Several weeks ago I wrote a post about how I put together a Mommy and Me Music Class (Music with my Munchkins). It mainly focused on songs for my toddler, but I have been meaning to update with a post about how to incorporate to music with infants (in case your new around here, I have an 18 month old and a 6 month old. See my sidebar for pictures of these cuties).One way I like to incorporate music in our day is to play with instruments. Hunter loves having the piano set in front of him as he army crawls/wiggles/rolls to hit the keys! At this stage in his development he is learning he has an influence on his environment (he is no longer passively observing his surroundings, but seeks to influence aspects of it with the controlled actions of his body). Rattles are also a great musical instrument for this stage of development. I love looking for unique ones made from different materials (wooden maracas, vintage metal rattles, or even plastic eggs) to incorporate different sensory learning opportunities. Although they tend to fall out of Hunter's hands and produce frustration, that frustration encourages side to side mobility while he works on retrieving them. What are your favorite instruments to introduce to infants?
Besides instruments, I also sing simple songs so Hunter has a chance to hear the rhythmic flow of language and begin to learn that words have meaning (as he will observe with action songs). Most of these songs are simple rhymes without having to fuss with CD's or ipods.
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| For infants :) |
Here are Baby's Fingers...
"Here are baby's fingers...
Here are baby's toes...
Here is baby's belly button...
And round and round it goes!"
I usually replace the word "baby" with my son's name to make it more personal :) But the rhyme is self explanatory, you gently massage (or tickle) each boy part in the rhyme while making eye contact with your baby. If you have a tickly baby the end of the song is a fun surprise for your little one!
To Market, To Market...
"To market ,to market to buy a fat pig,
Home again home again dancing a jig.
To market, to market to buy a fat hog,
Home again home again jigetty-jog.
To market, to market to buy a plum bun,
Home again home again market is done"
This is a bouncing rhyme. You can put baby on your knee, or if your little one is not quite stable sitting yet you can lay him/her on your extended legs (facing up) while you bounce and sing. Thought it's simple, my son enjoys the bouncing rhythm when we do this together :)
Stinky, Stinky...
(sung to the tune of "Twinkle, twinkle little star)
"Stinky, stinky diaper change
Oh my baby smells so strange
He made pee-pee in his pants
I sure hope, it won't attract ants!
Stinky, stinky diaper change
Oh my baby smells so strange"
hehehe...I found this one in a children's rhyme book and started singing it to my son when I did diaper changes. It's silly and keeps him slightly distracted while I take care of business with his bum :)
A Smooth Road...
This one is so much fun! I'm just going to link a video so you can hear the rhythm.
There are also a few songs I downloaded from iTunes that I use with my baby ("Bicycle" and "Face Trace" are my favorites!). Visit my original Music with my Munchkins post to hear a sample of them and get more music ideas for toddlers!
What are your favorite songs for infants? How do you incorporate music into their day? Your comments help me come up with new activities for my little ones, so please feel free to let me know your ideas by commenting below :)