Music Time

A fun activity that we like to do about once a week these days is what we call "Music Time." Over the past three plus years, we have accumulated a full and rich playlist of children's songs...and it's still growing! We have also been blessed to have participated in wonderful programs like the local library's story time, our church's music program, and Kindermusik, which have given me the ideas for this time. It's a great activity for a rainy or snowy day that involves all ages.

So, here's how we do our music time. Feel free to take the idea and adapt it to your family! Again, none of these ideas are original...I have been taught all of these by others much more experienced than I!

1. Create a music time playlist. This takes a little time for creating and adjusting. I like to start our music time out slowly, then build the energy and then calm it back down at the end. To pick songs that match the mood, I use categories and pick one to three songs per category. Here's our current line-up...I'm sure songs you love will come to mind as you read through the list:

• A calm "welcome song" that communicates that it's time to begin.
• Shaking songs: we sit and shake our egg shakers, play our instruments, or clap to the beat. These songs are usually instrumental with a steady beat. These are great for lap time with babies...tap the rhythm on their legs.
• Movement songs: these songs either tell the kids which movements to do or we have movements that go with them. Our current favorites: "Father Abraham" and "Shake My Sillies Out"
• Basket song: the kids get in the basket. I only have one song for this category and I put it on repeat: "Row Row Row Your Boat"
• Dancing songs which we do around our kitchen island: songs that you can march to, twirl to, boogie to. These are good for picking up the kids and moving with them to the beat. Current favorites: "The B-I-B-L-E" and "Skinnamarink"
• Roll the ball songs: we roll the ball back and forth...that simple!
• Rocking songs: slow, soft songs when we sit together and rock back and forth. I use a German lullaby, "Schlaf, Kindchen, Schlaf" for this time.

2. Pick a time of day when all the kids can do it together.
3. Gather all musical instruments in the house (wooden spoons and pie pans qualify!).
4. Gather any other props: a laundry basket filled with a blanket, animals to dance with, etc. My girls love having a favorite stuffed animal for when I am holding Will. They are also a lot easier to push around in the basket!
5. Go for it!
6. End the time with a hug for each child.

A few things I love about our music time: it's a great time to practice listening to and following directions in a fun setting, it's a great way to teach new songs and reinforce ones they are learning, and it gives the kiddos a time of expressing themselves in a different way. And, on days we don't have 20-30 to all sit down together, we turn on the music, dance hard to one song and get back to whatever we're doing.

Shaking songs...

 Basket songs...

 Movement songs (with guest participants Kitty and Princess Teddy)...

 Dancing songs...