School Mornings with Music Can Reduce Stress

School mornings with MUSIC can enhance your daily routines, reducing stress, increasing joy, and promote better learning, whether virtual or on-site.

My most heartfelt wishes go out to your family for a fabulous 2020-21 school year. May we all stay safe and healthy, and be in an environment where we can THRIVE throughout this year. Some have already started, some start this week. Some will be in school buildings and some will be virtual. Regardless, there will be BIG Emotions. And school mornings are typically full of them with ALL ages… and have been for most families since the dawn of school.

Moods can often be testy when we are needing to be up earlier than we expect, or than we like, even for us grownups. Consider how you can use music in your morning routines from when a child is sleeping until the start of school to support your child’s emotional needs, as well as their physical and mental ones. Included are some ideas and resources to get you started.

Just a little before time to wake up, start playing some soothing music to wake up the ears to a pleasurable sound. Set up the next song so you can start rubbing their legs and arms and stretching them lovingly, even before they get out of bed. Of course, next should be some hoppin’ DANCE tunes to wake up their body’s response to music (hopefully). Then give them LOTS of really big hugs and sing a special little song that they recognize as PURE LOVE from you. Perhaps your love song is “You are My Sunshine” or “Mister Sun”. This stimulates production happy connecting hormones in their brain, a great start to the day.

From my experience, I do NOT advise barging through the door singing some DORKY good morning song. My mom would come in to our rooms and try to IRK us awake with this perky little ditty, “Good Morning to you, Good morning to you. We’re all in our places with bright shiny faces. Good Morning to you.” Seriously, my brother and I cringed at that song every time, and we discussed all kinds of nasty creative ways to get her to stop. I HAD to create a different song for my children. Maybe I’ll sing these for you sometime.

BONUS RESOURCE: You can find a great Playlist for your school mornings with music on the new Kindermusik APP that you can download for FREE on any type of phone or mobile device. You’ll find some GREAT songs for these enhancements in the LIBRARY section under the Kindermusik Rituals album. Yes, really… Go check it out! Kindermusik makes it easy to get started. These are the first three songs:

Welcome Starshine is a great initial song to play while they are still sleeping.

I Can Reach is a great way to rub and stretch their arms and legs while they are still in bed.

Mama Paquita is a delightful Calypso song sure to get your bodies moving.

Music can make even more your school morning routines more pleasant.

Row, Row Row your Boat can be adapted to Brush Brush Brush your Teeth…

Listen to Silly songs to make them laugh while eating breakfast. Who can be finished by the end of the third song? Check out the silly songs in the Kindermusik APP in the THEMES section under PLAYTIME, or FOOD.

Perhaps you can modify a favorite song to remember what they need to gather for their school day. Whether leaving for the day, or setting up for virtual, it is a process that can be made easier with a sequencing song, like adapting “The Wheels on the Bus”. Which of these will work, or can be modified for your child’s school day?

I’ve got my BAG with all my goods, all my goods, all my goods… I’m ready for school.
My headphones are here so I can hear… I’m ready for school.
A bottle of water for me to drink (3x)… I’m ready for school.
My socks and shoes are on my feet… I’m ready for school.
I’ve washed my hands and got my mask… I’m ready for school.

If you are driving to school to drop off, let your child listen and sing along to some of their favorite songs on the way to build up those happy good feelings. The Kindermusik APP is full of delightful options to choose from.

Does the school, or teacher have a specific “good morning” song that is a routine. It may be good to ask if they do, and sing that as you are in line for drop off, or connecting online. It can help make the transition to the day ahead of them.

Speaking of masks and music, it’s can be very helpful to have a song that supports how to put it on and the importance of keeping it on. This is an easy adaptation for you and your little ones to sing along with the tune from “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. While singing the first line, demonstrate puttin on your own mask, then let them don theirs on the next two lines… sing slow to match their skills. DANCE for the last two!

It’s time to put our masks on right,
Nice and snug, but not too tight.
Take one loop and place it here,
Then stretch across to the other ear.
Look at us! We’re all done!
Let’s keep them on and have some fun!

For children 3 and older, you will love the new song, “Your Mask, My Mask” which is included in the Kindermusik Rituals album on our APP.

Mask-wearing can be challenging for parents to implement, and children to maintain (let alone understand!). So, the Product Development Department at Kindermusik International created a brand new song to promote this safety guideline for our families and communities, and to demystify mask-wearing, which can initially feel scary or uncomfortable for some children. Additionally, the team emphasized how social-emotional connections remain strong between one another, even while wearing a mask.

“Your Mask, My Mask” explains exactly why masks are important and the many fun things children can do while wearing them.

I put on my mask, so I can play with my friends
I put on my mask, so that the fun never ends
I put on my mask, so I can stay healthy too
I put on my mask, because I care about you

Your mask, my mask
They keep us both safe
Your mask, my mask
We keep it in place
Wearing our masks, our eyes shine through
You can see me, and I can see you

When I wear my mask, I sing and play
When I wear my mask, I can dance all day
When I wear my mask, and you wear yours too
We can still be together and do what friends do

Your mask, my mask
They keep us both safe
Your mask, my mask
We keep it in place
Wearing our masks, our eyes shine through
You can see me, and I can see you
You can see me, and I can see you

May your school mornings with music be delightful for your family… well, at least a little better.

How do you make your school mornings work better for your family. Other families reading this want to know! Please share in the comments, or join our conversations on Facebook or Instagram.

If you want to nurture the musical nature of your child in their younger years, from infancy to 7 years old, and let the process of music impact your whole child’s development and infuse your daily family life with playfulness and connection, contact Ms. Debbie and let’s start a conversation to discover what is right for your family.