As the end of the semester approaches, remember you can keep the fun going at home until our next class as you continue to use this semester’s materials (album, workbook, instrument, and activities you learned). Your child will think you are just having fun, but you will actually be strengthening his/her newly acquired skills. Listening to music fires up multiple regions of the brain: muscular, auditory, visual, and linguistic. Brain studies show that hearing music triggers a multitude of ‘mirroring neurons’. This means when you watch, or even just hear, someone play an instrument, the neurons associated with the muscles required to play that instrument fire in an attempt to ‘mirror’ the action. It may result in a desire to mimic the specific action and explain why playing “air guitar” is so compelling! Neurologic mirroring may also explain the desire to move to music as well — so put on your dancing shoes!
Optional home fun activity: Color the Circus Dance coloring page on page 17 in your workbook. (Remember, these activities are optional but can be a great bonding experience to do with your child during the week.) The time you spend with your child in class may be more valuable than you realize. Studies have shown that parent-child play contributes more significantly to a child’s ability to learn from social interactions than play with other children. Infants and preschoolers also use more behaviors that require a partner while playing with parents. Your time here is powerful! Children have an innate tendency to make sense of the world around them through observing patterns. Recognizing patterns allows children to make predictions based on these observations. Creating their own provides opportunities to practice sequencing. Understanding patterns lays the foundation for learning more difficult mathematical concepts, and the ability to identify simple patterns in their early years will transfer to understanding more complex number concepts later on.
Optional home fun activity: Color the candy cane on page 22 in your workbook. (Remember, these activities are optional but can be a great bonding experience to do with your child during the week.) |
Clara McDonaldAs a music educator of 25 years, my passion is infusing others with music! Archives
December 2022
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