Language & Literacy

Two Simple Ideas for Supporting Children’s Vocabulary Development

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Up, down, in, out, under… Those relational prepositions mean something very specific to us as adults.  But when toddlers hear a phrase like, “Put the block under the cup,” they’ll probably put the block in the cup, because it’s the obvious thing to do. Toddlers understand that they are supposed to do something with the block and the cup, but just what all those
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Music Paves the Way to Literacy

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Listening to and identifying sounds is the earliest phonological awareness skill and one of the most important pre-literacy competencies. Without this skill, there will be no progress toward phonics, spelling, or text comprehension. How Children Become Phonologically Aware Children become phonologically aware in a specific developmental sequence, beginning with the larger sound units (e.g., tapping each word in a sentence), then focusing on parts
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New Research: Multilingual Environments Linked to Better Communication Skills

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It turns out that young children who are exposed to more than one language from an early age not only gain significant advantages cognitively, but also in their ability to communicate. The most novel finding is that the children do not even have to be bilingual themselves; it is the exposure to more than one language that is the key for building effective social communication
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Making the Connection: Movement & Second Language Learning

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Want a child to speak more than one language fluently? Start early! Research shows that when children learn another language at a young age the more likely they are to understand it and speak like a native speaker. It’s never too early to begin learning another language. In fact, evidence indicates that babies have the ability to learn all the languages of the world
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Science Says: Music Makes You a Better Reader

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We love it when science backs up again and again what music teachers and parents have known for a long time – music and music classes have significant and far-reaching benefits that extend beyond singing, moving, and playing instruments and into areas of brain development, academic advantage, language development, literacy, and more.  In particular, new research is highlighting the powerful connection between music and
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Scooby-Dooby-Doo-Wap Your Way Through Jazz Appreciation Month

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Throughout the Kindermusik experience, we deliberately introduce children to a wide variety of musical genres to give them a greater understanding of what is possible through music. This month we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month! We wanted to make it easy for you to celebrate it, too, so the children in your life can experience the value of improvisation and emotional expression and gain an
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The One Thing that Can Prepare a Child for Success (It’s not what you think!)

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Pew Research Center recently asked a national sample of adults which skills were most important for children to have in order to get ahead in today’s world. Out of the 10 skills from which they could choose, more respondents said communication skills were most important for success, followed by reading, math, and teamwork. Much of the groundwork and preparation for successful development of these
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Happy International Children’s Book Day

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WARNING! Kindermusik Educators may burst into song at any time and in any place. They also sometimes carry egg shakers in their pockets for a little accompaniment. After all, pianos are not exactly portable. An equally true fact is that their bookshelves, iPads, and, in some cases, car trunks overflow with kids books. After all, music and reading go together like, well, music and
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10 Reasons Why Music Belongs in Every Child’s Home

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In a Kindermusik Family Time class, we start each class by singing: “We’re a musical family so clap along and sing with me…” We ARE a musical family and we think every family should be a musical family, too! We believe that because of the way that music impacts children in profound ways, for now and for life, but it’s also because music can be a
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10 Reasons Why Music Belongs in Our Schools

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This year we celebrate a significant milestone:  30 years of Music in Our Schools month. Thirty years ago music in schools meant recorders and “Hot Cross Buns.” Now, it still means recorders and “Hot Cross Buns,” but it also means English Language Arts, Math Class, Social Studies, and more. Here’s why we should be celebrating Music in Our Schools today… and 300 years from
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