4 ways to bring music into your home

People will often ask me, “when is a good time to introduce my baby to music classes?”

I am a big believer in introducing your kids to music classes as soon as you are ready to get out. But let’s be honest, even getting out of pajamas when you have a 2 month old is a challenge. When you are ready, being exposed to music and also new friends is great for them and you. There are also ways to incorporate music into your home that will bring you and your child ease throughout their lives. Below, I will share with you, 4 ways that I have used at home for my family.

1. Get on the tunes: Play music in the morning while you are getting ready for your day, whether it’s the morning hustle and you have older kids in the house who you are prepping for school along with their lunches and everything else, everyone will appreciate having tunes on in the background. I have a 4 and 6 year old boy so trust me, I get chaos. Adding in some calming background music makes a difference. I suggest classical or jazz which will naturally calm everyone down but whatever you’re feeling is the right choice.

2. Make a Music Station: Set up a space in your home where all of your musical instruments can live. I like to keep a bin with instruments including a few shakers, a drum, a rain maker and xylophone next to our play area. Whatever musical instruments you have, add it in. This music station can grow with your baby. At first you can introduce your baby to the different sounds as they are doing tummy time or rolling around on their playmat. As your baby grows, they will begin to pick up the instruments themselves and start to explore.

3. Mimicking: Zoey is 9 months old now and I’ve noticed at meal time she always wants to grab the spoon as I’m feeding her so I have started to give her a spoon as I feed her with another spoon. Throughout her life, she has shown me she wants to be independent and also mimicking what I am doing as she learns herself. The same goes with music, it is important for both of us to have an instrument so she can mimic the motion I am doing, learn and follow my lead.

4. Use household objects as instruments: Bring out the pots, pans and wooden spoons from the kitchen and make a music circle with your family. My kids love how noisy it gets and that this ‘kind of noise’ is approved and appreciated in our household and they think it’s super silly that we are using kitchen items for a musical moment. Turn on your favorite tune and turn it into a competition to see who can match the drum beat of the song. This promotes active listening (aka. early ear training) and of course good times. I recommend adding in some free flowing dancing while you’re at it. Yes, you have permission to call this your workout for the day.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN, play and listen to music you enjoy as much as you can and if you are enjoying yourself then your children will be likely to enjoy themselves as well. This promotes a relaxed environment for your family to bond and to live in the moment. When life is so fleeting and busy, it is hard for us to solely sit with our children, watch them play and take in the sounds. Take moments out of your day to be still and observe them while enjoying whatever music is playing. Have a drink of choice (mine is hot water with lemon in the AM) and relax even if for 5 minutes. It’s hard to catch even 5 minutes to create this moment but when you do, it makes all the difference in your day, and for me, in the way I show up as a parent, spouse, colleague, and friend.

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Happy jammin’ friends!