Music and the Young ChildWritten by Sherry Frewerd - http://familyplayandlearn.com
Having operated a successful Family Child Care in my home for over 10 years, I have had many opportunities to introduce various aspects of Arts to young children. Being naturally musical myself, providing a musical curriculum to my kids was a simple and obvious way to enhance daily activities of my child care and my own children as well. Children respond to music at a very young age. Nearly everyone can remember their mother or grandmother singing nursery rhymes to them as little children. I have vivid memories of swinging outside and singing ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ as loudly as I could just to hear sound. With my own children I have always used music to calm and entertain them; singing softly to them in rocker or energetically leading them in finger-plays and sing-a-longs. However you may choose to do it, singing or playing music with children gives them a beginnings of music appreciation, not to mention special memories that are created. My son is a wild and wholly two-year-old, and greatly affected by his environment and sounds and sights he encounters. Getting out of control is very easy with this little boy, and it’s up to me to find ways of calming him down and quickly distracting him and hopefully changing his mood. Music affects a child’s mood, and quiet, comforting music can relax an anxious child. It’s amazing way my son reacts to his special CDs that he knows and enjoys. Often he’ll just stop what he is doing and I’ll see him stand and look toward stereo and just sway and sing to himself. Children will naturally relate movement with music giving them opportunity to explore their own creative expression. They love to act out movements to songs such as moving around room like different animals based on type of sounds they hear. They can explore how their bodies move and their physical coordination begins to grow and develop as a result.
| | Review of "Biscuit Storybook Collection"Written by Sherri Allen
Review of "Biscuit Storybook Collection" by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Pat SchoriesHarper Festival, January 2005 Hardcover, 192 pages ISBN: 0060759046 Recommended Ages: Baby - Preschool Review by Sherri Allen: How can children's book publisher HarperCollins improve Alyssa Satin Capucilli's Biscuit series? By offering 10 of Biscuit's most endearing stories in one book. That's exactly what they've done with "Biscuit Storybook Collection." Biscuit is a sweet-faced puppy you want to grab right out of pages and cuddle. He and little girl share simple joys of childhood, like getting ready for bed and having a picnic. They share excitement of adventures like being in a pet show and having a birthday party. They share ability to take things that don't turn out quite right and make them wonderful. The "Biscuit Storybook Collection" is perfect book to introduce a child to joys of reading. The large typeface, simple words and repetition make stories easy to read. The sweet plots and delightful illustrations by Pat Schories make stories a joy to read. The pictures are very gentle, with soft lines and colors, but are full of expression and activity. They are very effective at creating interest and encouraging beginning reader to keep going to find out what happens next.
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