A child's toys just seem to multiply on their own, don't they?! In our family, we have made a conscious decision over the past few years to request alternate gifts from family members here and there, just to keep the number of toys in our house to a manageable quantity. And with our family of three being on a fairly limited budget, it allows us to give our son some experiences he couldn't otherwise have.
I have noticed this trend in the past couple of years with our Kindermusik program, as well. More and more grandparents are giving the gift of Kindermusik to their grandchildren for Christmas or birthdays. Instead of handing over just another toy to be added into the already-cluttered toy room, grandparents know that Kindermusik is a gift that will be enjoyed for a very long time. . .and it will make a positive impact on that child's development in so many ways! (And as a bonus, they can enjoy the fun right along with their grandchild!) I would estimate that at least 25% of our program's students are able to come to class because their grandparent gave it as a gift--wow! You may want to consider asking for a Kindermusik gift certificate this year, yourself.
Now back to those toys that keep multiplying. . .let me tell you what has worked for us!
Several months ago I discovered a system that has really helped our family keep the clutter down while keeping the toys fresh and interesting to our 3 year old. I got four large Sterilite storage tubs and grouped all of the toys into categories, such as cars & trucks, puppets/action figures, puzzles/games, Little People accessories, large play items, etc. (My husband took my son out for the afternoon so I could do this without "help"!) Then I divied the toys up into the four tubs, making sure to put two or three puzzles and at least one bigger truck into each tub. I chose one or two large toys (like a see-saw motorcycle, a Duplo wagon, etc.) to pair with each tub, as well. (Obviously those items wouldn't fit inside.) I kept certain things together in the same tub, such as his train set, his puppet show supplies, his Little People buildings, etc., as made sense. When I finished, I numbered each tub 1-4 and kept tub #1 out. The other 3 tubs went into storage downstairs.
After a week, he started losing interest in those toys, so we put them all back into tub #1 and got tub #2 out. Ronan played with the "new" toys enthusiastically for another week. Then out came tub #3. You get the idea. We have continued to do this toy rotation for about 3 months now, and he still is excited to see his "new" old toys each time they come out. I think having less of them to wade through all at once is also helpful to him--it's much less overwhelming.
This system is also helping us purge toys from the collection regularly (since there are always more coming in, it seems!). As we pack up a tub's contents at the end of the week, we can easily tell which toys were at the bottom of the pecking order. If he's not interested in playing with something anymore, it gets a free ride into the yard sale box!
So what tips would YOU offer for toy management?
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
And the Beat Goes On
Learning how to keep a steady beat is, I believe, the most basic element of musicianship. (It is also, for many people, an elusive skill!) In Kindermusik, a large number of our activities help to solidify this skill, whether it is the primary focus or a secondary benefit.
In Village classes, we help the babies internalize what a steady beat feels like by patting their legs, clapping their hands, helping them shake bells, or dancing purposefully with them. I love doing the chant, "DID-dle diddle DUM-pling, MY son JOHN..." while we exercise the babies' limbs or bounce them on each beat. And doing this with a cross-lateral movement (touching hand and opposite foot together) adds another level of benefits, as it helps train the two sides of the brain to work together.
Once little ones have internalized the steady beat, they are ready to begin to match an external sound source in Our Time. Toddlers hear the music on the CD player or the teacher's singing voice and move their legs and arms slowly when the music is slow and quickly when the music is fast. While most of them won't be able to tap a true steady beat along with the music at this age, they can probably identify whether the beats are fast or slow and then play their instrument or dance accordingly. We have a lot of fun using the sandblocks to swish and tap along to the song "Milk & Cookies", which has a nice strong beat!
Preschoolers in Imagine That! learn to listen intently so they can tap their sticks in time to the music. By this time, many of them have developed their sense of rhythm to the point where they can accurately match an external sound source. Preschoolers may not have the patience to clap the steady beat throughout an entire song on the radio, but they will probably delight in clapping or tapping during the chorus. I love working on this skill during our rain activities! Pit-ter pat-ter pit-ter pat-ter, I can hear the rain...
In Kindermusik for the Young Child, all of this development really begins to show! Not only can most children at this age match a steady beat, but they are beginning to produce that steady beat all on their own! We work on this from the first day of semester 1 when we sing, "I like to play the sticks." (tap tap tap tap) I like to play the sticks." (tap tap tap tap) Adding dynamics (how loudly or quietly we play) makes things even more fun--and challenging!
So why is it important to be able to keep a steady beat? Well, if you want your child to play an instrument or sing in a choir when he/she gets older, this skill is obviously crucial to their success. But what about those who don't think music lessons will be in the plan? The ability to keep a steady beat is important in learning to cut with scissors, dribble a basketball, pedal a bike, and even type well on a keyboard!
How will YOU help your child feel the beat this week?
In Village classes, we help the babies internalize what a steady beat feels like by patting their legs, clapping their hands, helping them shake bells, or dancing purposefully with them. I love doing the chant, "DID-dle diddle DUM-pling, MY son JOHN..." while we exercise the babies' limbs or bounce them on each beat. And doing this with a cross-lateral movement (touching hand and opposite foot together) adds another level of benefits, as it helps train the two sides of the brain to work together.
Once little ones have internalized the steady beat, they are ready to begin to match an external sound source in Our Time. Toddlers hear the music on the CD player or the teacher's singing voice and move their legs and arms slowly when the music is slow and quickly when the music is fast. While most of them won't be able to tap a true steady beat along with the music at this age, they can probably identify whether the beats are fast or slow and then play their instrument or dance accordingly. We have a lot of fun using the sandblocks to swish and tap along to the song "Milk & Cookies", which has a nice strong beat!
Preschoolers in Imagine That! learn to listen intently so they can tap their sticks in time to the music. By this time, many of them have developed their sense of rhythm to the point where they can accurately match an external sound source. Preschoolers may not have the patience to clap the steady beat throughout an entire song on the radio, but they will probably delight in clapping or tapping during the chorus. I love working on this skill during our rain activities! Pit-ter pat-ter pit-ter pat-ter, I can hear the rain...
In Kindermusik for the Young Child, all of this development really begins to show! Not only can most children at this age match a steady beat, but they are beginning to produce that steady beat all on their own! We work on this from the first day of semester 1 when we sing, "I like to play the sticks." (tap tap tap tap) I like to play the sticks." (tap tap tap tap) Adding dynamics (how loudly or quietly we play) makes things even more fun--and challenging!
So why is it important to be able to keep a steady beat? Well, if you want your child to play an instrument or sing in a choir when he/she gets older, this skill is obviously crucial to their success. But what about those who don't think music lessons will be in the plan? The ability to keep a steady beat is important in learning to cut with scissors, dribble a basketball, pedal a bike, and even type well on a keyboard!
How will YOU help your child feel the beat this week?
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