More Activity Ideas

  • Sing to your baby in the language you know best. It is also wonderful if you or members of your family know songs in other languages and are comfortable singing them to your baby.
  • Babies “sing” in their own way, by cooing and gurgling. Copy the sounds that she makes and sing them to her so she can hear how her “song” sounds to you.
  • Talk about the music you are listening to or the song you were singing. Explain to your baby how the music or words make you feel. Say: That song has a great beat. It makes me feel like dancing! or I like this song because it is soft and simple. I feel relaxed when I hear it.
  • Read books about dancing and movement, such as All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury or Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton. After reading, help your baby try the movements you read about in the book.
  • Babies don’t need special music. As long as it is not too loud (loud music can damage a baby’s hearing), obscene, or harsh, she’ll enjoy listening to the music you already have or what’s on the radio. Share your favorite songs, from jazz to rock to polka music! Watch for her reactions as you change from one type of music to another.
  • Visit the library to check out free CDs and to find different types of music both you and your baby will enjoy.
  • Sing books instead of reading them! Some books, like Wheels on the Bus by Raffi and Sylvie Wickstrom or Kadir Nelson’s He's Got the Whole World in His Hands, demand to be sung,
  • Dancing together is a way to express joy and happiness. When you hold your baby close to you and dance or sway to music, it helps your baby feel close and comforted.
  • Don’t know the words to many songs? Make some up or add new ones. Your baby will be especially happy to hear you sing her name!
  • As you sing This is the way we kiss goodnight (or wash your face, comb your hair, or whatever activity you are doing together) to the tune of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush,” help your baby make different body movements that go with your lyrics.
  • Make even more music as a family! With your baby as the audience, plan a family talent night dedicated to her entertainment, full of singing, music, and dance performances. Or let your baby participate by shaking a rattle, waving a scarf, or kicking and bouncing to the beat.
  • Introduce your child to the vocabulary of music and dance by using words like rhythm, chorus, duet, piano, drum, guitar, strum, opera, ballet, waltz, salsa, and so on.
  • Go to music concerts that are especially for children. Look for free ones at the library or your local community center. Sometimes concerts for children include a special activity called an “instrument petting zoo,” where different instruments will be available for your toddler to touch and try.
  • Have fun with finger plays and songs with motions, such as “The Itsy, Bitsy Spider” orIf You’re Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands.” Dance together to songs such as “Ring Around the Rosie.”
  • Listening to music will help make your toddler be more aware of the other types of sounds that surround him. Help him find musical sounds in nature, such as the fall of rain or calls of birds, or the sounds of the city, such as car horns honking or trains rumbling along.
  • Get ideas for dance movements from furry, feathered, and other animal friends. Look at pictures of animals and talk about how they move. Then put on some music to waddle like a duck, hop like a frog, slither like a snake, lumber like an elephant, and so on.
  • Some children love to perform! Record your toddler dancing or singing, then play it back and watch together.
  • Songs can help your toddler remember what he’s learning. Use songs to teach concepts such as the names of body parts (“Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”) or numbers (“One, Two, Buckle My Shoe”). You can also use simple, familiar tunes and make up your own songs about other things that are interesting to your toddler.
  • March with music! Parade with your toddler (and your whole family) through your home or out on the sidewalk. Give everyone a homemade instrument to play or a flag to wave.
  • If your child is in childcare, find out what songs he’s learned there so you can sing them together at home.
  • If your toddler is over age 2, watch a short Between the Lions video about music, such as Violet’s Music or Abiyoyo. Sing and dance along!
  • Borrow CDs from the library so you can try music geared to children, such as original songs by Raffi and SteveSongs; folk music by Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, and José-Luis Orozco; and others by popular performers.
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