You have likely heard and read lately that children teach themselves through "PLAY". Play is a very hot topic in child development circles these days with articles coming out every week about how critical it is that children be given the opportunity to play in order to learn. Music Together teachers have a deep understanding of what it means to "play" and specifically to play with music.
Play is the primary method young children use to learn and grow physically, emotionally, cognitively, socially, and morally. And when they play with music, they can also learn the complex skills of singing in tune and accurately expressing rhythm in their bodies. Therefore, one of the best ways that you can support your child's overall learning is to offer them a lot of opportunities to play freely in a Music Together class!
Children are masters of play! They are wired for the exploration and experimentation necessary to figure things out. As parents and caregivers, it's enormously valuable to allow your child the freedom to "play" in music class at whatever stage they are at, without interfering too much and nudging them towards your own expectation of what play looks like :-) It's important to recognize that "play" doesn't always mean "fun" in the most obvious way.
Did you know that even when a child is sitting quietly and watching all the music making action in a class, they are in fact "playing"? A couple of the clinically recognized stages of play are called the "Unoccupied" and "Onlooker" stages where your child may be simply evaluating what they're seeing. Or, watching may be all they are capable of for now, based on their age, abilities & general disposition. Both are to be respected as valuable play! What a child absorbs during this type of play will become more obvious to us in the comfort of their home setting or later down the road when they've grown into some skills.
Does your older child like to stand while we sit or bounce while we rock? Do they tell the teacher how we should shake our eggs? Children often have their own ideas of how to play with a song or chant and we love to let them take the lead and go with their ideas! True Play is not about right and wrong ;-)
At Making Music Together we believe deeply in the benefits of "playing with music". If you have questions about your child's age and stage of play in our current classes please contact us at 416-833-1231 or speak with your teacher. If you haven't tried our classes yet and want to experience the joy please find us at www.makingmusictogether.com and schedule a Free Demo Class.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old...we grow old because we stop playing." George Bernard Shaw
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