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