Rain Sticks from Mailing Tubes

Your and your child can enjoy the sound of a gentle rainfall with this sound-alike “rain” instrument. You can create a noisy, kid-safe maze for falling grain with just a mailing tube and aluminum foil, and this gives toddlers plenty of crafting opportunities to "do it myself."
CRAFT MATERIALS:
16-1/2- by 6-inch piece of clear Con-Tact paper (optional)
Small pieces of colored tissue paper (torn or cut) (optional)
15- by 1-1.2-inch mailing tube (available for $1.50 at Staples)
2-1/2-foot length of aluminum foil
Broom
1/3 cup of rice
2 tablespoons of un-popped corn
Hot glue

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours (but oh, it’s worth it)

1. To decorate -peel the backing off the Con-Tact paper. Let your child decorate the sticky side with tissue paper. (Alternatively, have her paint the tube, then cover it with the Con-Tact paper.) Wrap the paper around the tube and tuck the extra length inside the ends (for ease, cut small slits around the overhang before folding it in).

2. Crush the foil lengthwise into a long cylinder, then wrap it around the handle of a broom to form a coil. (it will look like a long lock of curled hair, sort of) Slide the coil off the handle, stretch it until it's slightly longer than the tube, then push it into the tube. Use hot glue or masking tape to secure the ends of the foil inside the tube, about 1/4 inch from each opening.

3. Hot-glue a cap to one end of the tube, then help your child pour the rice and corn into the other end (a funnel or small pitcher works well). Hot-glue the other cap in place. Now turn upside down to hear the rainfall. And turn upside down again, and again!

Thanks to FamilyFun.com for this!

Portable Behavior Kit for Parents

Time out is a good method to modify and shape your toddler's behavior. Once a child can walk and stand, having a time out as a consequence for willful disobedience is an effective way to help your child learn self control, and to recognize you as their God-given authority. A child psychologist suggested to me that I use a kitchen towel for this. At age 18 months, my son had to stand on the towel for 1.5 minutes during the time out. At age 2, 2 min. Age 3, 3 min., and so on. The last time he stood on a towel as a consequence was when he was 6 years old.

I kept a towel with me at all times. It worked in the grocery store, the parking lot at church, even at Epcot center. He was a strong-willed child, and by age 3, my husband and I had pretty much won the battle of the wills, thanks to this technique and to the towel! We did not discipline in anger, only in love, firmly, and often with tears in our eyes. Today, at age 23, my son is one of the happiest, most organized and motivated guys I've ever known. Self disciplined, generous, and joyful. Hey, we made lots of mistakes as parents, and I mean a lot. But with God's help, we did some things right.

Create your own "bottled" musical scale

Remember when you were a child and you had fun blowing across the top of a half empty coke bottle to hear the rich sound it would make? As for what tone it was, you probably didn't know, at least I didn't. Well, no longer. Now, experts have determined just how much water you need in eight 20-ounce pop bottles to create a major scale. Tape numbers to each bottle, 1 through 8 (or use different-colored stickers), and compose. Try "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"?

THE MAJOR SCALE
Do -- 7 ounces
Re -- 9 1/2 ounces
Mi -- 12 1/2 ounces
Fa -- 14 ounces
Sol -- 16 1/2 ounces
La -- 17 1/2 ounces
Ti -- 18 1/2 ounces
Do -- 19 ounces

ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT
11123
32345
888555333111
54321

TIP: Try using a piece of flexible plastic tubing. Rather than try to move your mouth from bottle to bottle, hold one end of the tube in your mouth and move the other end from bottle to bottle. (Source: DisneyFamily.com)

Teaching a child to wait

In many songs and activities, there are moments when a child will wait naturally, especially in the Musikgarten program. One example is the song, "Well you walk and you walk and you walk and you....STOP!" This same delayed pause pattern shows up in many of the songs as well, like "My Little Rooster."
Here are some simple daily activities you can add to stretch those moments of anticipation. With infants it might include playing little movement and touch 'games' like lifting them way up and then back down into your arms, or circling your finger around and then landing gently on their nose. Do things that bring joy, not tears. Later, they might be more willing to put on their shoes if it means they will get to take a ride or a walk. They will love it if you bake cookies. You may hear your child say, "It's so HARD to wait for cookies to get done!" If you hear that, rejoice. You are giving your toddler a priceless opportunity to practice waiting. - Miss Susan

Teaching Rhythm

Babies love to bounce and rock, that's probably no surprise.
Pick some of your favorite, upbeat songs, sit on your couch, and put your baby or toddler on your knees. Play the song and then bounce your knees up and down to the beat of the music, holding your child securely around his or her waist so they feel secure. Sometimes, lift them a bit higher than your knees for fun. Sing along with the song, and your child will imitate you eventually. Baby can face you or not, depending on the child. It's fun to see their happy expression as you both experience this activity.
:)
Susan

Simple Instruments

Keep some simple instruments in your car, like rhythm sticks, so that when your child is listening to his or her favorite song, they can keep time to the beat with their sticks, or a jingle bell, or a rattle. They love to participate in the music, and this is just one way they can do so. They will feel like they are helping you "drive," and that makes them happy too!