Many parents first consider Kindermusik because of the developmental and educational benefits to their child.   It didn’t take me long to realize Kindermusik would offer so many parenting solutions as each of my children go through “challenging stages”

Having graduated in Music Therapy, I knew a lot about how music influences behaviors and development.  When we discovered Kindermusik, I was interested to see how they would put it together.  My son was around 18 months old at the time, and was a bit of a wild child..  umhumm…  I mean “active explorer of his environment”  (which is what most children that age should be!)  But it was difficult as a parent to keep up with him and get him to stop when needed.  Come to find out, we needed to work on his inhibitory control, as do most children.

In our first Kindermusik classes we enjoyed some full body movements, marching, jumping, tiptoe-ing, etc to a song which required us to STOP at the end of each verse.  My son would not even stay down on the ground and insisted I hold him.  But he liked it, and thought it was funny when I stopped !    At home, we would listen to the music, and when that song came on, he would pull me to do it with him, and we had fun going and stopping.  On our daily walks, we enjoyed repeating this again and again.  And I noticed over time that he was really gaining more control over his ability to STOP, both as part of the game, as well as when I asked him to STOP, and at every road crossing, and when a friend would ask him to STOP.

WOW, it hit me… Kindermusik helped give me a process to teach my child in a fun way.

Many of the families have commented that their child is far more likely to enjoy putting their things away using our fun little song… it IS Magic, I swear!   One of my most impressionable moments is when one mom started crying in class, when her son, for the first time, started to put things away… just like all the other children were doing.  It was not something he had ever done, even at home.

Kindermusik helps to make parenting a little bit easier through in-class tips, child development insights and activities in our weekly emails, not to mention the community of other parents and caregivers who attend class together.

Over the last 12 years, I have found it heartwarming to see people get connected through a Kindermusik class, discussing parenting issues and ideas, cheering for each other’s accomplishments, and offering support to each other during the hard times.  It is wonderful to see how many of these connections turn into lifelong friendships.

 

Understanding child development just a little more can help us as parents understand what is normal for children, and share ideas for how to get through these challenging stages.  There are many articles on this website that address these parenting dilemmas, such as:

Vestibular Needs are Different for Each Child

Potty Training Success with Kindermusik

Revisiting Potty Training Techniques with Music

Inhibitory Control

I will keep adding to this list as I review my past articles, and add more… so check back frequently.

We invite you also to join in the conversation yourself online.   See how other parents use Kindermusik to help with potty training, toddler tantrums, getting a preschooler out of bed in the morning, and more by connecting with our Kindermusik community online:

–  LOCALLY (See links on right),

–  and even INTERNATIONALLY.

 

Kindermusik International:

Kindermusik really is an international community, including at least 60 different countries, with some of the largest programs in Canada, Australia, South Africa, and China.  And yes, I brought it here to Lakeland 12 years ago.

 

I LOVE the consistency that educators around the world are teaching the same unit of each program around the same time.  For example, this spring, the Our Time program for toddlers features the “Away We Go” unit… everywhere across the globe.  We share our ideas to create a truly magical experience for you each week.  And we share our insights and our magical moments in our onine communities that you can enjoy as well.

 

I’ll be looking for your questions and comments online !

 

As a “musical” parent of a 16 year old son, and a 6 year old daughter, I can relate to a LOT of issues.  You may find my responses insightful, or at least amusing, and it will be fun to hear the conversation that follows.