Hickory, Dickory, Tickle, and Bounce
Hickory, Dickory Tickle, and
Bounce
Week 1
Dear Village Parent:
Hickory, dickory dock,
steady beat is needed to walk! And this steady beat, the underlying pulse in
music, is the focus of these first two weeks. An extremely important component
for your baby’s emerging skills, steady beat will continue to play a vital part
in her development throughout the coming years.
Most people, your baby included, have a strong
internal sense of pulse. It all begins in the womb, when you first heard your
mother’s heartbeat. As you listen to your beautiful At Home CD this week, hold your baby close to your heart, simply listen to the music, and move as you do so.
It will be your best practice session ever!
See you next week!
Hickory, Dickory, Tickle, and
Bounce
Week 2
Dear Village Parent:
Throughout Hickory Dickory, Tickle and Bounce, you
will learn various signs in American Sign Language. New research shows that even hearing children who learn sign
language know more words than children
who don’t know sign language. Typically babies are ready to respond to signs at
around 6-9six to nine months of age, but they may
be recognizing signs earlier than that.
As you go through your day, you may be surprised how
often you can incorporate the signs we’ve explored thus far: “Book,” “ Love,” “You,” “Where,” “Up,” and “Down.” Watch closely
and you may find that your baby creates new signs for things such as “all
done,” “milk,” “sleepy,” and others.
I look forward to learning
about all you’ve “said” to each other at our next class.
Hickory, Dickory Tickle and Bounce
Week 1
Hickory, dickory dock, steady beat is needed to
walk! During this week’s first class of Hickory Dickory, Tickle and Bounce, you and
your baby experienced steady beat practice in a number of musical ways, with
the help of traditional rhymes and tunes from many different cultures. Whether
this was your very first Kindermusik class, or just the first week of another
wonderful unit of Kindermusik Village, you will
find this outstanding variety of different musical sources in every class.
While we’ll explore many musical concepts throughout these eight weeks, the focus of
these first two will be on steady beat: the
underlying pulse found in music, movement and chant. Although you may be aware
of the importance of steady beat in music, steady beat is an extremely
important component of many other skills for your baby, and will continue to
play a vital part in her development throughout the coming years.
Beginning
with his hearing a heart beat throughout his months in the womb, your baby’s
experience with steady beat is constant. Most people, baby included,
have a strong internal sense of pulse. However, in order to walk with
confidence, eventually ride a bicycle, cut with scissors, dribble a basketball and more, baby will
need to learn to[mm1] modify his
sense of beat with the speed or tempo of an external sound or activity. The more
exposure he has to activities such as Heigh Ho Hello, Cackle
Cackle, Come Along and Dance, and the Tailor and
the Mouse, the better his sense of steady beat will be. If
you have concerns about your own steady beat ability, it’s never too late too
improve! As you listen to your beautiful home CD this week,
allow yourself to hold your baby, simply listen to the music, and move as you
do so. It will be your best practice session ever!
See you next week![mm2]
Week 2
Are there times throughout your day with baby that
you wish she could tell you what she wants and needs? She may be able to tell
you more than you think. Throughout Hickory Dickory, Tickle and Bounce, you will
learn various signs in American Sign Language which you can incorporate into
your routines. While Village is not intended to be a venue
for you to learn to sign fluently, it will give you a place to start, and an
opportunity for baby to learn some independent communication. We now know that
infants are capable of communicating before they may be physically ready to
speak. Use of ASL helps facilitate that communication. Typically
babies are ready to respond to signs at around 6-9 months of age, but they may
be recognizing them earlier than that.
As you go
through your day you may be surprised how often you can incorporate the signs
we’ve explored thus far: “Book,” “ Love,” “You,” “Where,” “Up” and “Down.” They could be
used during mealtimes, bath time, or exploring books before sleep. Remember
that ASL is one tool for non-verbal communication, but is certainly not the
only way to sign with your baby. Watch him closely and you may find that he creates
his own signs for such things as “all done,” “milk,” “sleepy” and others. Imagine
having a conversation with your infant tomorrow…sometimes all it takes is a new
way to define conversation! I look forward to learning
about all you’ve “said” to each other at our next class.