Music Workshop

Music is a healthy way for children to express themselves while emphasizing math, patterning, and language skills. Follow these simple ideas to foster your child's musical development:

Make homemade instruments.
Help your children explore sound by making homemade instruments out of items you would normally discard, such as rubber bands or boxes. Visit the Clifford or Between the Lions websites for ideas and instructions.

Read books based on children's songs.
We recommend The Wheels on the Bus, If Your Happy and You Know it, or The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Have your child point to the words as you sing the song together.

Practice tapping a steady beat.
Research shows there may be a connection between literacy development and the ability to keep a steady beat. Have your child clap the beat or pretend to drum along to songs on their favorite Vegas PBS programs. Visit the Cyberchase website to create and playback your own patterns.

Make up silly songs.
Sing about family members, pets, or routines. Creating songs with rhymes allows children to play with language while building vocabulary. Base the tunes on familiar songs, such as Row Row Row Your Boat. Practice activities are available on the Dragon Tales website.