Toddler Lessons for Friday - Music

Today is MUSIC day.

Today's toddler activities are all about sounds and MUSIC. Kids love music - listening to it, dancing to it, singing songs, and making their own music.


Craft for Kids
Music Shaker
Today we are making a musical instrument - I'm calling it our "music shaker".

We are using:

• streamers or ribbons
  
• 2 paper plates
  
• white glue
  
• beans, rice or pebbles
  
• 2 or more jingle bells (optional - we didn't have any)
• supplies for decorating - pens, stickers, glitter etc
  
• duct tape
  

Glue or tape a few ribbons onto the bottom of one of the paper plates (we are using duct tape to make it more secure).



Place the beans, rice or pebbles into the "ribbon" plate.


Glue the other plate onto the "ribbon" plate - we are also duct taping this plate onto the "ribbon" plate - I have a 1yr old - there is no way I want this thing to come apart and have my 1 yr old get hold of those little glass pebbles!



Allow to dry, then it is ready to be decorated!




Game/Activity for Toddlers
Xylophone
Today I am going to attempt (haha!) to teach my toddler how to play a song on the xylophone.




I found free sheet music at http://thesongswesing.wordpress.com/ . (After all those years of private piano lessons) I actually managed to remember how to play - boy, my parents will be so proud!!!


Books for Kids and Babies
The books on our bear chair today are all about MUSIC and sounds - "Wheels on the Bus" a Mother Goose story (Studio Mouse), and two Baby Einstein books, both by Susan Ring, "Music on the Go" and "Music around the House" (Scholastic).



Toddler Songs & Video
Our favorite song at the moment for both my 3yr old and 1yr old (she does the most perfect "E.I.E.I.O") is "Old McDonald had a Farm"

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had some chicks
Ee i ee i o
With a cluck-cluck here
And a cluck-cluck there
Here a cluck, there a cluck
Everywhere a cluck-cluck
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had some cows
Ee i ee i oh
With a moo-moo here
And a moo-moo there
Here a moo, there a moo
Everywhere a moo-moo
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o
And on his farm he had some pigs
Ee i ee i o
With an oink-oink here
And an oink-oink there
Here an oink, there an oink
Everywhere an oink-oink
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i o

Add in other animals that you teach on the farm like :
dogs - woof-woof
cat - meow-meow
sheeps - baa-baa
horses - neigh-neigh

Remember, teaching your baby or toddler should be fun for both of you - it is a rewarding, enriching experience to be able to spend time together and help them learn something new. Have fun!