Language developement

I found the above video of an African music group. I hope you enjoy watching and listening to the language and music. If you get about 2/3 of the way through you can hear them singing a couple words in English...I nearly missed it because I was just thinking I wouldn't understand anything!

Between 18 months old and 4 years old children are comprehending on average about 1 word for every hour they are awake. By 4 years old they would have a vocabulary of 10,000 words. It is recommended that parents speak about 17,000 words daily to their children.

If you are using that many words then you are talking a lot! The advantage to that is you are also modeling HOW TO THINK. I'd say that's pretty valuable. Don't be afraid to wax poetic or even silly! Even those lessons are valuable.

In our Kindermusik Our Time class (18months to 3 1/2 year olds) we did an experiment with the little Setswana folk song by taking a risk to boldly sing along with words that we didn't understand or know--without referring to the song chart. Many said that they found it very challenging-that it took a huge amount of concentration. Others commented that while they understood the first word "Hey" it was hard to sing it in time and were able to "get" the last syllable although only as an echo. Some still tried to sneak a peak at the words on the chart thereby using an adult tool of deciphering. Interesting to put yourself into the feelings a 2 year old
might be experiencing all day long.

Hey, Tswana, nehe tipe same Tswana. Hey, Bwana, nehe tipe same Bwana.


Enjoy experiencing your child's world. Thank you for bringing them to Kindermusik.
Love and hugs,
Yvette

Sign Lauguage class through Kindermusik

Kindermusik's Sing and Sing class scheduled to begin this Thursday at 3pm is worth doubling up for!

If you value your special time together and you enjoy learning about what's making your child's brain "tick"and you are you looking for more fun quality time with your 6 month to 3 year old then you will want to know about Kindermusik Sign and Sing.

This weekly 45 minute 10 week class will be taught by Yvette Odell. She will show caregivers many signs and explain the purpose behind encouraging sign language for very young children. American Sign Language is used rather than "Baby Signs" because this is a real language used and understood by many people including hearing impaired. The class is not intended for hearing impaired children since the goals are to use signs to decrease frustrations in children who are learning to talk.

The structure of the class is different that the "regular Kindermusik classes" since we are allowing free play to create learning situations that will be most effective for children's aquisition and comprehension of signs. There is some singing but the signing really takes precedence.

Added benefits are increased vocabulary, increased interactions with caregivers, increased understanding of the processes of language acquisition and parenting tips that help with directing children towards a learning goal.

Many of the general goals are similar to the ones in our regular Kindermusik classes but you'll find them to be very different! It's worth doubling up!

Enroll here.

Language Development in Kindermusik class

How do children grow their vocabulary? When do babies really learn words? When do babies understand words?

If you want a child with a big vocabulary you have to use your words! Talk to your baby morning, noon, and night!

Last week in our Kindermusik Village class we worked with little nursery rhymes: Hey diddle diddle, This little cow eats grass, (and more). The home activity was to play with words, tell stories, recite more rhymes, play with your voice (squeaky or low, fast or slow etc) . What does all this mean to a 5 month old?

Well, they are making brain connections for language from the day they are born. Drawing conclusions on the rhythm and melodies of what is spoken. Patterns of phrases, repeated words, the connections of words to your facial expression and body language. The give and take of conversation. So much going on here.

First time parents may feel awkward having one way conversations about diaper changes, folding laundry and reading the newspaper but that's the key for helping a child figure out this whole language thing! When you take this seriously, they take it as positive reinforcement for being curious and communicative. (What's important to you is definitely important to them.)

In class last week for the Kindermusik Our Time children (18 months to 3 1/2 yo) we introduced "scaffolding" which is a parenting technique for encouraging exploration and also for getting children to do what YOU want them to do. First you observe and affirm what they are already doing (we were working with the rhythm sticks and the musical element of fast and slow), we imitated them (imitation is a sure form of affirmation for children) and describe and label everything, giving informational feedback. Then we suggest a variation to their action...we challenge. The whole activity is dependent on conversation. Talk, talk, talk.....

Click on the picture above to watch a video from How Stuff Works about some of the research they've done on the language-IQ connection. I'm not advocating a word counting assessment software...I'd rather talk to my babies because I love them not because my goal is a certain IQ. But I do want to give my babies what I can to increase their potential...who doesn't want the best for their baby?

So....snow day today (no classes).

Hey, Baby! Talk some, sing some!
Reminds me of a song I haven't sung in ages:

Chatter with the angels, soon in the morning.
Chatter with the angels all day long!
Chatter with the angels, soon in the morning.
Chatter with the angels all day long!
I want to join that band and chatter with the angels all day long.

Have fun,
Yvette

12 Month-old Signs CRY instead of Crying!

Here's a video to show the possibility in exposing your children to sign language.

Kindermusik Sign and Sing class are Thursdays in August. Parents and children both learn a lot!

12 Month-old Signs CRY instead of Crying!
12-month old signs CRY instead of crying! Signs are capitalized. Baby signs/says, "AUDREY (A fist on her chin Signing Smart TM 12-month old signs CRY instead of crying! Signs are capitalized. Baby signs/says, "AUDREY (A fist on her chin), CRYING; (feels) YUCKY, (wants) Ma MILK MAMA!" Rather than cry, she tells me she feels like crying!! Two word sentences are typical between 18-24 months, but this is a 5 word sentence! Thank you SIGNING SMART and Kindermusik Sign & Sing for the ASL STRATEGIES!! I can truly have a conversation with my baby!

Thank you Miss Tracey! What a golden gem of a video.

Musician uses her ear to translate baby's cries

Yesterday I was telling the parents in my classes about early music education being a strong connection in the processing of language in adults. "Listen" to THIS:

Priscilla Dunstan was recently featured on the Oprah Winfrey show and talked about the language babies use to let you know they're hungry, uncomfortable, have lower gas, need to burp, or simply, are sleepy.You can watch the video here.

The musical connection: (via http://www.dunstanbaby.com/)"Already an exceptional violinist by the age five, [Priscilla] could hear a piece by Mozart once, then play it back in its entirety, note for note. Her father, Director of the Educational Testing Centre at the University of New South Wales, found that his young daughter had an eidetic memory - a rare photographic memory for sound."During her teenage years Priscilla toured throughout Europe and Australia as an accomplished concert violinist. Priscilla then spent more than 10 years exploring the world of opera, where her talent as a mezzo-soprano deepened her understanding of sound produced by the human voice."When Priscilla gave birth to her son Tomas, her instincts as a mother and musician led her to believe that a baby’s cries had to be something more than just random sounds. Noting combinations of sounds in a journal, Priscilla explored various settling techniques and observed Tom’s reactions. Eventually she was able to recognize patterns, and identify how specific cries had a distinct need attached to them."

Once you watch the video you will see that you too can tell the differences easily! Priscilla has taught us to listen on purpose! Don't we do that in every Kindermusik class from newborns to the Young Child classes!?

Thanks Molly McGinn! You are the very spirit of Kindermusik.

"http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200611/20061113/slide_20061113_350_101.jhtml

Music and language connection

Science is always trying to justify music! Why do we humans need music? This Stanford research shows that people who played musical instruments as children process spoken language faster and more accurately than their non-musical counterparts as adults. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2005-11-17-music-training-language_x.htmThey suggest that many children who become poor readers have trouble making auditory distinctions. Auditory discrimination is our work and our play in Kindermusik!