playtime with your infant

Infants' responses to music are very fascinating to me. I could type it all out for you, but instead I'll just link you to a couple websites discussing some of the many benefits:


http://www.suite101.com/content/benefits-of-music-for-infants-a44783

and http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/how_music_benefits_children.html

I could keep going. I just did a little googling and thought those were all pretty interesting.


I think that for the first 6 months of a babies life, three or four songs is plenty for you to sing.  I am going to give 1 song with activities to follow for the entire first year of baby's life.


"Ring Around the Rosie"

If you aren't sure how this one goes, here is a video




When singing with a newborn, they obviously won't be walking in a circle.  :-)  You should hold baby facing you, supporting their head/neck with your hands.  Hold them partially upright and sing the song very gently.  When it is time to fall down, then just gently move baby to a horizontal position.  When baby is old enough to smile, this will get smiles.  After a few months, baby might start to anticipate the "fall" and start smiling or giggling before the fall.  This is great!

Once baby is old enough to sit unassisted, sit someplace soft with baby.  Make sure you are still holding onto baby so that he doesn't fall!  When it is time to "fall" then you can lower baby backwards to a laying position.  My daughter would start to throw herself backwards after doing this activity for a little while and we could only do it in a well padded place!

Once baby can stand, just stand in place and then "fall" down together at the appropriate place in the song.

Finally, once baby is walking, or even just trying to walk, you can try the traditional activity of walking in a circle, and falling on "We all fall down."

Old MacDonald Had a Farm

I shared this activity with some friends and they seemed to like it so I'm posting it here. I'm going to definitely get back to posting these now that I have learned about YouTube. :-)

In case you don't know the song here is a video that is very good. It has it's own visuals. Notice how he is using the same voice for the words of the song and the animal noises?



The activities: all appropriate for ages 2-7, but in increasing difficulty

1. Sing the song with the video. This would be the most basic activity.

2. Sing the song without the video, but have the grownup make up the animals used in the song.

3. Sing the song together, but prompt the child to make up their own animals. If they want to sing Piggies every single time (like my daughter did for 3 months) then you are going to just have to sing Piggies 3,000 times. Keep taking turns for the grownups to choose other animals. Then one day, your little one will make up a new animal! It will be very exciting, but instead of stopping and having a parade, just keep singing. I also accept non-animal answers, especially from 2 and 3 year olds. The other day in the car my daughter saw snow on the farm, and clouds on the farm, and trees on the farm. Not sure what sound something makes? Just make something up. Your little one won't know the difference!

4. Have the child find pictures to cut out of animals, or draw animals, or color animals from a coloring book. Use those for your own visual aides when singing the song. An older child could pre-plan the sequence used for the song.


Here are 4 different ways to have fun with this very classic song. I hope this gets you singing!