How to Explore Music With Children

Most home objects can be musical instruments.

Exploring music with children offers them benefits. Not only will you make pleasant and loving memories, you can instill a love of music in young hearts. Music benefits children in several ways, such as building confidence, providing a healthy outlet for expression and influencing their reading, math and science learning. Music also provides an important means for your children to spontaneously express their rich and deep inner lives, according to Scholastic. Take the step to explore music with children as all of these reasons combined will benefit everyone involved.

Instructions

1. Look around your environment for musical inspirations. Children famously pull pots and pans from cabinets to use as drums. Encourage such behavior with even more common kitchen tools, like empty containers and silverware. Explore weather sounds, air conditioners, construction equipment and trains rolling over tracks, states Scholastic. Make ordinary noises the basis for rhythm and song.

2. Play a variety of music with your children. Find free music, or purchase it online. See if your television package has music channels. Rediscover your CD collection, or dig out old tapes or records. Show enthusiasm for all music genres so that children enter the exploratory experience with open eyes. Use your homemade instruments to play along to the music. Dance, sing or simply listen as you explore music together.

3. Enjoy music together. Find local stores or parent groups that hold baby classes. Venture to an outdoor concert together, or visit a local school during marching band practice.

   Take lessons together. Music teachers offer different setups where parents can learn a musical instrument alongside their children at a discounted rate. Ask if they offer different music books appropriate to specific ages.

4. Do not overload children with music, Scholastic stresses. Try voice lessons if your children do not want to learn an instrument. Work out with a dance video, or attend operas. Learn about music from a historical perspective.

5. Establish an open environment concerning music. Encourage your children to create, especially as they grow older. Have them mix music, write song lyrics, write sheet music or critique music. Listen to the songs they are creating or the familiar tunes they are humming, and reflect these in your choice of new songs to introduce. Ask them to introduce new songs to you. Build upon their interests so that even during teenage years, you are still exploring music with them.

6. Remain involved in your children's musical events as they grow. Attend piano recitals, host a garage band and volunteer for the school's seasonal music programs. Create a meaningful musical relationship with your children.

References

• Scholastic: Moving to the Music
• Scholastic: Extracurricular Extras