Music Is A Language For Everyone In Zumbini
I am reminded how true this statement is every week in Zumbini. It doesn’t matter what language someone speaks to communicate, everyone can “speak” music. From the tiny babies with little verbal language to a fluent adult, everyone can communicate with music. When a dancing song comes on, you can see everyone start to “speak” with tapping their toes, bouncing up and down, clapping, or swaying their body. When we sit to sing, everyone can feel the rhythm from patting our legs, repeat basic words in the song, or copy the gestures we use along with the words. Music works through everyone. In any given week, I have families in…
6 Things I’m Afraid My Kid Will Do In Class
Afraid of what your little one will do in a group activity for the first time? Here are some of the top fears parents face when starting a new class and some comforting words of wisdom: 1. Lick the mirror Mirrors are like this magical portal that must be licked. Toddlers are developmentally egotistical, which means they love looking at themselves but are also super curious. What happens if I lick this fascinating material? What does it taste like? Will I then have two tongues? No worries, that’s why we have glass cleaner. Lick away, little explorer! 2. Cry Many kids cry at their first group experience, that’s completely normal!…
Socializing With Bini-Buddies! How Zumbini Fosters Social Growth
Smile! Coo! Chase! Share! Laugh!What does socializing look like for little ones? It looks like a good time 🙂 Whether you’re looking to find new friends for your child (or parent-friends!), you’ll start noticing how your little one develops their socialization skills in Zumbini®! First Encounters Think back to your first day of school or that time you went to a party when you didn’t know anyone. Remembering that feeling of, “Where do I go? What should I do now? Oh, where is someone that I know that I can cling to for a bit!” Young children have similar thoughts when they enter a new place. Some may take a few…
Drumming Through The Years
I’ve been lucky to see hundreds of kids grow and change in the past few years in Zumbini®, but my favorite person to observe long-term growth with my own little one. He has been drumming since the days he attended Zumbini® prenatally ( kicking in the belly!) One of my favorite parts of teaching Zumbini® is seeing the weekly growth as these children change so quickly. Sometimes their growth is in singing a new word, sometimes it’s a social skill like waving to a friend or a physical skill like jumping, and sometimes it’s a musical skill like drumming. Drumming and Infants Some parents have mentioned not wanting to bring…
Teaching With Breakfast Pizza!
Ok, if you’ve ready some previous posts I’m sure by now you’re probably wondering, “Does this family eat anything that isn’t pizza?” Yes, actually the only thing this kid typically eats for breakfast is porridge. (That’s right, not oatmeal, I said porridge like Goldilocks and the bears…) But today we were out of his typical favorite so when I asked what he wanted to eat, I had to honor his request for pizza with Breakfast Pizza! This was another super fun way to connect with him through a cooking activity we both love to share! He has become a pro at spreading sauce, shaking spices, and sprinkling cheese on our…
The Pizza Song & Topping Silliness! Learning In Zumbini®!
“I wanna Pizza! I wanna pizza! Spread the sauce! With some cheese!”If you have taken Zumbini® with me during the “Hili and The Dance” music collection, then you know the Pizza Song! One of our class favorites is a delicious song all about making pizza together. The kids love to move along while they sing about a yummy pizza they help to design. While we make the motions of mixing the dough by rolling our arms around and around or chop up the invisible toppings to be added on top, kids are learning so much by connecting their words to motions. The kids practice new vocabulary words while they sing…
