Preparing your child for the classroom – what role does Kindermusik play? If you have been to an un-parented Kindermusik class you have probably heard it time and time again. Our classes help prepare your little ones for their next step into a traditional classroom environment. As reassuring and empowering those words are for our grownups to hear, we’ve been asked time and time again. How exactly do we achieve this through our Kindermusik program? As an educator, I have heard concern from parents that their kids won’t listen or can’t sit still at home or in their preschool classes. I hear you, and I’m here to reassure you that this is totally normal! Let’s take a look (or a read), and venture into five ways that make our program unique, and how exactly we achieve a solid foundation that will help your preschooler in all of their academic endeavors. 1. Encourages Creative Thinking: Children have the innate need to move around and explore their environments as they learn. It is natural for them to lose interest quickly and need to move from one object of interest to the next. Our classes are structured to do just this! We encourage our little ones to move around and discover new ways to learn. This may be most apparent when we are trying out different ways to play our instruments or a fan favourite -scarves- in class. For a parent, or an outside observer, when a child is rolling a shaker across the floor during instrument play, or pretending they are a superhero with a scarf trailing behind them in class our immediate reaction may be that they are playing with their props incorrectly and this needs to be corrected in order for them to play the “right” way. But to me, it is -quite literally- music to my ears. Movement encourages coordination, teaches spacial awareness, and helps clarify important concepts like cause and effect, gravity and perhaps most importantly, fosters creativity! This brings me to my next -and arguably most invaluable- point, confidence! 2. Builds Confidence: When your child explores and discovers different ways to play in class, it shows that they are confident enough in their surroundings to take risks and try new things. This is instilling them with a sense of confidence to really take control of their own learning which is irreplaceable when they are going to be in a class with children they may have never met before. To be able to take control over their learning means that in the classroom they will have the confidence to put their hand up and ask the teacher for help when they don’t understand a question. They will have the autonomy to try and answer a question in a different way when that answer doesn’t seem quite right. Essentially in our classroom, your little ones are learning how to learn. It is such a powerful tool for us to create a safe environment where our children feel this confidence to take accountability for their own learning. But how exactly are we achieving this? 3. Establishes Routines: One of the most vital ways this is accomplished is by creating a routine so your child knows what to expect coming into every Kindermusik class. We sing our hello and goodbye song which has become a cornerstone of enjoyment for both our little ones and grownups alike, time for dancing, some instrument play and focused listening. Coming to an un-parented class is oftentimes daunting for our little ones for the first time. However, with the routine and structure, we create, and the consistency of you bringing your children to class every week, we create a controlled ‘mini classroom’, where they feel safe, confident, and excited to learn. And the best part? It doesn’t even feel like learning! If I still don’t have you convinced, our program is also enriched with research-based early childhood learning skills. 4. Develops Early Literacy: When your little ones are learning to read basic notes or their “ta’s and ti ti’s” what they are doing is training the tracking in their eyes to move smoothly from left to right, putting them a step ahead of the game when it comes to reading. Learning that symbols can represent sounds and words helpful for… you guessed it, reading! Kicking a ball? Learning coordination and early childhood math -geometry. Singing? Developing their vocal cords and range for self-expression. Telling stories or pretend play? Learning about creativity which helps in problem-solving. Our program is chock-full of essential early childhood development skills for our little ones… And the best part? It doesn’t even feel like learning! Our Kindermusik program has been expertly and meticulously planned with your little one’s specific developmental stage as the focal point of reference. We know your busy and inquisitive preschooler isn’t content to sit still; they may have trouble focusing if too long is spent on the same activity. Children need engagement and a wide variety of activities to keep their interest and stimulate their ever-growing brains. We want children not to just survive school, but to thrive! That is why we teach our program in such a deliberate, yet engaging and simulating way. A way that encompasses what’s most important to the child – play! |