This month is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is not something we can see from the outside looking in and currently, there are far more questions than answers. The brain and how it works is mysterious and amazing. That raises another question: What are some ways to encourage brain development in all children? Here are some encore posts on young children, kindergarten readiness, and multiple intelligence.
Music-Smart:
Hum the tune for “Wheels on the Bus” and sing “Kindergarten Readiness is not too hard, not too hard, not too hard.
Kindergarten Readiness is not too hard, it’s really very easy.”
And it’s fun, too. To help your child with both kindergarten readiness and musical intelligence (one of 8 multiple intelligences) include some of these music-smart activities in your day:
- Sing songs; these can be ones that you remember, new ones that your child learns and teaches you, or ones that are j
ust made up using familiar tunes.
- Listen to music. Libraries have collections that you can borrow to increase variety and ease budgets.
- There are often school bands or youth choirs performing at free events in the communities.
- Put on some music and dance. (This helps to make housework much more enjoyable for both of you.)
- Create some
noisy, I mean musical, instruments to add to the music toys in the toybox.
- Let your child drum away on the pots and pans or shake something in a can.
My friend Craig Duswalt, who was personal manager for Axl Rose and toured with Guns n’ Roses, advises adults to listen to music to increase their creativity and effectiveness in business, so for children…. Umm, maybe that’s not such a positive story to include in a blog on activities for music-smart kids. A better one would be about Angela Crocker, author of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Social Network, who is also a director for Coastal Sound Music and a member of a choir herself. Her son loves music and singing and after kindergarten one day asked to listen to an older children’s choir practice. Like all children–and adults–Sean has areas that are strong and music is one of his strengths already at ayoung age.
You have heard this before, about each child’s unique strengths and challenges, but All children can benefit from brain stimulation through music. Baroque music in particular can prepare the brain for learning math. Is this tune stuck in your mind, Kindergarten Readiness is …? How will you encourage your child to be music-smart?