With older children ready to show the little ones how it’s done and the younger ones eager to learn, Family Time becomes a multi-layered learning environment. Your children will listen to instruments and to each other, learn from their peers and older children, and enjoy music and movement with hoops, scarves and tumble-around play. Story time and family jams, puppet play and happy singing—all the Family Time activities encourage discovery and exploration and foster sharing and social skills too. In this special place for musical, social and emotional learning, your children will strengthen their ties with each other and with you—and they’ll start developing the skills they’ll need in school and on the neighborhood playground.
Your children get exposure to the emotional and social skills they’ll need for starting school, or on the playground. It’s hard to find time for things you can all do together as a family, so that’s why Family Time is so special. You’ll see how music can help your family laugh and play together, learn from each other, and enjoy music together.
What’s so fun about Family Time:
Sing. When a child sings in the appropriate vocal range, toddlers and preschoolers begin to explore their voices and emerging pitch accuracy—but the benefits go beyond building strong singers. Singing develops memory and recall, lung and cardiovascular strength, as well as creativity, and socialization. Simply hearing those voices also helps a baby develop her own vocal skills.- Play. Musical instrument and prop-play throughout the semester builds strong finger muscles, and develops a sense of rhythm. Plus, hoops, scarves, and tumble-around activities develop coordination.
- Move. With growing coordination and interest in their peers, younger children will watch the older ones learn how to skip and gallop.
- Listen. Throughout the class, the children are listening to instruments, to each other, and to specially designed opportunities to focus in on developing critical listening skills.
- Story Time. When children listen to a story in a group, they watch the reactions of each other, helping to stimulate curiosity, expand knowledge, and develop a life-long love of reading.
- Family Jam. Everyone grabs and instrument and plays along with the music—helping children experiment with a variety of instruments and sounds.
