At Kindermusik, we believe that a parent is a child’s first and most important teacher. We also realize that second language teachers have a unique set of challenges in the classroom.
- Diversity. In one classroom, parents and children may speak several different languages.
- Digital divide. Some parents are comfortable with digital and tablet learning. Some parents are more comfortable with CDs and printed materials. The same is true for the schools you’re preparing these children to attend: some are making the digital transition and some aren’t.
- Seeing double. Often times in ABC English & Me, a young child is learning a second language with their parent. Educators are teaching two people at a time! The child and the child’s parent or loving caregiver.
That’s why Kindermusik@Home materials were created to provide extra learning support for parents. The interactive Web site functions like an online classroom for parents, and features the songs and activities from class. The site also gives parents more information about the second language learning process, in a language they understand — whether it’s print or digital, French or English.
Print and digital options
Choose your music. When parents visit my.kindermusik.com at home, parents can choose to either burn a CD, or play the .mp3s on a tablet, computer, or mobile device.
Choose your story. Parents and children can share the stories together in a tablet-friendly format, or print out the stories and read together on paper.
Choose print or digital. Activities are available in multiple formats — from print-out paper doll activities, music and movement activities in mp3 activities, to word games. The variety of formats lets a parent decide how little or how much they’d like to expose a young child to tablet-based and mobile learning.
One classroom, five families, five different languages? At home, parents can go to my.kindermusik.com and choose to navigate the site in their preferred language, and learn more about the classroom activities in their own privacy, on their own time.
Families in your classrooms may speak a variety of languages. Some parents may not feel comfortable about stopping the class to ask a question. The Kindermusik@Home materials make it easy for families to translate all the activities, song lyrics, and research-based information to their preferred language.
Short videos model second language learning concepts for parents
Videos can be used as an interactive learning experience for parents to watch, or parents and children to watch together on a tablet.
For example, in this short video from Hello, Teddy!, the narrator employs the “3 E’s” (Excite, Engage, Expand), a commonly used technique for teaching young children new vocabulary, particularly children who are learning a new language.
When parents watch the video, they can hear and see a demonstration of the 3 E’s and incorporate it into the child’s daily dressing routine.
Video activities include a short description of the learning benefit behind the activity, and helps parents better understand the second language learning process. Take a look.
Bear in the Morning excites children by building a tiny element of suspense: Bear is looking around, searching, and wondering where his clothes and toys are. The game engages children by asking them to think and participate (e.g., “Where is his t-shirt?”).
And the game expands your child’s learning by asking him follow-up questions using additional vocabulary (e.g., What color is Bear’s t-shirt?”). You no doubt used this same technique when your child was a baby and learning his native language!
Parents can learn more about the second language learning process
Each featured activity gives parents the research-based approach behind the activities. For example, the ABC English & Me story “Where Is Bear?” features what experts call “accessible text,” in the story. A description of this approach is included alongside the story in the Kindermusik@Home experience.
Where Is Bear? is a powerful example of what language acquisition experts call “accessible text.” Such text is ideal for introducing young children to English, and for reinforcing their learning. Why is this simple story about an adventuresome bear such a good one for learning English? There are several reasons:
Repetitive phrases. The key sentence (or question) of the story is posed to your child over and over again: Where is Bear? Your child will grow accustomed to hearing this prompt, and that helps her predict what’s coming next and to follow the pattern of the story.
High-imagery words. Most of the words in the story are directly associated with a picture on the screen. Or, they refer to things with which your child has probably had some direct experience. Words like bear, horse, farm, and kitchen are all excellent high-imagery words for young children learning English.
High-frequency words. Where Is Bear? includes several high-frequency English words—words that are central to the English language, used all the time, and necessary in forming most spoken or written sentences. Examples are: is, the, on, and his. Hearing these high-frequency words used across many contexts will expedite your child’s learning of English.
A few unique words. Finally, with its simple and predictable pattern, Where Is Bear? contains a limited number of unique words for your child to learn and understand. This frees her up to focus on the meaning of the story.
See the Hello Teddy activity on my.kindermusik.com
Parents can choose how interactive they want to be
If some parents are uncomfortable with the concept of tablet-based learning, the Kindermusik@Home experience provides fun games, songs, and lyrics that the parent can print out from their home computer. Matching games, and paper doll games, like the ones featured in Hello Teddy, all reinforce the learning concepts from class, by asking children to identify pieces of Teddy’s clothing.
