Kindermusik

Grace and I are working on her motor and cognitive development as well as her social and pre-literacy skills. (Yeah, I know, that is what happens when you have an educator as a mom!) Basically all that means is we are playing all the time and going out every day to experience new things!

I am taking advantage of the "stay-at-home-mom" thing by taking her to Story Time at at our local library. We are also going to Kindermusik classes together on Wednesday nights. Last week, I wasn't so sure how Grace felt about it. She is cautious around new people and spent the 45-minute class watching carefully, but not really participating. When the teacher, Miss Terri, gave her different instruments she put them in her mouth but didn't "explore" the sounds they made. I felt like she was at a disadvantage because she doesn't crawl or walk yet and the other kids were running around the room. All she could do was watch and rely on me for movement.

This week, however, was totally different. Grace seemed more independent and willing to participate in her own way. She bounced to the beat, shook the bells, smiled, and made tons of sounds. I could tell she was really enjoying the class! Miss Terri is really good at recognizing where the students are developmentally and tailoring her instruction and activities to them. She gives many different options for each song and movement we are doing. The class we are taking is part of the Village series for newborns through 1 1/2 years old. There are four kids and their moms in the class - Lincoln (1 year old), Isabella (15 months old), Sophie (6 months old - She wasn't there last week), and Grace. The Kindermusik web site describes this stage as: "Kindermusik Village incorporates the most current research on early childhood development and provides families a special place for learning and connecting with other parents and babies through music and movement. "

So far, we are having fun playing, singing, and moving to the music together!