healthykids
This supports a child with little prior
experience with farm animals.
Your child will: Expand her vocabu-
lary and build understanding of how
KEEP KIDS SINGING
farm animals differ from pets or jungle
animals. Once a preschooler is speak-
COMFORT, PLAY, TEACH
ing in complete sentences, she is likely
to adore stories and will sit for longer
periods as you read to her.
by Jacqui debique
Songs like this one also can be
used to build social skills. For instance,
a group of young participants can take
turns in activities and discussions. As
they begin to experiment with sounds,
Comfort
words, word patterns, rhymes and
S
inging to
children helps
If you do this:
rhythms, they also build speaking,
promote their
Repeat the song several
listening and reading skills. Coming to
development, so go ahead
times, each time encour-
identify familiar sounds in the envi-
and give a “moo moo” here
aging the child to say the
ronment encourages development of
and a “moo moo” there; do the
name of a farm animal
thinking and problem-solving skills, as
hokey pokey and turn your-
that she knows and
well.
self around. When it comes to
make each animal’s
So, before you fade out, having
children’s songs, it turns out that
unique sound (e.g.,
decided that singing the chorus of a
this really is what it’s all about—
baa, cluck, oink,
favorite tune once again is one time
simple, silly lyrics that are fun to
quack, woof-woof
too many, remember, there’s more to
sing over and over again, with
or gobble).
the exercise than meets the E-I-E-I-O.
little more to them than that.
Parents and kids love singing
Your child will: Feel increas-
songs like Old MacDonald’s
ingly confident as you pay
Farm and acting out The Hokey
special attention to her when
Pokey together. Making mu-
singing this familiar song.
sic and movement a regular
Older babies, who are
part of our children’s lives
now using 10 to 20 words,
supports their growth in joyful
will proudly demonstrate what they
ways and brings beauty into their days.
know about animals and the sounds
According to the parenting and
they make.
child development experts at Invest
in Kids, Canada (InvestInKids.ca),
Play
a national charity aimed at helping
If you do this: Suggest different farm
parents improve their parenting skills,
animals that the child may be less
traditional classics sung routinely
familiar with. If he doesn’t know
with our kids can have tremendous
the animal’s sound, demonstrate the
benefits. Invest in Kids’ thorough,
sound for him, or he can invent one.
research-based approach to parenting
specifically aims to transform everyday
Your child will: Build his imagina-
parent-child routines and activities
tive skills as he tries to make these new
like singing favorite songs into teach-
sounds and pretends to be various farm
able moments that actively support a
animals. Toddlers are especially eager
child’s healthy social, emotional and
to try new things and love to pretend.
intellectual development. Its posi-
tive approach to “opening a world of
possibilities” is called Comfort, Play &
Teach
Teach. Here’s how, illustrated via Old
If you do this: Use a picture book
MacDonald’s Farm:
about farm animals or puppets to
make an activity visual and tactile.
Pr i n t e d o n re c y c l e d Pa P e r t o Pr o t e c t t h e en v i r o n m e n t
February 2010 11
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