"Make-It-A-Song Monday" Simple Games

Well, on rainy/indoor days, it's good to have little games to do when your little cuties need some one-on-one time.  Today, we were doing a simple hide-the-marble game for baby M (only it was a marshmallow... then a grape, since he didn't care for the marshmallow).

So, when doing simple activities, it's usually a great opportunity to make a simple song to accompany it. Again, children are naturally drawn to melody.  After just hearing words all day, it's a refreshing change for your tot to hear something musical out of your mouth. :-)

A super simple way to make a singable melody for young ones is to only use 2 notes.  Two simple notes to use with younger kids are the same that you sing in the tune, "Rain, rain Go away;" or in the typical doorbell ring in your house (if you sing "Ding, Dong" you'll have the notes! Or, if you happen to be in western New York sing,"Let's Go, Buffalo").

Those two notes (called a minor third)  are both appealing to young children and are easily singable for their little voices.

So, we gathered some materials:
3 cups, some treats and a few kids. :-)

Sing along as you hide a treat under a cup and move the cups around:
"Peek a Boo, where are you? Here I come to find you..."  or something similar.

Sing while or until they start picking up cups. When your little one finds the treat, rejoice! And let them eat it and try again and again (depending on your treat, as I'm sure 20 marshmallows might not be so great....).

What other simple games do you play with your little one/s? Consider adding a simple song to the game to add a musical component and get more music in your day!

And... just to get you smiling, go check out this adorable video clip I found on YouTube. No idea how well the Hyland's Baby product works, but I just might go get some because of their awesome, rhythmic ad! :-)

Go Here!

Enjoy! :-)

Halloween Syllable Clapping

There are many ways to teach children the natural rhythm all around them. One of these ways is to engage them in thinking about the rhythm in words.
When you break down words by syllables, it's easy to create a rhythm activity geared to the interests of your child.

Our guys are into all things spooky and Halloween-y currently, so my music-nerd mind thought "Bingo!!" - it's another opportunity to practice rhythm while having a Halloween activity (love those two-fer's).

So, this one needs a little bit of prep.
Your materials are:  construction paper, print-outs of Halloween (or fall-themed) pictures, coloring or painting supplies, scissors and glue.
Oh yeah, and one or two (or more!) adorable children.

To find images, do a search for whatever Halloween or Autumn pics you'd like by looking for coloring pages. Those are usually large enough and are usually free to print. Look for ones with nice, solid lines.

These are the ones we looked for:
3 syllables: skeleton
2 syllables: pumpkin
1 syllable: ghost (actually we called the ghost Boo! because both boys love to say that word whenever possible right now)  and bat.

If you don't want Halloween images, you can search for seasonal things like candy apple, pumpkin, scarecrow, candy corn, apple, leaf, etc...

1. Gather your pictures on your computer, adjust sizes, print and cut them out.

   2. Have child color or paint pictures. I printed mine on cardstock thinking they'd want to paint them, but they got a hold of these pictures before I knew it and started using markers. Whatever!

 3. Go over the name for each item and clap by syllables as you name them to get the child into hearing the rhythm of each word.

4. Tell child to arrange 3 in a row and clap the names in rhythm. It's helpful to point along as they go. Alternate this with clapping along also. Some may need one more than another.

5. Have child rearrange and clap as many times as their interest holds. Mom/Dad can help them to incorporate words with different patterns so there's a good mix.

These pics are blurry because K was jumping around back and forth doing his clapping, which I thought was hilarious. You can see my finger trying to keep him on track as he flies back and forth.

 6. Before they're spent, have the child arrange all the pics on the page, glue them on and then make a story about the pictures, and encourage them to clap along for the special Halloween words as they go. You can use your rhyming agility to make the stories rhyme if possible to continue in the musical component if you'd like.

 For example, J's story was something like.... "Along came Boo who saw skeleton too, and said "howdy Do!" Look, let's go scare pumpkin one and pumpkin two!" Not the most fluid, but it was something like that...

Proudly display their fine work and then go get a Halloween treat. :-)

"P" for Piano

We're talking about letter "P" things this week around here (especially pumpkins, of course). So this little activity fit in perfectly and is oh-so-simple.

You'll need some construction paper, scissors, glue, and a print-off of some piano keys.
To do this print-off, do a google image search for free piano key clip art. Copy and paste that picture into a Word/Google document and adjust the size accordingly. Copy and paste it across each line. One full page should be plenty for one child. I used 1 1/2 pages for my two.

Cut the piano keys out into long and small strips.

Next, cut out a big letter P. You can cut it out for younger kiddos, or let your older, more scissor-savvy ones do it on their own. We chose "pink" for letter P too, although you won't see any pink anywhere else in our house...

From here, they could do it on their own, really. But, I was the photographer, so I stayed around.

Have child line the P with glue from glue stick and paste the piano keys around, using the smaller ones for the curve in the P.

Affix onto a backdrop if you'd like and hang proudly in your home!

....or just act silly when mommy asks you to hold it up....

A good idea also is to have some piano music playing while this project is being worked on. You can look on itunes or YouTube, Pandora, etc.
Some recommendations: Mozart Piano Sonatas, Chopin Waltzes, Beethoven Piano Concertos or Sonatas.

Have fun!

Songs about Fire Trucks

It's big. It's loud. All kids are amazed by it...
It's a fire truck! And they are fun to sing about, too.

Here are two of our favorite fire truck songs which you can catch my kiddos singing at any random time around the house, and they may be fun to add to your home too.

"I Want To Ride In a Fire Truck" by Ivan Ulz 

Fire truck,
Fire truck,
I wanna ride in a fire truck.  (repeat)

I'm gonna put on my jacket,
put on my boots,
put on my helmet,
then I'll slide down the pole (weeee!)
and get on to...... my........

Fire truck,  (hey!)
Fire truck,
I wanna ride in a fire truck.

There are all sorts of other verses, which you can learn as well -  Check this one out HERE!

You can also pick up this book online (Amazon.com, etc.) or check and see if your library has it.
We have fun making motions to go with each verse too.... Like putting on our fire helmet and boots, spraying the water, shouting, weeee!! as we "slide down the pole."


"Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Fire Truck" 

Hurry, hurry drive the fire truck,
hurry, hurry drive the fire truck,
hurry, hurry drive the fire truck,
ding, ding, ding ding ding!

Hurry, hurry, climb the ladder....
Hurry, hurry, spray the water...
Hurry, hurry, put the fire out....

We do a little different version of it, but here's a link to a little "Thomas the Tank Engine" video of it (which my boys love). Go HERE!

(This song also works well for helping to get your kids out the door... "Hurry, hurry put your sneakers on," etc...)

Here are some of our favorite fire truck / fire fighter books (check and see if your library has them if you haven't read them yet!):

"Fire Engines" by Anne Rockwell

"Firefighters A to Z" by Chris L. Demarest

"Fire Trucks in Action" publ. by Motorbooks

And, what better fun than to make your own fire truck so your little muchkin can sing while playing!
Check out this post from one of my favorite blogs.

Have fun!

Signs of Readiness for Piano

Well, part two of my "piano for young'uns" post (I just made that title up, but it's this one.) is a list of a few signs of readiness for embarking on the study of piano.

So, if you are thinking whether or not your dear little darling should start tickling the ivories yet, here are a few things to think about.


1. Start when your child has the time to devote to learning something new.

• A lot of parents have their child start too many things at the same time. For example, "OK, Jimmy, this fall, you'll start soccer, piano, karate and art class." 
• It's fine to do a few different things as the child is able, but if you do start something important like piano, make sure it has the time needed for building a good foundation before other things get added on. 

2. Start when your child shows some musical understanding. 

• This could be any age from 4-8, but look for their ability to sing a melody and show some rhythmic capacity. These little years are chock full of musical aptitude, so when it starts to naturally come out of your child, consider putting some of his/her enthusiasm into learning piano. 

3. Start when the child has an idea of their ABC's

• The child does not have to know all of their alphabet, but a basic knowledge of letters is helpful for memorizing the alphabetical note names on the piano. 

4. Start when they can focus on a task and complete it on their own.

• The younger the child, the more parental involvement is needed to aid in learning. 
• It is a lot of fun to start a young child on piano. Just know that you will need to be more involved the younger they are with assisting them at the piano bench in how to play and how to practice. Be prepared to help them along until their skill level reaches the point where they can complete assignments on their own. 
• Parental involvement continues throughout a child's learning. Just like you would encourage your child to practice their shooting skills for soccer, they'll need your help to practice efficiently. It's a great opportunity to be involved in their learning. 

Two more thoughts - 

When you have your child start lessons, please decide that you will be involved too. No one likes to be ordered into a practice room. Be interested, be involved, have them perform for the family. Be a great encourager and help shape their attitude as they go. 

If at all possible, do not start lessons with just an electric keyboard at home.

   A child is not motivated to practice on a keyboard. There might be a little motivation at first, but it       

will soon fade because that little keyboard is just not that inspiring. Thanks to craigslist, there are  

any number of used pianos you can come by (most of them for free if you can come pick it up). Get 

a piano-sized keyboard if you must. But, better yet - get the real thing.   

Enjoy the journey of seeing your child's imaginative and creative abilities come out as they grow in their natural musical ability and affection. 

Make-It-Song-Monday: Bath Time!

This post is dedicated to Lisa Judson - a dear lady we crossed paths with for a few years.
When I was pregnant with baby K, one of the things this kind friend shared with me was that they do something silly at bath time called "cold, cold baby" and her kids love it. The details are foggy, but this brief little conversation inspired the now infamous song we sing as we get the boys out of the bath.

These are the words we use. Pretty difficult. Are you ready?

Cold cold baby,
a cold, cold baby
Cold, cold, baby, baby,
cold, cold baby!


(Deep, huh?)

Bath time is a great time for a simple little song like this. After your precious little bundle gets out of the bath, they usually enjoy being snuggled in a warm towel (although mine sometimes prefer running around the house a few times before coming back for the towel and "cold, cold baby").

We just made up our own little bouncing melody for the above words. When we get each boy wrapped up, we start bouncing him around and singing "cold, cold baby..." The older they are, the more exciting the bouncing, etc. They love it and ask for it every time bath is done.


A few simple melodies that might work well for forming your own song are: "Twinkle, Twinkle" or "All Through the Night" or "Here We Go 'Round the Mullberry Bush" or "Skip To My Lou."

To "Skip To My Lou" - "Bath time's done so what do we do? (x3)
snuggle in a big warm towel."

to: "Here We Go 'Round..."
"Wash your face and ears and hair, scrub up here, scrub down there,
wash your chin and fingers and toes, then we'll be all clean!"

You can make up your own words, or just improvise something simple that comes to your head.... or use "cold, cold baby!"

This would also be a great opportunity to use Sandra Boynton's "Snuggle Puppy" song for! I think "Skinamarinky-dink-y-dink" would also work well too! I know you've been dying for somewhere to use THAT song. :-)

These are just some ideas to get you thinking about more ways to incorporate music into your day. Kids will have fond remembrances of these little tunes as they learn them and associate them with sweet times in their home life.

What did you make into a song today?

Thoughts About Piano Lessons....

Since I'm a piano teacher, I am often asked, "when..." or "why should my child start piano lessons?"

So, here are a few thoughts for the parents of little or big kiddos (or anyone, really) who are thinking about undertaking the joys and challenges of learning the piano.


1. Piano is probably the most important instrument for a child in western civilization to learn.

2. No other instrument trains children in so many areas of musical activity - (reading in more than one clef, counting rhythm while playing, using hands and feet to play, learning alphabetical note names and finger numbers, being able to sing while playing, etc, etc.), yet is so playable at a young age.

3.  Piano is worthy of study because it in itself is a masterful instrument. But, if, after enthusiasm has faded a bit for some, another instrument is desired, having learned piano first is an incredible foundation  and allows the child to progress quickly in another instrument.

4. Other instruments that are popular like guitar and drums have merit, but are best introduced after the child has actually learned how to read music and keep time in piano study.

5.  There will be difficult days ahead (but don't fear!!). The enthusiasm  (which usually appears around ages 5-8), will fade and you will find yourself coaxing an uninterested child into doing their practicing. But, I can't tell you how many people I've heard say to me, "I wish my parents had made me keep going with piano when I wanted to quit."  We will have to coax our children in many worthwhile endeavors, and this should be one of them.

6. It is worth the monetary investment. Don't shy away from private teacher costs. If it presents a true hardship, some teachers will help work something out.

7. Don't be deterred if your child responds with, "Piano lessons?? I don't want to take piano lessons!" This happened just a few months ago as a mom was signing up her young son for lessons. I looked at him and said. "WHAT? Don't you know that the piano is the greatest, and mightiest of ALL the instruments? It's the LION of the instruments!" To which his eyes got huge and sparkly and he gave me a shy smile. :-)  Be firm and enthusiastic (and pray for a like-minded teacher!).

So, there are some thoughts as you ponder whether it's worth it. I'll give you 2 seconds to figure out what my opinion is.  :-)

Part two of this post will be about signs of readiness for starting lessons.


What were your experiences with piano?
What do you think about the importance of children learning to play?