Bringing the Music Home: Five Ways to Add Music to your families lives.

· Put on your VERY favorite music and dance your heart out!

· Get out the pots & pans (or plastic tupperware & wooden spoons) have a family jam band on the kitchen floor.· Have a ritual song for putting away toys (or make the BUM BUM sound)

· Sing Itsy Bitsy Spider (or other song) while washing hands and encourage little ones to keep washing to the end of the song. This one serves two purposes.

· Try using Ridin' in the Car to sing about regular things through the day. Maybe sing, "yum, yum, eatin' my peas, down they go, down they go. . ." or slow it down for "yawn, yawn, it's time to lay down, sleepy, sleepy. . . we're getting rest today".

Most importantly, have fun and email us with your most fun creative ideas!

When we support language by speaking with our children, language will develop. When we support music by singing with our children, music will develop. Did you know that speech and language is inherently musical? Also, active music making not only engages the entire brain, it is also fun and can promote a sense of happiness and well being.

Kathy Rowe, M.A. Music Education and Center Director for Music Together in Phoenix