MAYAMARYOSEP !!! the WHOLLY happy family: Kindermusik: Splash!

I first heard about Kindermusik when I was 6 months pregnant with Mia. I saw it on TV and got interested right away. But you know, being a 1^st time mom, I got so meticulous, I always worried and I was so picky with everything when it came to my daughter. I got off track and forgot about what I ‘planned’ to do for my baby.

Our good friend, Ingrid, reminded me about it when she spotted a licensed Kindermusik teacher near our community. She wanted to start her daughter, Ira, on a routine similar to school. She invited me to bring Mia for a demo class at Mindbuilders Offers Kindermusik.

I was more excited than Mia. I knew how the program worked and I really hoped Mia will like it too. It is a parent-child activity. Parents get to sing, dance, play and do all sorts of fun and educational stuff with their kids in class.

Psychologists, neuroscientists, and experts in early childhood development have demonstrated that music does more for children than bring them joy; it helps their brain cells make the connections needed for virtually every kind of intelligence. Kindermusik's curriculum is built on this research.

When young children are consistently engaged by music in an age-appropriate, socially accepting environment, they benefit at many levels:

They gain the phonological processing, spoken language, and comprehension skills that are the foundation of reading.
They build the spatial-temporal and reasoning skills required for math, science, and engineering.
They develop social and emotional skills that are essential for school readiness—like the ability to regulate their responses and relate to others in complex ways.

By moving and dancing to music and playing simple instruments, children improve their gross and fine motor skills. Activities that encourage freedom within a fun and friendly structure spark their creativity. And of course, they develop a lifelong love of music. (Kindermusik International, 2010)

Mia was 18 months old then, an age bordering between the Village and Our Time classes, so we attended 2 demos. The Village class required a lot of baby carrying; can’t do that. Mia’s heavy! The Our Time: Zoo Train program was perfect for me her.

Mia and Ira enjoyed riding the train called the Allee-Allee O!

And so, we were all aboard the Zoo Train with Mia’s Ate Ira. This was her introduction to the concept of structured learning, having classmates, going to a school and having a teacher. She loves it! She always tells me “Mom, go to school. I love school!”

on her way to Milk and Cookies class - her 2nd Kindermusik program

The school she loves gave her her 1^st victory. Mia won the Green Thumb Photo Contest with 86 likes (in Facebook). We planted monggo seeds in school while singing. This was the same plant that had to appear in the picture.

Mia's photo entry
❝i can plant the monggo seeds, just like this, just like this...❞

my little champion receiving her prizes:
a Kindermusik diaper bag, certificate and discount coupon

Since then, we’ve completed 3 Kindermusik Our Time programs: Zoo Train, Milk and Cookies, and Fiddle dee-dee.

Mia and Teacher Marah during the Fiddle dee-dee culminating activity

We’re now on our 4^thOur Time program called Splash.

Splash home kit includes as audio CD of the program's songs,
parent's guide and story book, and an inflatable ball

It started with artwork. She did the decorating all by herself.

she decorated her cup all by herself

My little girl showed relevant improvement after each program we completed. When she started, she was only mimicking whatever I would do. Last Saturday, she looked for her circle spot (their positions) and started out with a steady beat (by tapping on her thighs) all by herself. When it was time to form a big circle (which helps develop socialization skills), she grabbed the carousel cloth and made waves with the beat of the music.

while in the big circle, creating her little waves

The cups the kids decorated earlier were filled with cold juice drinks to refresh them from all the singing and dancing. Mia loves her cup. I am actually having difficulty disposing of it. She keeps on looking for it; “Where’s my juice cup?”

she was thrilled with the fact that she was drinking from a cup she decorated

Each class always ends with a goodbye song, just as it starts with a hello song. Then, the kids fall in line to get their stickers from Teacher Marah – their reward for participating in class. My polite little girl always falls in line. She patiently waits for her turn with an elongated neck, wanting to see what kind of sticker she will get. She told me after a class, “Mom, get sticker after the babies.”