More Activity Ideas
- Hang mobiles that jingle in places where babies can kick them—making sure the mobiles are secure. Sing upbeat songs that get babies kicking along.
- Dance with a baby in your arms. Sway, jiggle, bounce, and twirl. Watch the baby’s reaction, and go faster or slower to keep him comfortable and engaged.
- Start a musical “conversation” with a baby. Sing a song for a few seconds; then pause to see if she will respond with a gurgle or coo. Make up different melodies until you find what she likes and what makes her respond. Does she move her arms and legs in time with your voice? How does she tell you that she wants more or wants you to stop?
- Sing a song such as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as you lift a baby in the air, help him pull to a sitting position, or rock him back and forth as he lies on the floor. You don’t have to know a lot of song lyrics—you can make up a rhyme or song of your own.
- Use each baby’s name as you sing songs such as “Hello Everybody.”
- Sing about what you are doing—or what the baby is doing—as you dress, feed, read to, or play with a baby.
- Put on some upbeat music that you enjoy and encourage babies to “dance” to the beat. Give them scarves to wave, soft rattles to shake, or spoons to bang. Model actions like clapping, bouncing, waving, nodding, rocking, and stomping that the children can imitate.
- Engage babies’ attention as you sing short songs with motions and sound effects. Sing the same songs over and over. Many older babies will develop favorites and may ask for them by making the sounds or doing some of the motions.
- Use soft, soothing music to help babies relax after active play, before naptime, and at times when they seem upset or out of sorts.
- Beat a tambourine, an upturned pot, or a homemade drum as a baby watches. Then give her a turn.
- Make up songs with toddlers. The songs can be about anything—about things toddlers like to do, things they do well, places they like to visit, family and friends, etc.
- Teach a few toddlers (or a toddler and older children) a simple line or circle song, such as “Ring Around the Rosy” or “London Bridge.”
- Tap into toddlers’ emerging sense of humor by sharing songs with nonsense words (for example, Aram Sam Sam), fun-to-say words (for example, pufferbellies, wibble-wobble), sound effects (for example, chug, chug; choo, choo), silly actions (for example, the Hokey-Pokey), and silly subjects (for example, sticky, sticky bubble-gum.) Let toddlers participate in their own ways: they may want to repeat words or do the actions and sound effects.
- Use songs as part of rituals and transitions. For example, you might introduce songs for cleanup, naptime, helping a child say good-bye to a parent in the morning, or getting ready to go outside.
- Make “song cards.” When you teach a new song, put its title and a picture on one side of a large index card and write or tape a copy of the words on the back. Keep the cards in a special box. Let children choose song cards for small and whole group sing-alongs.
- Introduce call and response songs, such as “The Bear Hunt,” in which a leader sings the call and the group sings the response.
- Teach toddlers lullabies to sing to their dolls and stuffed animals.
- Provide toddlers with a range of child-size and homemade percussion instruments so that they can experiment with sounds and make their own music. Play instrumental music with a strong beat or melody and let toddlers play along. Help them learn to follow a beat and to play loud or soft, fast or slow in keeping with the music.
- Start a toddler marching band. Give everyone a toy or homemade instrument to play as you march in a line or two by two. Children can play cardboard tube kazoos, pot lids cymbals, pie plate tambourines, rattles, and squeak toys.
- Make a simple stage or area for brief toddler song and dance shows. Give a toddler an instrument, toy microphone, or costume and clap as she shows off her talent. Invite another toddler to dance to the music.