Music is Good for Your Brain!

Probably most of you would and there is a good reason for that. The young child learns best through experiences that are integrated and multi-sensory. This means elements are linked, overlapped and in many cases experienced simultaneously within an activity.

For young children, music and movement are almost synonymous. Movement is the primary way children interact with their world. Moving to music can help develop body awareness, spatial awareness, fine and gross motor skills, as well as cross-lateral coordination (crossing the midline of the body), and listening skills. Listening for specific sounds, responding to changes in tempo and volume, and listening for directions can help with developing focused listening and self-regulation skills.

There are many children that are more likely to imitate sounds or words when a “sing-song” voice is used. Music enhances vocal play and it is through vocal play that children learn to form vowels and consonants, say words and phrases, and imitate rhythm and vocal inflection. Music helps children gain a sense of cadence, tonality, and melodic contour while teaching them about breath support, turn-taking, and the body language of communication.

Musical Play

Kitchen Drum Kit: 

Materials- a selection of pans, pan lids, bowls, plastic pots, cups and spoons made of metal and wood, heavy string. Hang the pan lids on a heavy string that is tied between the cupboards doors- they make better noise that way. Put all of the pots and pans on the floor. Hand over the spoons to your child and let the exploration and the music begin.

Musical Movements

Musical Hide and Seek

This game will use your child’s ears are part of listening to music. Find a toy that plays music continuously. Turn on the music and hide the toy. Help your child to find the toy by using their ears.

Crafts

There are numerous instruments you can make from simple things you might have laying around your home.

Here are some examples:

Shakers made with rice filled plastic egg

Clapping Sticks made from paint stirrer sticks

Tambournine made from paper plate and bells

Jingle Bells made from popsicle sticks and bells

Mini-Maracas made from plastic spoons and plastic eggs

Strummer made on a flat surface with bobby pins

Kazoo made from toliet paper roll and wax paper

Xylophone made from cups filled with colored water

Drums made from tin cans and balloons

Music Suggestions

Peter Seeger with Rivertown Kids and Friends

Rock and Roll Playground

Aaron Nigel Smith “Everyone Loves to Dance”

Wiggle and Jiggle with Sticky Kids

Laurie Berkner Band

Singable Songs by Raffi

Cellabration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins

Dan Zanes and Friends – Catch That Train

Ziggy Marley – Family Time

Spring is a wonderful time when the world explodes with life and colors again! Here are some activities you can do with your kiddos to get them to start talking about colors.

Sensory Activities

Calming Bottle:

Materials – Plastic water bottle, preferably with smooth sides.

Remove label and clean. Fill with warm water and an entire bottle of glitter glue. Shake until glue mixes with water. Add vial of ultra-fine glitter. Color with food coloring. More clear gel glue can be added to make the glitter settle more slowly. Glue the lid on with superglue. Use this activity when your child needs to calm themselves. They shake the bottle then as the glitter slowly settles to the bottom of the bottle, your child may also be able to settle down. This can be effective as a timer during Time Out.

Sensory Balloons:

Materials – Sturdy balloons of different colors and various materials to stuff into the balloons: dry rice, sand, warm water, dry macaroni, play dough, oatmeal.

Use a large funnel to help with filling. Tie the balloon closed after filling it. Squeezing the filled balloons can be relaxing or exploratory and provide a hand strengthening activity also. Supervise your child while they play with the balloons to prevent them from biting into the balloon.

Shaker Eggs:

Materials- Clear plastic fillable eggs, colored electrical or duct tape to seal the eggs and material to fill the eggs. This could include: sand, rice, beads, buttons, coins, paper clips, etc.

By using a variety of materials, your child can listen to the differences the eggs make when shaken and feel the weight of the eggs. Now you’re ready to “shake your sillies out” to the music of your favorite silly song (see page 4 for suggestions). The eggs can also be used in family games such as ‘Hide the Egg’ then you and your child can take turns hiding and hunting for the eggs, collecting them in a bucket or bag. They can be counted or sorted by color, weight or filling material. Try using solid colored eggs and try to guess what is inside by the sound! Very egg-citing!

Arts & Crafts

Rock Bugs:

Materials- smooth rocks, paint, paint brush or q-tip.

Wash rocks and dry them. Cover the table or floor with newspaper. Acrylic paints or water-based paint will work. Use a paint brush or Q-Tip to paint your bug. Set the rocks on clean newspaper or wax paper to dry. A black marker or black paint can be used to add bug features when the bugs are dry.

Rainbow Pasta Jewelry:

Materials: Uncooked pasta, rubbing alcohol, food coloring, bowl, spoon,  string.

Uncooked pasta can be tinted in the same way as rice. Choose pasta in any shape with a hole through it so your children can string it into a necklace. Add a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol with food coloring and stir in the dry pasta until it is covered. You’ll also need to let the pasta dry before using it. Teach the kids the order of the colors in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Have them thread the tinted pasta onto strings in that order to represent the rainbow. Tie the ends of the string to create a necklace, or use small pasta shapes to make bracelets or anklets. Alternate activity: glue to cardboard.

Colorful Rain:

Materials: white paper, colored paper, cotton balls, glue stick or school glue.

Let your child tear colored paper into strips. Cut a cloud shape out of white paper. Help your child glue the strips of paper to the cloud. Add more glue on top and attach the clouds made of cotton balls. Suspend with a string or tape to the window.

Snack Time

Rainbow Jell-O:

Here is a fun snack for a large group. Make a variety of Jell-Os in different rainbow colors. In a clear glass, layer the different colors of Jell-O.

Rainbow Fruit Salad:

Make a rainbow fruit salad for your child. Add red and blue berries, small cantaloupe pieces, banana slices, green and purple grapes (cut in two).

Source image unavailable.

Spring Mud:

Chocolate pudding with gummy worms peeking out of the mud. Try adding crumbled cookies on top for extra texture and crunch.

LEGO^® Skill Builder Clubs are building daily. Small group “club” format led by OT and SLP. K-6th grade focus. Encouraging fine motor manipulation, social interaction & communication skill development.

Yoga for KIDS. Any age/ability. We supply the mats, you bring the smiles. Story-based routines introduce yoga concepts in a kid-friendly, enjoyable manner. Led by OT and/or PT. Teaching coordination, strength, & balance.

These camps are both being offered in a trial-sized week-long format with morning and early afternoon sessions available each day. Scheduling for the weeks of 6/11-6/15 and 7/16-20. Pick a week and select morning or afternoon session. Families can call our office directly to register or they can follow the “Refer My Child” link at www.childrenstherapyconnection.com to sign up.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss a specific child/situation, please feel free to email Karen Berty at kberty@childrenstherapyconnection.com

Outdoor Family Activities

Bird Nest Material Station

Together with your child, gather a variety of materials suitable for nest building such as non-metallic ribbon, dog hair, raffia, bits of string and yarn and small sticks. Stuff the nesting materials into an onion bag, potato sack or other mesh bag. Now tie the bag closed with a string, hang it in a tree and wait for the birds to accept your invitation to set up housekeeping in your yard.

Start a Garden

Kids love digging in the dirt! Visit your local greenhouse and buy some inexpensive flowers to pretty up your yard or plants you can watch grow and harvest later this summer. Kiddos love to watch it grow and pick it themselves. If you do not have space for large garden, consider planting a small container garden or a vertical garden

Splash Time

We normally have a lot of rain in the spring and we have already experienced this year. Enjoy spring rain showers –  put on your rain gear and head outside to play. See who can make the biggest splash in the puddles!

Spring Scavenger Hunt

This can be done at home, around your neighborhood or at a local park. Use the list here or make your own of things you might see in the spring outside. Bring a clipboard and writing utensil for you kiddos to check things off the list. For older kiddos, you could provide a disposable camera to take pictures of the items they found. If you run out of time to complete your hunt, just make it a multiple day hunt or over the course of the spring season. Keep adding new things, ask your kiddos what you should look for outside.

Our Favorite Spring Books

A Rainbow of My Own
Hide and Seek duck
Planting a Rainbow
Thumpity Thump Gets Dressed
Mouse’s First Spring
Let it Rain

Songs & Poems

Lady Bug, Lady Bug by Jean Warren

Lady bug, lady bug, crawl, crawl, crawl.
Lady bug, lady bug, on the wall.
Lady bug, lady bug, look out don’t fall!

Pretty Rainbow by Jean Warren

Rainbow, rainbow in the sky, Pretty colors up so high.
Oh, I wish that it would stay. Bringing color every day.

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Head, shoulders, knees and toes.
Knees and toes!
Head, shoulders, knees and toes.
Knees and toes!
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, reach up high.
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Touch the sky!

Teddy bear, teddy bear, Find your nose!
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Touch you toes!
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Touch your knees!
Teddy bear, teddy bear, Sit down please!

Hungry Caterpillar

I’m a very hungry caterpillar crawling around eating everything in sight that can be found.
I’m weaving a cocoon on a good size twig and I’m starting to get real big.
I’m eating so much you can hear me chew.
Chomp, chomp, chomp’s all I want to do so much that I just can’t stop.
I’m afraid that I might pop!

POP

I’m a butterfly flying about.
I’m beautiful, I want to twist and shout. HEY!
A butterfly, it’s a brand new day and I still hear my little friends say:
I’m a very hungry caterpillar crawling around eating everything in sight that can be found.
I’m weaving a cocoon on a good size twig and I’m starting to get real big.
I’m eating so much you can hear me chew.
Chomp, chomp, chomp’s all I want to do so much that I just can’t stop.
I’m afraid that I might pop!

Letters to Santa

Macy‘s Department Store is partnering with Make a Wish in collecting Letters for Santa. Every letter that is collected by December 24th, generated a $1.00 donation to the Make a Wish Foundation, up to one million dollars.  In the month of December, the kids at Children’s Therapy Connection wrote over 200 letters for Santa!!!

Gingerbread Village

This year our clinic-wide holiday activity was making gingerbread houses. We invited all of our kiddos who come to the clinic to participate in making their very own gingerbread house and becoming part of our CTC Gingerbread Village. The kids did a great job and were very proud of their results!

Click here to see individual photos.

What are your favorite holiday activities?

What fun holiday activities have you done with your family this year? Have you developed any new traditions? Check out our previous blog post with a list of some activities that are “Snow” Much Fun for you to do with your kiddos.