Parentnest: Recent Episodes
Rosalind Smith Cross
A community for parents of young children to understand their child's growing body and mind, to provide knowledge, tools, and activities that will enrich your child and your relationship with them, and to support families in this wonderful and challenging stage of life.
Today we have a super short episode in which we’re going to think a bit about word choices. It has been said that we get what we focus on. So not only with this affect our child’s behavior, but it will also affect our view of their behavior!
Principle #1: Say what you DO want instead of what you DON’T want
“Don’t put that in your mouth.” “Don’t run.” “Don’t throw that.”
It comes so easily, doesn’t it? But let’s think about your child’s take-away from these sentences. What is the last thing they hear? “Put that in your mouth.” “Run.” Throw that.”
Their receptive language skills are in the early stages. It’s going to help your child (and you!) if you will simply state what you want. “We need to use walking feet right now.” “Hold the stick tightly in your hand so you can continue playing with it.” “That stays out of your mouth. You may _____ with it.”
Makes sense, doesn’t it? It also helps us to save “No” for when we really need it.
Affirmations
We all want to affirm our children when they accomplish something, cooperate, share, etc. – and we definitely should!
One of the goals of affirmation is to help our children feel competent and confident. Another motivation is so that they know that we support them – that we are on their team, and that we’ve noticed their accomplishment.
So what do we usually say?I imagine most of us usually respond with, “Good job!”
But perhaps there are phrases that would better encourage our children.
My go-to response is “You did it!” How is that different? Well, for one thing, it’s affirming the action of the child. THEY accomplished something. If I say, “Good job,” that has more to do with my opinion of the action than with what they have done. Keeping the focus on what they have done can help our children find intrinsic value in their accomplishments.
As your child gets older, you can flesh it out a bit: “You got bells for Katie today. That was kind.”“You cleaned up right away when I asked you to. That is hard to do when you’re having fun – but you did it!” See the difference?
How would it change your parenting to frame things this way? I’d love to hear about it!
I’ve been privileged to spend over 40 class hours learning from some of the top developmental movement specialists in the country – with Stephanie Johnson of Baby Bare, and also in the Brain Gym program, featuring the work of Carla Hannaford and Paul and Gale Dennison. In addition, I’ve received amazing training over the past 27 years through Kindermusik International, the leading childhood learning program in the country.
Summing it up in a five-minute podcast is challenging, but I really want you to know and appreciate the wonders of the enrichment you’re making possible for your child through the movement aspects of our class. So today’s podcast is all about movement! Let’s go!
Why do we move so much in Kindermusik? And why does my child want to move aaaallll the time??
Great question! The fact is that from birth to around age 7, learning takes place through movement. Your child literally moves to learn! When the neuropathways for movement are fired, they activate and connect the WHOLE brain synergistically. Not to mention the endorphins and feelgood hormones that the brain releases when our bodies are in joyful movement.
Also, when we are not only hearing something like high and low (auditory) and seeing it (through moving a scarf or other object), but we’re also experiencing it in our bodies? That is integrated, active learning at its very best. In addition to being actively engaged, these activities are emotionally rewarding, especially when a loving adult is joyfully participating with them. And when we’re actively and emotionally engaged? There’s no limit to what we can learn <3
Side note: Did you know that when we sing, play and dance as a group, our heartbeats synchronize??? And this is just what we KNOW is going on in our brains and bodies. Who knows what other amazing and transformational activity is going on that we don’t understand yet?
Play Is the Child’s Work: All learning is integrated for children; they don’t separate feeling from thinking, acting, and socializing. Play is the most effective learning tool for them as it engages the whole body, emotions, social interaction, cognitive development and much more. Also, who DOESN’T learn better when they’re having fun?
It makes sense that movement experiences impact our children’s physical confidence: Body awareness is important in the development of physical confidence. We explore this in several ways, through:
- Moving body parts. We do this in all levels, but especially in the baby class where our little ones are still figuring out what parts are where. And as I mention frequently, the activities where we cross the midline (side-side and up-down) strengthen the communication between the two hemispheres of the brain.
- Whole body movements in one place. This one doesn’t necessarily occur to our children, but when we give them opportunity to move while standing on a dot or inside a hoop, they are experiencing inhibitory control, and also explore creative options for ways to move within boundaries.
- Whole body movements while traveling in space. This is definitely their jam and their happy place. As we “walk to the grocery store”, we try out short and long, fast and slow, smooth and bumpy, etc. This is called scaffolding – when we start with what they know how to do and build upon it.
The more your child has opportunity to explore physical movement, the stronger, abler and more confident they become!
Sometimes in class you hear me reference the vestibular system:
The vestibular system, the part of the brain that handles balance and the sense of gravity is in peek development in the early years. Swinging, twisting, swaying and rocking all stimulate the vestibular system, which is why we do so much of it in class! Your child’s body craves this stimulation and will seek it out if it’s not provided. Interestingly enough, these activities can also work to calm the nervous system!
So there you have it. THAT is why we move so much in class, and why your child thrives when given many chances to participate in moving every which way!
Have questions, comments or concerns? You can reach us at www.kindermusikfun.com
For more great info on child development, visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Kindermusikfun
We’re trying something new this Fall!
There is SO much amazing learning going on in our classes, and so much in-depth information that I want to share with you! Obviously, while we’re in class dancing, playing and cuddling it’s not the time to do this --- so I’m recording some interesting and helpful info for you. I’ve broken it down into age groups, but many of these overlap and apply to all early childhood learning.
Let me know if it’s helpful!
For All Age Groups:
- We begin each class for every age group with a hello song where each child is acknowledged by name. Why take time to do this? Hearing their name in the song helps their developing sense of self and affirms that they are important.
Village (Foundations)
- Baby’s experience of the world is integrated – processing many types of stimuli simultaneously. When baby plays with a scarf, accompanied by a song and simple game, they are experiencing tactile stimulation, language development, musical aptitude, and emotional interaction.
- One of baby’s primary jobs during the first 3 years is to learn to make things happen, including discovering qualities of objects, how things work, how to use objects as tools, how to plan and how to make a plan work. Playing with baby with items such as the scarf and paper plates helps baby do their homework.
Our Time and Imagine That (Levels 2 and 3)
- Awareness is the ability to recognize the needs, interests, strengths and values of others. An aware child learns about the needs and complexities of others by watching, listening and forming relationships with a variety of children. An aware child will be much less likely to exclude others from a group, to tease and act in a violent way. Awareness is one of six core strengths identified as helping to develop children who are more Humane. “Promoting Nonviolent Behavior in Children, “ by Bruce D, Perry, MD, Ph. D., Scholastic Early Childhood Today, September 2001, pages 26 - 29.
- Body awareness: for young children movement is body awareness. Children are learning what their bodies can do. They are defining the physical perimeters of their bodies. They are becoming less generalized and more specific in their recognition of where the different parts of their bodies are and what those different specific body parts can do individually or in union with other parts of the body they are becoming aware of the bodies movement range from frantic activity to rest. Feeling Strong, Feeling Free, by Molly Sullivan.
Young Child (Levels 4 and 5)
- Our learning at this stage is more specific: we hear sound/no sound, steady beat/no beat, etc. and respond not only with our bodies, but express these through instruments and coloring.
- We also begin learning ensemble development – when to play, when to wait our turn, whether we should play loudly or quietly, which resonator bar to play when. It’s a lot! But the foundation has been laid through the first 3 levels, and we’re ready for it.
- Controlling our bodies and navigating space becomes more refined as well. We listen to specific sounds or for a specific number or length of time, or to whether the voice is singing or speaking. These are some of the best integrated learning activities, combining listening, analyzing, responding, moving, and stopping.
Special thanks to Kindermusik International for Teacher's Guides notes. Their research is thorough and impeccable, and references the latest research on child development worldwide .
Thanks also to Kindermusik at Evola Music of Canton for their video on the benefits of dance. If you're in Canton, they are the place to go!
We are in Greenville, SC and you can find us at www.kindermusikfun.com or email kindermusikgvl@gmail.com
You can find Kindermusik programs worldwide at www.kindermusik.com
We are here to support you in your parenting journey.
Please let us know your questions, comments, concerns and ideas!
You can also check out our class offerings at www.kindermusikfun.com or call 864-729-2919
Concepts taken from Stephanie Johnson's Baby Bare: A Bottom-Up Approach to Growing Strong Brains and Bodies.
Kindermusik of Greenville offers music and movement play and exploration classes in Greenville, SC, as well as art exploration classes and parent support through Village Arts Greenville. You can connect with them at www.kindermusikfun.com
Conscious Discipline by Becky Bailey:
Books, e-course, webinars, podcasts to help you enjoy a calmer, more loving and conscious relationship with your child.
We would love to connect with you! If you have comments, questions, or a topic you'd like for us to cover, let us hear from you! Our email is villageartsgreenville@gmail.com
If you're in the Greenville, SC area, you're invited to become a part of our Village. Check out our class schedule at www.kindermusikfun.com