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Month: September 2020

Easy Preschool Piano Lesson Game

Parents have an advantage in teaching their own child preschool piano, because parents can capitalize on moments when a preschool child is well rested and ready to play piano games. Children learn extremely well when they play games and most children love to play games with their parents. The concepts that are taught to preschoolers are very basic such as high and low sounds, long and short sounds, loud and soft sounds, etc. By playing games that cover these learning activities with their child, parents are laying a wonderful foundation for formal lessons when the child is older.

Parents Can Teach Preschool Piano?

Parents absolutely can teach piano to their preschooler, because they have many different kinds of resources at their fingertips these days. Videos, playing games, singing movement songs with instruments, baskets filled with amazing musical instruments for preschoolers, etc. and can easily teach a child a lot in 3-5 minutes. Formal lessons require long lessons that often wear a child out. When a preschooler is having a good day, he may enjoy piano games and activities for a long length of time. But when a child is not having a great day, no amount of pressure will gain the cooperation that is desired, even for a minute.

One of the reasons I created this blog was to help parents find resources for music making in the home. Teaching preschool piano is kind of like teaching your child to read. No one needs a degree in education to read books to a child. Most children learn to read by being read to and by practicing reading together with an adult. Music is the same. Parents can build a solid piano foundation that formal instruction can later refine by taking time to make music together, playing games together, and providing musical instruments and activities for preschool children to explore.

How Do I Know When My Child is Ready to Learn Piano?

I often have parents in my early childhood education class ask what is the best age for a child to begin the piano. My usual response… it depends. Preschoolers learn and grow socially very quickly, but because each child is so unique, it really does depend on the child.

  • Can the child sit still and concentrate on something for 4-5 minutes?
  • Do they enjoy working with others?
  • Do they listen?
  • Are they working on fine motor skills?
  • Are they interested in the piano?

These are all questions I ask a parent before we begin talking about preschool piano lessons. For some children, just waiting another 6 – 12 months can make all the difference in piano playingreadiness.

Preschool Piano Activities: Match Game

Piano Match Game is a beginning piano game that reinforces the position of the music alphabet on the piano keyboard. This game explores the geography:

  • Identify groups of 2 Black Keys
  • Identify groups of 3 Black Keys
  • Identify the alphabet letter locations within the groups of 2 and 3 black keys
  • match colors (or more advanced only match location.

Every child LOVES playing this game and they are especially motivated if you have some super cute tiny yous to play with. Lego people, hatchables, squinkees, or mini erasers are great! Check out the video below to see how easy it is to play this game with your preschooler. Add this game to your piano teaching resources by clicking HERE.

Now You Can Teach Preschool Piano to Your Child!

Kids love to play Piano Match Game and beg to play it over and over again. Join the many parents who are now teaching preschool piano at home with fun and engaging piano games!

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    Conclusion

    The most important thing to remember is that making music and playing the piano should be joyful. In teaching preschoolers, all the components of learning music and the piano must be broken down into their simplest parts. Teaching the child through games helps them learn about each part individually.

    For the preschool child, this might mean when he learns about loud sounds, he will stomp his feet and then play a stomping sound on the piano, or when he learns about soft sounds he may tiptoe around the room and then make a tip-toe sound at the piano. Moving the body helps a young child learn and will connect music making to things they already know. These simple parts of music making are accessible for every parent to teach.

    Every child loves music! I hope you will enjoy building your library of musical activities and resources for teaching your child preschool piano.

    What about Preschool Piano Lessons?

    I often have parents in my early childhood education class ask what is the best age for a child to begin the piano. My usual response… it depends. Preschoolers learn and grow socially very quickly, but because each child is so unique, it really does depend on the child. Can the child sit still and concentrate on something for 4-5 minutes? Do they enjoy working with others? Do they listen? Are they working on fine motor skills? These are all questions I ask a parent before we begin talking about preschool piano lessons. For some children, just waiting another 6 months can make all the difference in readiness.

    Can a 4 Year Old Learn Piano?

    Learning to play the piano requires the ability to think about many things at once. What is the note value – long or short? What is the pitch – low or high? Where is each note located on the piano? How should the note sound – soft or loud? It’s actually pretty amazing when you stop to think about how many thoughts need to happen simultaneously for music to happen. For very young learners this can be a challenge.

    Why Don’t Many Teachers Offer Preschool Piano Lessons?

    Teach your child preschool piano!  Every parent can play this preschool piano game, even if you never learned to play the piano yourself!

    Many 4 year olds are excited to play the piano. If you are fortunate to find a teacher who specializes in teaching preschool piano you are lucky. Many piano teachers are reluctant to teach preschool piano. Teachers desire filling their teaching schedule, but do not enjoy the extra work preschool piano lessons require. Preschoolers need to move, and they need to change activities at least every 4-5 minutes. This means teachers need to prep at least 6-10 activities/lesson to fill a 30 minute lesson. These extra activities, while fun, are not necessary in regular piano teaching to children over the age of 8.

    How Do I Teach My 4 Year Old Preschool Piano?

    Parents have an advantage in teaching their own child preschool piano. They can provide many creative, musical learning activities for their child which will prepare them for formal lessons when they are older. Children learn extremely well when they play games. There are many games parents can play with their child which will teach the child about the piano and reinforce musical concepts. Capturing moments when a preschool child is eager and ready to play is often the opportunity a formal teacher doesn’t get.

    Parents have an advantage in teaching preschool piano

    Cherie Norquay

    Parents have the opportunity to use a video, pick a game, sing movement songs with instruments, fill a basket with amazing musical instruments for preschoolers, etc. and can gently teach a child a lot in 3-5 minutes without the long lessons teachers require that often wear a child out. When a preschooler is having a good day, he may enjoy piano games and activities for a long length of time. But when a child is not having a great day, no amount of pressure will gain the cooperation that is desired.

    One of the reasons I created this blog was to help parents find resources for music making in the home. Teaching preschool piano is kind of like teaching your child to read. No one needs a degree in education to read books to a child. A child learns to read by being read to and reading together with an adult. Music is the same. Parents can build a solid piano foundation that formal instruction can later refine by taking time to make music together, playing games together, and providing musical instruments and activities for preschool children to explore.

    Preschool Piano Activities

    The first game I play with every piano student is the Piano Race Game. This game explores the geography of the piano. Children learn where the low and high sounds of the piano are. They learn the music alphabet and the groups of 2 black notes and 3 black notes are identified and counted on the piano. Every child LOVES playing this game and they are especially motivated if you have some super cute moving pieces (Lego men, tiny hatchables, or mini erasers are great!) Below there is an offer to get this game for FREE! I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to begin building a library of games and resources to help you to preschool piano to your child.

    Making music and playing the piano should be joyful!

    Cherie Norquay

    Conclusion

    The most important thing to remember is that making music and playing the piano should be joyful. Great piano instruction will break apart all the components of music and help a child learn about each part individually. For the preschool child, this might mean when he learns about loud sounds, he will stomp his feet and then play a stomping sound on the piano, or when he learns about soft sounds he may tiptoe around the room and then make a tip-toe sound at the piano. Moving the body helps a young child learn and will connect music making to things they already know. These simple parts of music making are accessible for every parent to teach. Every child loves music! I hope you will enjoy building your library of musical activities and resources for teaching your child preschool piano.

    race game preschool piano

    Join the Music Time Kid Community and get the Piano Race Game FREE!

    This is the first game I use with every new piano students and kids love to play it over and over!

    20 Musical Instruments for Preschoolers

    As an early childhood music instructor I select and use many different musical instruments for preschoolers. I look for instruments I do not think my students will have at home because I look for real instruments and not just toys. These toys would be perfect for a music basket that comes out occasionally when you need to keep your busy preschooler occupied for a while. Perfect for work-at-home or homeschool parents with preschoolers.

    This list of quality musical instruments are actual instruments I have actually purchased from Amazon. They have seen a years of heavy use by preschoolers and are still in amazing condition.

    Musical Instruments that Preschoolers Love

    Woven Double Jingle Caxixi Shaker – African Bottle Cap Rattle

    This rattle is perfect for little hands., because the woven handle is easy to hold onto. Bottle caps inside this rattle have a happy jingle sound.

    PlanToys Plan Preschool Clatter Music

    This toy is such a quality piece. Preschoolers can hold the handles easily and move their hands up and down to make the clatter sound. Besides playing this instrument children love exploring the rainbow of colors.

    Remo RH-2106-00 Rhythm Club Tambourine – Rhythm Kids, 6″

    Remo sells quality instruments! I have had several other tambourines that have broken within minutes of play. This tambourine has lasted four years in my early childhood music classes and still looks

    B. Parum Pum Pum Drum

    This set comes with a variety of colorful instruments that are perfect for young hands. Many of my toddlers loved marching with the drum as it has a strap which is removable (I’m not a fan of the strap for younger children). Great quality set.

    Remo Percussion 6″ Lollipop Drum

    I purchased THREE of these lollipop drums because I knew the children in my class would all want to play with it at the same time! Kids love marching around with this drum. The 6 inch size is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. Imaginative and of course Remo quality can’t be beat! HIGH RECOMMEND!

    Oball Rainstick Rattle

    This shaky rainstick ball is easy for tiny fingers to hold. This style of toy is one of the first toys babies can really do something with. The colors are great, the soft rain beads inside have a shaker sound to them. This is a nice quality instrument for babies and toddlers.

    Bright Starts Rattle and Roll Buggy

    The sound on this little car is very very soft, but kids just LOVE this toy. It is easy to grasp, shake, push. I highly recommend this car more because children love love to play with this car than for the musical quality of the car.

    Bells and Eggs value pack

    ""
    This is one of those iffy purchases that totally delighted me. Some items on Amazon are poorly made, but this set has lasted so well that I have purchased additional sets when needed for a Preschool Christmas Program. As in anything that has smaller-ish parts, please use your judgement as to what age this set is suited for.

    Battat Piccolo Carousel Bells

    This bell set is amazing. Every child loves playing with it. I love that the mallet has two different heads. One is softer and gives a softer bell sound, the other side is harder and makes a louder ringing sound. At this moment Amazon doesn’t have this exact model available. I am always hesitant to recommend different products I have not tested, so I will not leave a different link here. But you may be able to find a different brand carousel bells.

    24 inch Musical Scarf Set

    I have been using these scarves every week for the past four years. I have washed and line dried them and the edges have stayed nice. I love that there are so many colors!

    5 inch Small Natural Wood Nino Clave Pair

    Wonderful size claves for small hands. I love the rounded ends and small size. Nino brand has a much nicer sound quality than other cheap brands. This is a wonderful musical instrument for preschoolers.

    Little Wooden 4 inch Rasp Frog

    This little frog is easy for little hands to hold. Sounds like a real frog sound.

    Xylophone with great sound

    This is my favorite xylophone because of the beautiful sound and it is in tune! Toddlers reach for this instrument over and over. I have had mine for 4 years and the paint colors still look fantastic with no chips.

    HOHNER Kids Set of 4 Finger Cymbals Brass

    Hohner Finger Cymbals have a much nicer and musical sound quality than other brands. I like these cymbals because they fit nicely on little fingers. Easy for preschoolers to hold and use.

    Schylling Kids Accordion

    This is probably one of the most played with musical instruments I own. I have had trouble keeping mine in perfect condition because I teach in a room with hard floors and I have had toddlers drop it. Currently there are two buttons that no longer work (after four years) but kids still love playing this instrument. I think it is facinating that you can get two different sounds from only one button (one pitch when you pull out and a different one when you push in). Bonus: A grandparent favorite!

    Skip Hop Baby Musical Toys: Explore & More Accordion Hedgehog

    This accordian gets a HIGH RECOMMEND not because of it’s amazing sound, but because every child absolutely adores this toy and looks to play with it week after week. The handles are easy to hold and this accordian is easy for even very little children to pull. The sound is very soft which I found a little disappointing, but for most parents, I think that might be a godsend.

    Skip Hop Baby Musical Toys: Explore & More Accordion Hedgehog Shakers

    Cute Fox, Owl, and Hedgehog Shaker Eggs have fun colors and different textures on the outside of each shaker. Each shaker sound is slightly different sounding from each other and quality of sound is soft for little ears. Perfect for babies.

    Remo 5″ – 6″ Rhythm Club Bongo Drum

    These bongos are great for small hands and kids love that there is more than one drum! Again Remo quality can’t be beat. These drums are still in perfect condition after years of play.

    Wooden Cabasa Small Percussion Hand Shaker

    Small size cabasa for small hands. Kids are intrigued by the beads and how they move on this instrument. I love real instruments and don’t think kids should be denied the opportunity to play real percussion instruments. Quality instrument!

    disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on those links and make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps me continue to add helpful information to this blog.

    It’s never too late to start your music basket! Not only are these musical instruments enjoyed by preschoolers, but even by Kindergarten-3rd grade students, parents, grandparents, and friends of the family love to play them. My grandkids beg to get out a basket of instruments each time they come over. My husband says it must be nice to be the coolest grandma on the planet. (Ha!)

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    Kids LOVE music! And they will love to clap, stomp, shake, sing and play musical instruments with Beethoven, an adorable pancake-loving sheep dog that loves making music! Get your free class today!

    Create a Joyful Home Using Children’s Music

    Children’s Music

    CHILDREN'S MUSIC

    The world is a loud, noisy, and frenzied place, so it’s important to have a place where we can escape. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our homes were the refuge we desire? Unfortunately, many homes today are as loud and demanding as the outside world… demanding our energy in ways that just drain us to the breaking point: children insist on having their own way, or enjoy poking at their siblings, the water heater breaks, flooding your utility room, a package you were waiting for disappears from your doorstep, you know… real life happens. How can we change the atmosphere in our home if it’s not joyful? How can we create a more nurturing, restful sanctuary full of love, laughter and joy? Children’s music is one key to achieving this, and every parent should learn how to use children’s songs to create a joyful home.

    Busy families wake up early, prep for the day ahead, rush out the door, and return home to cook, clean, do schoolwork, and more. Children seldom have a dull moment during the day. Then we rinse and repeat all week long. With such busy lives, how can we minimize the stress and nurture a more joyful atmosphere inside our homes? Is it even possible? I assure you there are ways to nurture a more joyful atmosphere in the home without adding more to your do-to list. Children’s music can simply be added as you go through the day. This blog post gives more detail about 5 Things I Want Parents to Know About This Blog.

    Get your FREE Music Mini-Class

    Your toddler or preschooler will love this Music Mini-Class.  Join me and Beethoven, an adorable pancake loving sheepdog as we sing, dance and play together!

    What is a Joyful Home?

    A home is the place where one lives. Joyful is an adjective which we desire to describe the home: feeling, expressing, or causing great pleasure and happiness. A joyful home is a home where the family living inside finds great happiness enjoying one another. Laughter, giggles, happy moments, hugs, compassion and care are all a part of joyful family life. Of course there are other non-joyful moments, but overall the mood of the home is one of delight.

    How does music bring joy?

    This article that talks about how music is a pleasure seeking activity that most people engage in. It cites a study that claims listening to the music you love releases more dopamine, a neurotransmitter, in the brain. Because neurotransmitters are important for cognitive development, emotions and behavior, one can link music directly to brain development and happiness.

    However, you don’t have to be a scientist to actually see how music brings joy to people. Here are a couple examples:

    • I teach an online toddler music class and work with children ages infant-preschool and adults. For 30 minutes, there is an enjoyable experience: singing, bouncing stuffed animals, moving to the beat, dancing, hopping, twirling scarfs, and playing instruments. I see this happiness first hand in my in-person classes.
    • Concerts are filled with listeners who are enjoying the music, friends, and family. Smiles are everywhere.
    • When I am taking care of my grandkids, I use music to gain cooperation. We sing songs to pick up toys, clear the table and even brush teeth. Music gets the job done with enthusiasm and smiles.

    Why Use Children’s Music?

    Not only does listening to or creating music bring joy to a child or adult. Music encourages brain, emotional, and behavioral development. Parents learn how to use children’s music to help with everyday life situations. They become equipped to can change whatever kind of moment they happen to be dealing into a more pleasant and joyful experience. Even when parents are tired, upset, or frenzied, listening to music can be a way to decompress. Music is often used in spas? Soothing, tranquil music, can really change how you feel.

    How to get started creating a more joyful atmosphere

    Here are just a couple ideas of how children’s music can be added to the day to make it more joyful. A parent can sing a “time to get dressed” song or offer a child a choice in something by singing “you get to choose” when they are helping their children. It adds no more time to the day, but the day can be more joyful by simply singing a song. There is wide abundance of children’s music to encourage cooperation, give choices, prepare for bedtime, learn skills, and so much more.

    When taking my third child to the doctor for her 6 month old well baby visit, the doctor asked her older brother if he ever got tired of hearing his baby sister cry. He calmly said, “No, she never cries.” The doctor looked doubtingly at my son and I quickly reaffirmed his story. You see, the doctor didn’t know what I knew... music can change your inner spirit and make a home more joyful. My youngest three children rarely ever cried. We spent our days singing when we woke up, singing to get dressed, we sang a song before we ate at the table (you get the idea). My kids still remember many of the songs we sang each day.

    Easy Ways to Use Children’s Music

    • Pick one time of day where you can incorporate a new song into your routine like using a song for clean up time, or getting dressed in the morning.
    • Use music as a distraction. Often when a child is focused on a negative behavior, music will instantly distract the child from the situation and turn the situation around.
    • Use music to offer choices. Children like to be offered choices. Singing a little tune to words like “would you like this one? Or would you like that one?” helps eliminate power struggles because the child has a choice and the choice is presented in a delightful way.
    • Use music to encourage cooperation. Children want to participate in being helpful and cooperative when it is presented in a fun way. It is much easier to get children to cooperate when they are joyful.
    • Use children’s music to build community and reinforce kindness. Sharing toys, caring about feelings, being gentle are examples of interacting with others. Songs that reflect care and concern for others help instill this value in children.

    Tips for Success in creating musical routines

    • Print the lyrics to songs and hang them up in places that will remind you to add music to your day. For instance, place a song you’d like to sing at diaper time on the wall of your diaper changing station.
    • Teach your child some of the easy songs. For example, when it is time to clean up toys, encourage your child to sing with you until the toys are all picked up.
    • Use your phone, Google, Alexa, etc. to play a song when you need cooperation. Even if you don’t know the lyrics to a song, having a song playing that you and your child can learn together is helpful.

    The Last Thing You Need to Know about Children’s Music

    Life isn’t perfect. Life can be difficult. Raising children can be tiring. But maintaining joy in the home helps brings out the best in each person each day. Learning how to use children’s music can be an effective parenting tool to turn difficult situations into an instantly silly or fun experiences. Children are not picky connoisseurs of music. They delight in any kind of music that is shared with them. Don’t be self-conscious, but rather sing, move and be playful! You will see a new kind of joy emerging from your children.

    15 Toddler Music and Movement Songs

    toddler music movement songs

    When I first began teaching early childhood music classes, I began the tedious task of searching for the best toddler music and movement songs. There is a sea of children’s music on Youtube, but I tend to call it the sea of mediocrity because, I am very picky about what I call good music. Good music can stand the test of time. Good music speaks to many generations just like good children’s literature. There are some amazing children’s music artists, and finding that music is important because parents need to enjoy listening to this music as well. Here are 15 movement songs I use often in my toddler music programs. Both toddlers and parents enjoy these songs!

    I have other blog posts with more wonderful “get the wiggles out” songs and several blog posts about the kind of instruments many children really enjoy. The songs are even more fun when you get out a basket of instruments to play!

    Toddler Movement Songs

    Everybody Clap

    Children love this song because they can do some many types of movement. Everybody can clap their hands, stomp their feet, play peek-a-boo, move side to side, and count to three. This song is in the TOP 5.

    Bunny Hop

    Hop, Hop, Hop! Children beg to hop and move to this song. They love to wiggle their ears, paws, nose, and shake their little cottontail. This is a TOP 5 song!

    Toddler Online Music Class that every child loves!

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    Your toddler or preschooler will love this Music Mini-Class.  Join me and Beethoven, an adorable pancake loving sheepdog as we sing, dance and play together!

    Peekaboo

    Peekaboo is a fun toddler game and this movement song is a favorite. You can play peekaboo with your hands, but often I will use a scarf so that children can cover their head, face, and/or eyes.

    Hop Old Squirrel

    Every child loves to use their imagination. How does a squirrel move? He can hop, tip-toe, and so much more!

    Baby Shark

    Baby shark is a favorite TOP 5 song! Arm motions make this song more exciting as we move from tiny sharks to bigger sharks. Kids have fun swimming and swimming away from the sharks until they are safe at last!

    We’re Walking to the Drum

    Let’s walk, tip-toe, stomp, and run to the drum. Kids especially love the running! Loop this song so they can do it over and over!

    Gray Squirrel

    Gray Squirrel loves to shake his bushy tail. I love to shake a scarf and imagine that scarf is gray squirrel’s tail. He is eager to hold a nut and wiggle his nose! This song is a wonderful, imaginative toddler movement song.

    Learning to listenMove to the Beat (The Sitting Movement Song!)

    Learning to listen is an important skill. Not only will kids get to move and then stop! They also get to be silly!

    Shake Your Maraca

    Shake, Shake, Shake and Stop. Can you shake it up high? Shake it down low? It’s so fun to shake and move. If you don’t have a maraca, find a box of mac & cheese or something else that will give a nice sha-key sound!

    Play Your Instruments

    I am a huge Ella Jenkins fan! Ella is now 96 years old, and she began her musical career back in the 1950s. She always taught respect, kindness, empathy, and understood that children learned by moving to music and through the stories she told through music. A hallmark in children’s music, Ella Jenkins stands the test of time.

    The Toe-Tappin’, Foot-Stompin’, Egg-Shakin’ Blues

    Bluesy feelin’ shaking song. If your toddler can stand and move, they can move their toes or tip-toe, but if your child isn’t steady they can touch their toes with their hands. Toes tap! Feet stomp! Shake those shakers!

    One Little Finger (Sing-Along)

    Children love to identify and point to the parts of their body: head, nose, chin, arms, leg, feet. You can even get silly by tickling your chin.

    Move It, Move It!

    Let’s move it! Twist it! Stomp it! Tip-toe it! And then stop! It’s so much to dance to this groove. I love the guitar and drums! This is a TOP 5 song!

    Clap Clap Clap Your Hands Together (2014 Version)

    Toddlers love to clap their hands! It’s fun to pat your knees, stomp your feet, blink your eyes and more!

    The Shaker Song

    Bouncy and fun! Get some shakers and move!

    Build Your Toddler Music Playlist

    Below you will find convenient Amazon links to the toddler movement songs I have listed. I hope this will help save you time so you can add more toddler movement music to your play list. Your toddlers will love shaking, dancing and wiggling to these songs. Get more information about toddler online music classes here.

    Please note that this post contains affiliate links which means I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase any of these products.

    These songs are perfect Toddler Music and Movement Songs for a Rainy Day!
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