Late last year I read an article that continues to stick with me.
A surgery professor in London noticed a trend in his students over the last decade: a decrease in their fine motor skills.
With the refinement and widespread use of technology, people are spending more time playing games on their phones, watching tv, scrolling through social media, and less time writing by hand, building things by hand, and basically doing anything by hand.
This is part three of a series on promoting literacy in the infant/toddler – preschool years. You can find part one here and part two here.
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
– Emilie Buchwald
No pressure, right?
Have no fear! It’s actually easier than you think.
I’ve written before about content related things to consider when you’re buying books for your little one’s personal library. It might seem obvious to some of you more seasoned mamas and papas, but if there was only one thing you could remember about book buying, I would tell you to choose books with intention!
(Check out this post for more on book content!)
Every literacy related thing you do with your kiddos should reflect their abilities. Kids need different things at different ages.
Here are some age specific tips to keep in mind.
I love music. Like, LOVE music.
My mom was in high school band and sang in our church choir. My sister was in band and choir and became an elementary music teacher. My dad’s favorite pastime is driving down the road, his outstretched arm cutting through the warm summer air, belting out the classics and drumming on the steering wheel. Most family gatherings with my aunts, uncles, and cousins involve hymn singing in perfect four part harmony. I was in marching and concert band, sang in my church choir, play guitar, played bass and sang backup vocals in an early 2000s punk cover band with my best friends. Some of my most vivid memories have something to do with music.
I recently spent two weeks with my 14 month old niece and just like the rest of our family, she is a music fanatic. The second music comes on or someone starts singing, she immediately drops everything she’s doing to dance and clap. She’s a huge fan of funk, 70’s classics, really anything with an exceptionally good groove.
Music has an overwhelming power over the human brain. A moving melody can send a chill down your spine (a phenomenon called frisson — with all my heart, I really really really hope you’ve experienced it). It can trigger memories, soothe infants, get you excited to exercise, make a dinner more romantic, calm you when you’re stressed, and help you focus.
But did you know that our earliest experiences with music help us develop more than just our musical ability? I could write a thousand posts about the benefits of music and still only scratch the surface, but for today, here are just a few ways music molds minds. Continue reading
Living Arrows 