Reading, Sensory Integration, and YOUR CHILD

Teaching our Children to Read, Write and Spell
by Susan Johnson, M.D
Proprioceptive System
There is a widely-held belief that if we just start teaching children to write, read, and spell in preschool, they will become better writers, readers, and spellers by the time they reach the first and second grades. This is, however, not true. The truth is that children only should be taught to write, read, and spell when their neurological pathways for writing, reading, and spelling have fully formed. There are many neuropsychologists, developmental specialists, occupational therapists and teachers who are concerned that our current trend in this country of pushing “academics” in preschool and kindergarten will result in even greater increases in the number of children, particularly boys, diagnosed with attentional problems and visual processing types of learning disabilities.
In order for children to be able to sit still, pay attention, and remember abstract shapes, like letters and numbers, they first need to have developed their proprioceptive system......

Dear families, please, please read the whole article! Print it out and pass it on to their teachers if you wonder why you child can't sit still, makes his 3's backwards, has terrible penmanship, has trouble falling a sleep or staying asleep, seems to be so distractible....What I mean is every parent and every teacher should read this! Really, your child is reacting in a normal way but this way continues if certain developmental needs are not adressed! They need and crave more singing and twirling, jumping and pretending. It is the way children are! But we are trying so hard to win the race to make children learn to read earlier that we are actually losing the marathon altogether!

If you as an adult are involved in your child's Kindermusik class and you get the sense that it's aerobics for the adults then something is RIGHT!! If the children in Kindermusik Imagine That! or Young Child 1-4 say "This is kinda like gymnastics" or "Dance class" then something is VERY right. We are developing neurons and integrating the right and left hemispheres that will better prepare children for their academic tasks ahead!

Syncopation

Syncopation is a "jazzy" rhythm that really gets us toe tappin'. In Kindermusik Village we dance our feet to this rhythm in "Water Come a Me Eye". For weeks we do this dance! Some parents do the dance at home everytime it comes around on the CD. Kaylin can do it with her feet all by herself!

In Kindermusik Our Time we play the rhythm sticks to a steady beat while with our voices we sing "Tinga Lay-O": Run, little donkey, run! (There's the syncopation!)

Syncopation comes and goes through out all the Kindermusik levels...then in the "big kid class", Kindermusik Young Child, we layer it in again with the "Canoe Song": dip, dip, and swing...... In the last semester (#4) we'll finally see what it looks like. The children will be able to read syncopation and use it in their composing.

With all this those Kindermusik graduates won't be afraid of playing those "Jazzy" rhythms when they sightread new music in orchestra and band. How cool is that?

I just love this curriculum.
Yvette

What's the difference between a library music time and a Kindermusik Class?

Some folks say "Oh, we do Kindermusik for FREE at the library!"

Well, I'd love to widen your view a little.

Darcy and I do music and movement storytimes here and there (i.e. the library and some mom and tot groups, for example). We meet children who love music, who naturally sing and dance to the music, children who love the instruments and knee bounces, circle dances and stories. Those children, their sparkling eyes, smiles and giggles capture our hearts. And we see the possibility. In all the children. All of them.

What would be different if they went to a weekly class for a whole semester at a time? This is what we know about children who are lucky enough to be in a flourishing environment where consistency of space, trust, routine, repetition and variety exist.

These children begin sometimes warily, like any child. Sometimes at the first class the younger ones look around for the moment their adult will sneak off or kiss them goodbye. Imagine their wide eyes when all the adults sit on the floor with them! They know then that they are safe. After the second class they begin to sense a rhythm in the flow of the class as it is very similar to their first experience. They realize that it is safe to put the bells or shakers back in the basket because they know they will have another opportunity to work with those again. After a few weeks a change comes over them. Waiting their turn becomes easier. The songs are very familiar since they hear them also at home (Home materials include CDs, story books, instruments etc.). The story is predictable and there are more and more details emerging every week. (This never happens at a one time event.)


They become thoughtful risk takers, more experimental, more creative. Everything is safe. They sing and twirl along, delighting in their participating adult. Here is their chance to be in charge. To practice their budding autonomy in a safe environment. Isn't that what we want for them?

It's how they bloom.

Please join us.
And for the families already participating why don't you bring a friend to you class!

Yvette

More Music on the Brain

Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D. Associate Professor, James McGill University, was a keynote speaker at the October Kindermusik Convention. We enjoyed his talk about music and the brain and his pop music quizzes where we could identify a piece of music and artist by hearing less than a second of the recording. Today I found an article written by Scott LaFee for the Union-Tribune, which sourced Levitin. This is what caught my eye:

Music does appear to improve brain function, according to scientists. "Early exposure to and learning of music and instruments seems to have clear benefits," Levitin said. "Such children often have improved visual perception, analytical thinking skills and physical coordination. Music helps them focus their attention."

Singing in the Brain .
The Union-Tribune , November 15, 2007


I am also noticing how the students in my classes have shown such growth in their self control and social skills. Taking turns, trading instruments, responding to auditory cues, stopping their excited fast and slow horse trotting and galloping....

I've heard more children using their singing voices, seen more amazing creativity in movement ideas....So many times I wished for my camera!

And sequencing and predicting....memory work....(I'm thinking of the 2 year olds who can tell me what's next in the Watch Me! story book.

Parents, you are doing great work. Keep up the steady beat....keep singing...keep dancing....
Love,
Yvette

Choosing Activities For Your Children

Parents everywhere have a zillion great choices in kid activities. Soccer, T-Ball, gymnastics, dance, piano, violin.... What's best? Which class will give the most return on the investment?

Here's what one educator and studio owner of Performing Arts Center in Pawcatuck notices in her students. I asked her if I could quote her post on our educator's email loop and she agreed so here it is:

Posted by: "Heather Fortier" Thu Jul 12, 2007 1:46 pm
As an owner of a dance/gymnastics/kindermusik center I strongly encourage parents to enroll in a Kindermusik class first. I have found that children who participate in Kindermusik, when they enter into a dance or gymnastics class have better listening skills, are more agile, advance faster, do better on balance beam and balancing skills. Dancers have much better musicality than those that just do dance. All around - happier teachers, happier kids, happier parents..... They will truly appreciate the students participating in Kindermusik first.

Moms and Dads, of course your kid wants to climb, tumble and jump; and that is so important for their growing, exploring bodies. Know what your kids need too, Kindermusik. Kindermusik explores concepts to help with musicality-understanding rhythms (important for floor work), it stimulates their vestibular system (which helps with the bars), it helps with their sense of balance( which is beneficial for beam), and it helps their spatial awareness skills (which helps with vaulting). All around Kindermusik is the building block for future thinkers, movers and doers. Enroll in a class and see the growth before your eyes...oh yeah, you'll have fun too!.....Heather

And here's my extra bonus for you if you are in Kindermusik: It really is 2 for the price of one since your Kindermusik educators work hard to share with parents information on child development, parenting tips, great ideas for activities for nurturing your bond together in class and beyond, time to calm yourself and enjoy being with your children...and more...

Have you signed up for fall classes yet? Did you know there's still time to do lots of learning in August? The last summer session starts July 26.

Here's a favorite quote of mine:
“Movement is a universal, full-time, personal, childhood occupation, and its importance in children’s early learning experiences cannot be overemphasized…Children develop movement in space to understand position, size, distance, and shape. Continuous activity…is essential for an optimal rather than a marginal level of motor performance.”
Moving and Learning for the Young Child by William J. Stinson, Ed.

I just love that! And I see it all the time with the children I work with. Did you know that we develop a specific body movement for every sound of our language while we were listening to our mothers as we were in utero? Researchers have videoed babies doing a beautifully choreographed movement sequenced according to the words first heard moments after they were born....they repeated and repeated the words and those babies repeated and repeated their movements! We as adults still hold those electrical impulses in our muscles every time we hear words...though we don't execute the movement anymore.

We must move to learn. As adults we must at least move our eyes! But children depend on full body involvement: Kinesthetic experience.

A few years ago I attended a workshop in Kalamazoo for school educators. Carol Kranowitz was the keynote speaker. She has written The Out of Sync Child and The Out of Sync Child Has Fun. Her career began as a kindergarden teacher. When her students moved on to the 1st grade their teachers were amazed at their dexterity with markers, scissors, etc. They asked for her secret....NO big secret, she said, we just get the children outside moving everyday, rain or shine. The key is that children need opportunity to learn control over their core muscles (their torso) before they can begin to work on arms and legs....and then they need to learn control of their arms and legs before beginning to manipulate the finer muscles of the fingers.

A baby first learns to roll over (core muscles) then crawl (arms and legs) then comes the pincer grasp of picking up Cheerios....(fine motor movement). But that doesn't mean they are done! That's just a glimpse of the progression. And also an clue that one feathers into the next. It is still important for a 3 year old to roll down hills or.... in Kindermusik! Try squirming like a worm! What good hard WORK!!! Still important for children of this age to be crawling! (We were so glad to have them out of that stage, weren't we!) If your child is still akward with the scissors and markers, go crawl and roll and squirm!

This illustrates learning to control movement but what about moving to learn? What about the woman who went back to school and took complicated chemistry classes, aceing them without taking notes? She was knitting!

And what about Vincent in my Kindermusik Young Child class years ago who used to spend most of the time upside down spinning around? His mom was struggling during family time when it sure looked as if he was nowhere near "Paying attention"! Yet when I asked who was the composer we had talked about Vince pipes up with no hesitation "Bach". No matter the question this guy KNEW it. I did not have it in my heart to ask him to sit still!!!

Movement is a universal, full time occupation. Let them dance. And dance we do in Kindermusik!
Love,
Yvette

Brain Dance!

I worry, worry, worry about the babies who spend so much of their day in the carseat. In and out of the car, into the grocery cart, back in the house, back in the car, in church, out to lunch, back in the car, back in the house and never leaving the car seat except for a quick change. Does that sound even a little bit familiar?

"Movement is the key to learning! Movement and dance activities such as crawling, creeping, rolling, turning, walking, skipping, reaching, and swinging are essential for baby's brain development. These specific and intensive motor activities make full use of babys complicated nervous system and follow a plan. The nervous system of each new human being must go through a series of developmental stages before the brain can operate at its full potential. Using her whole body, her movements, and all her senses, the baby "programs" her motor/perceptual equipment, her nerves, and brain cells."

Please click on this link http://www.llli.org/NB/NBMarApr01p44.html and read the rest of this fascinating article! Author Anne Green Gilbert is a creative movement specialist consulted by Kindermusik for the creation of several units of curriculum. She explains the developmental stages and gives ideas for fundamental movement activities for baby. We are so mobile baby doesn't have a chance to do the floor work they need to develop. Their drive to move is constant, that is their need!

Sometimes we need a prescription for the simplest action for our health and well being and that of our children. Your perscription for babies newborn to 18 months: holland.kindermusik.net