Wednesday, October 9, 2013

5 Reasons to Use Music in Head Start Programs

Although the poet Robert Frost was not a preschool, Parents as Teachers, or Head Start teacher, we think he could have been writing about what happens inside a early childhood classroom when he penned: “I’m not a teacher, but an awakener.”
Every day in Parents as Teachers and Head Start programs around the United States, preschool teachers awaken the potential in children. At Kindermusik International, we think—and the research supports it—that music can unlock this potential in all children, especially those most at risk.
Kindermusik Sing & Play, our brand-new curriculum for young toddlers can be used as part of a Parents as Teachers, Early Head Start, or Head Start curriculum to impact a young child’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual development and increase school readiness.

5 ways new Head Start curriculum, Sing & Play, enhances toddlers’ growth:

Sing & Play logoCreated for children between the ages of 12 and 24 months, each Sing & Play lesson includes an average of 11-13 activities with one or more of the following lesson components: gathering time, singing/vocalization, language development, instrument play, movement, pretend play, and greeting/closing rituals. Plus, each lesson features a specific focus, which is experienced, discussed, and discovered through music and movement. Participating children see gains in:
  1. Language and Literacy—phonological awareness, auditory discrimination, listening and attention skills, vocabulary development, oral skills, expressive language, verbal memory, and following directions.
  2. Pre-math—pattern awareness, sequencing development, spatial awareness.
  3. Social-Emotional—pretend play, sharing and taking turns, self-esteem, cooperative play.
  4. Music—steady beat competency, vocabulary development, ability to identify and express, rhythmic patterns, listening acuity.
  5. Physical—creative movement, rhythm and coordination, eye-hand coordination, fine- and gross-motor skills.

Parent involvement in early childhood development

It’s not only teachers who are “awakeners,” parents are, too. Sing & Play includes the tools and resources needed to boost parent involvement in early childhood education. Through Kindermusik@Home, parents receive access to the music from class as well as parenting tips and ideas on how to incorporate musical activities into their everyday routines and rituals.

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