Using Music as a Teaching Tool for Toddlers
By: Claudia Navarro
If you ever doubt that music is an extremely effective learning tool, just ask another adult to sing you their ABC’s. Most of us can do it without a second thought. Even people who aren’t parents or teachers and haven’t sung or even heard the song in years.
I’ve been singing to my daughter Valentina since before she was born. And now that I am expecting my second child, Valentina and I sing to her together. I hope she will grow up enjoying music as much as her sister and I.
Music is a great tool for not only learning new lessons and information, but also remembering them (LINK: https://www.edutopia.org/music-develop-social-emotional-character). It’s easy to believe a lesson learned from a song will stay with your child longer than one they hear spoken. Just think of all the times you’ve gotten a song stuck in your head and ended up singing it all day.
Both the appeal and the drawback to music is the way it can get stuck in your head. Although I love music, there are a lot of children’s songs that I would definitely prefer not hearing ten times each day, or ten thousand times, depending on how often Valentina replays it. Wheels on the Bus, anyone?
And it seems like every musical toy and app plays the same old songs. Many of which have been around since I was a kid. I guess that may make them classics, but I would prefer to hear something new once in awhile. This is one of the main reasons we created the Monty Monkey and Friends app (LINK: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/monty-monkey-friends-nursery/id1134251217?mt=8) .
The songs in the app are all original. Each of the songs include: positive messages and simple life lessons such as saying please and thank you, sharing with your friends and picking up your toys. There are also free drawing sheets, coloring pages, and puzzles for creative and cognitive developmental activities.
We consulted with well-respected educators and child psychologists for countless hours, figuring out what our app should be. We wanted to give the most educational benefits to kids while also allowing their parents to feel safe opening the app for their child without having to hover right over their shoulder watching for pop-up ads.
Although I never envisioned myself becoming an app designer, it goes to show what amazing things a desperate mom can be inspired to create. The truth is, I simply love music and want to share that feeling of joy with Valentina. Music is a fun and easy way to learn and remember important learning blocks. When you incorporate music into play time you’re engaging the brain in language learning as well as physical and motor skill development. It’s multi-tasking at it’s most fun.
Are there songs or music related activities you enjoy sharing with your children? I would love to learn additional ways we can incorporate and enjoy music in our day to day activities.
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/monty-monkey-friends-nursery/id1134251217?mt=8
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/montymonkeyandfriends
Tumblr: http://montymonkeyandfriends.tumblr.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0wHcVnhYURN4ZVpRcR1bw
