Home » Music » Children's Music » Introducing Your Kids to Music

Introducing Your Kids to Music

© Jacqueline McMahon

Music can come in many different forms so including it in your children’s lives can be quite easy.

Very young children and their parents may attend classes such as Kindermusik http://www.kindermusik.com and a program called Music for Young Children http://www.myc.com. Participants are encouraged to sing, move, play musical games and even create sounds and rhythms on children’s musical instruments. Each child has a parent present to help facilitate the program to those of such a young age.

Dance classes for children often start as early as three years old and involve active participation in moving to different types of music. Beware of studios whose teachers are mere children themselves (ie: young teens), however, because teaching little ones of this tender age requires the skill and insight of a highly trained professional. Little children may be included in dance recitals that, if presented properly, can be a fun experience that helps develop confidence at an early age.

Today’s retailers boast a wide variety of stimuli for kids of all ages from videos to CD’s to interactive musical toys and books. Some products stem from children’s television programs and their familiarity makes them quite popular. Others encourage kids to sing along or introduce them to new repertoire to which they have not yet been exposed.

Television itself can be a wonderful tool through which to introduce your children to music and have them actively participate. Parents are encouraged to watch children’s television and choose programming they deem appropriate for their kids. Little ones continue to love Barney, the big purple dinosaur, as well as Sharon, Lois and Bram and other children’s entertainers. And don’t worry if you don’t have the latest cable channels. Public television stations carry a lot of quality children’s programming as do many local networks, however, don’t assume that because the program is categorized as a children’s show that every parent will approve of every show. Be selective and decide what it is that you want your child taking away from their viewing time.

One of the easiest activities to introduce kids to music is simply to sing with them. They love repetition so songs with a chorus, even if not familiar to them, will soon become a favorite. Parents don’t have to know all the latest songs – there are external sources such as CD’s and videos that contain these. Anything, as familiar as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and other such songs will get the job done. Remember the songs you knew and loved as a child? Well, your kids will love them too!