Kids can learn and grow while having fun and learning new skills that they can share with the world through music and sing-alongs in preschool. All kids can make music, and many are excited about making their own songs and showing their artistic side by singing or playing instruments. Giving kids of all ages and skill levels a chance to explore their musical gifts at school and beyond can lead to a creative, confident generation who works well with others and does well in school and the workplace.
When kids are young, learning through music at day care in Garrett Park, MD, is a great way to learn important social and cognitive skills. By making a playground with musical features, you can help the kids in your area learn more about music beyond what they learn in school.
Music and sing-alongs in preschool have more benefits than just helping kids do better academically. Music and sing-alongs work to improve children’s intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and general literacy skills. As you may know, all of those things help prepare them for school. Music and sing-alongs help make the mind and body work better together. When listening to music when they are young, it helps them learn how things sound and what they mean. Dancing to music helps kids develop their movement skills and allows them to show others who they really are. Music doesn’t just help kids remember things; it also helps adults.
Music helps kids and adults grow as a person, but it also makes them happy. Don’t believe us? Just think about how good you feel driving down the street, singing along to your favorite song.
Child care in Garrett Park, MD, offers music with sounds that kids can say, listen to, and figure out. Music training works out the left side of the brain, which is also used to understand words. Children learn to understand and communicate through spoken language by listening and talking in settings with lots of music.
Music and sing-alongs in preschool are also linked to better phonological skills, which are recognizing, comparing, and using sounds in words. Even though music doesn’t directly teach language skills, it still affects how kids understand words and rhyme.
Kids can become more familiar with the different sounds that make up words by singing songs and doing listening activities. Since the beats and tones of spoken language are similar to those of music, kids can learn to recognize and express tone by starting to learn music at a young age.
Memory is a big part of how we learn. Formal music training, like learning to play an instrument or sing a song, helps people remember things, especially what they’ve read or heard. In fact, educational songs help kids remember what they’ve learned because they can connect what they’ve learned to songs they already know.
Even when kids read words or notes from sheet music, they still practice skills because they have to remember what actions make what sounds and how to read music properly to get the sounds they want. Musicians are also better able to use their ability to remember things to put new problems in the context of what they already know and come up with new answers.
People are the only ones who can use sensory information to make sense of it and predict what will happen next. Pattern recognition is important for simple social skills like speaking and recognizing familiar faces and for more complicated tasks like solving math problems. Kids can learn to spot and respond to patterns through music education. Rehearsing songs, learning musical scales, and even making their own songs is a fun way to repeat the same thing over and over.
Events that are part of music programs give kids a chance to show off their skills on stage. Kids feel better about themselves when they make and show off something they worked hard on and are proud of. Kids may even be able to get over stage fright if they have the chance to perform and learn how to turn their nerves into positive, creative energy.
Even when they’re not on stage, kids can build confidence in their skills by playing with their friends and showing teachers what they know. Kids who learn how to get over their stage fright and share their skills with courage can also feel better about themselves in other parts of their lives.
Learning songs is a good way to listen. When kids sing an action song like “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” they need to pay attention to the actions so they can do them. They also hear the words of the song or wait for the chorus so they can sing along. All of these help kids get better at listening, which is important for getting along in school and learning to read well. It also helps them pay attention longer.
Teaching kids different songs can be a great way to teach them about new things or ideas. For example, counting songs can help kids understand how numbers can go up or down in order. Songs, like water songs or animal songs, can be used to teach and share ideas that go with your preschool’s theme.
Music and sing-alongs in day care in Garrett Park, MD, can be helpful in many different ways and in many different situations. Think about how singing can calm hyperactive kids or help them fall asleep at night by singing them sleepy baby rhymes.
Music can also be used to make kids feel better and get them more involved and energetic, like when they sing a movement song. Want to get kids to clean up? Sing some songs about being good. Why not show them how to wash their hands right? Use a song about hand washing! As you can see, there’s a lot more to singing than just having fun.
MCCA has been recognized by the Maryland State Legislature for its commitment to Montgomery County issued a quality programs and special needs child care Proclamation in 2016 to MCCA for its commitment to Montgomery County child care for more than 50 years. MCCA was also selected as a 2018 nonprofit finalist for a MOXIE Award for boldness and innovation
MCCA is the oldest nonprofit licensed child care provider in Montgomery County and started its work in 1968 as a Community Action Project of the War on Poverty. Recognizing the need for quality child care programs in their neighborhoods, a group of local activists formed an association to establish centers in Montgomery County that would serve a diverse population and establish high standards for child care. Now, more than 50 years later, MCCA’s dedicated and expertly trained staff continue their tradition of providing high quality child care and play-based education for children.
Families with school aged children who can afford their child care expenses during the school year often struggle to afford the all-day programs they need when school is out for the summer. The Richard Krampf Summer Adventures Scholarship Fund was established to help provide children a safe and stimulating place to spend their weeks when school is out. Please contact an MCCA Director for details on how to apply.