Mumma, look! Music helps me wait my turn!
Hi Mumma, Did you know that doing things with music can help me learn to control what I do? Here's how musical play can help me control my impulses and keep myself in check:
Teach "Stop" and "Go"
Activity Setup:
Our Music Set has loud and quiet stackable shakers that you can use. Hold one shaker first and then give me the other one.
How to Play:
Say "GO!" and shake hard to get me to copy what you're doing. Say "STOP!" all of a sudden and stop moving. The rattles will stop.
Learning Goal:
By teaching me how to control my actions based on spoken commands, this activity makes it easier for me to start and stop actions when told to. Music play is a fun way to work on controlling your impulses.
Experiment with "Quiet" and "Loud"
Activity Setup:
Use a drum-like surface like a box.
How to Play:
Show how to hit the box hard, then softly. Tell me to do the same things you did, but this time pay attention to the changes in volume.
Learning Goal:
This helps me understand volume control and develops my auditory discrimination—a key part of sensory processing. It’s a great way to support my toddler development through music activities.
Play Long and Short Notes
Activity Setup:
Use a Flute to produce various sounds.
How to Play:
Show how to hold a note for a few seconds, then play several short notes. If I struggle with blowing into the flute, encourage me to sing the notes into the holes.
Learning Goal:
This activity teaches control over breath and voice, which are critical for speech development and musical rhythm recognition. It supports my impulse control and toddler development.
Focus on Following Directions
Activity Setup:
For this move, use Bells.
How to Play:
Tell them to do something in more than one step, like "Pat the red bell first, then the yellow bell." Adding more steps will gradually make it harder.
Learning Goal:
Helps me follow complicated directions and put things in the right order, which are important skills for brain development and controlling my impulses. This game helps kids learn how to control themselves and is good for their early development.
Conclusion: Music as a Tool for Developing Impulse Control
Music is not only fun, but it can also help you learn important skills for everyday life. By adding these musical tasks to my daily routine, you can help me control my impulses, pay attention, and follow directions much better. These basic skills will help me a lot in early childhood situations and throughout my life. Thanks a lot, Mom!