Parents' gestures linked to better children's vocabulary

www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-parents-gestures-vocabulary,0,6503608.story

chicagotribune.com

By Robert Mitchum

Tribune staff reporter

1:04 PM CST, February 12, 2009

Child development experts have known for decades that children's vocabulary at the time they enter school is a strong predictor of their future educational success. But a new study from University of Chicago psychologists suggests that early parental influence over vocabulary may be, literally, in their hands.

  Parents who demonstrated a broad range of gestures to their children at 14 months of age produced children who gestured more broadly themselves, according to study to be published Friday in the journal Science. In turn, children who exhibited a larger "gesture vocabulary" at 14 months demonstrated a wider vocal vocabulary at 54 months, authors Meredith Rowe and Susan Goldin-Meadow reported.   That relationship may explain at least part of the observation that children from higher socioeconomic families exhibit stronger vocabulary skills when they enter school compared to children of low socioeconomic backgrounds. Parents with higher family income and more education gestured more to their children, the researchers found.

  "Basically all of the socioeconomic difference in child gesture can be explained by parent gesture," Rowe said. "It doesn't mean that children born into a high socioeconomic status family just gesture a lot, it actually depends what a parent does."  

The study measured the number of "gesture types"--such as pointing, waving or nodding--that parents and children exhibited to each other in a 90-minute videotaped session. The 50 families studied were drawn from the greater Chicago area, reflecting a wide range of economic, cultural and educational backgrounds, Rowe said.

Though the research does not yet prove that teaching parents to gesture more will directly increase a child's vocabulary later in life, the researchers said that the relationship does suggest something parents can try with their children. Gesturing is harmless, and potentially beneficial.

 

"I think it is extremely encouraging," said Goldin-Meadow, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. "Gesture is detectable early, and here's something parents can do pretty early."

  Area speech therapists said the new finding was welcome evidence for gesture-based activities already in use for children with delayed speech or enrolled in "baby sign language" classes.

  "We definitely use gestures and signs," said Denise Boggs, a speech pathologist at Children's Memorial Hospital. "For any child that is not talking, it gives them a framework, gives them an idea of what communication is for, and down the road they fill that in with verbalizations." rmitchum@tribune.com

 

Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune

Let's rock! Even newborn can follow a rhythm

Newborns can follow a rhythm, a new study has found, suggesting rocking out is innate. This adds to growing evidence that a baby's brain isn't the blank slate it was once thought to be.

Please click here to read the story about this study on msnbc. 

Humor

We know that listening is a learned skill which we practice in almost every Kindermusik class- But did you know that humor is a skill you learn and not something you 're born with or without? I didn't until I read this article "Encouraging Your Child's Sense of Humor". Now, I even know why -since my early childhood - I LAUGH and NOT CRY when I seriously hurt myself. Because laughter can help humans deal better deal with pain. How about that? For me that obviously works.

To read this interestin

g article and to find out how you can help your child develop a sense of humor - which can make it easier to handle difficult situations in life click here.

Here a picture of Kangaroo feed baby ;-)

Or, Alyssa just a few weeks old in her car seat.

Making the Most of Kindermusik At-Home Materials

by Theresa Case, Kindermusik Educator

 

Just like a Kindermusik class, At Home Materials provide stepping stones for growth, building on the learning from one class to the next. Everything in Kindermusik's At Home Materials helps the parent and child receive the full developmental benefits of music and movement.

 

But it's not about developing little Mozarts. It's about developing life-enhancing skills in the whole child - cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language, and musical. And it's also about giving you the time, the tools, and the inspiration to create the treasured, musical moments you can linger in for a lifetime.

Kindermusik Village At Home Materials use the power of music to guide your understanding of how your little one develops and nurtures the intimate bond between you and your baby.

 

* Home CDs - a rich musical environment allows brain cells and neuropathways in the mind to strengthen, helping to develop memory skills.

 

* Literature Books - images and sounds encourage your baby's ability to distinguish a wide range of speech contrasts.

 

* Art Banners - two banners feature four panels of artwork from the literature book and help baby's distance vision.

 

* Instruments - even the littlest musicians need a creative, musical outlet, and Kindermusik's appealing, baby-safe instruments provide just that.

Kindermusik Our Time -  Your toddler is learning to cope with and control his world, his body, and his actions. Our Time At Home Materials help your busy toddler musically explore this intense period, and provide you both with treasured together time.

 

* Two Home CDs - at home, music can help your often emotional toddler refocus and regulate his emotions.

 

* Two Literature Books - reading together helps your child internalize language and literacy skills.

 

* Home Activity Book - lots of playful, musical fun for home: talking turns, family circle dances, field trips, and songs to use throughout the day.

 

* Instruments - playing with a steady beat helps your child develop a sense of rhythm as well as the ability to organize and coordinate movements within time. One instrument for your an one for your child provide you with endless opportunities for music-making together.

Kindermusik Imagine That! - Your child is running, jumping, bounding, and astounding you with an increased vocabulary and a growing love of music. Imagine That! At Home Materials help you challenge your child's active learning, sense of humor, imagination, and increasing capacity to grasp more specific musical concepts.

 

* Two Home CDs - singing songs develops your child's voice while also helping your preschooler develop a sense of inner hearing, a skill similar to thinking a stry or making a plan without speaking out loud.

 

* Literature Books - engaging her sense of adventure can help your child establish sequence of events and predict what happens next.

 

* Family Activity Book - preschool-aged children thrive on expressive learning and parental involvement, and they love sharing the musical concepts they discover each week in class.

 

* Play Set/Game - pretend play inspires creative thinking strategies that develop language, sensory, motor, and cognitive skills.

 

* Instrument - an instrument of their very own inspires creative, musical application of the concepts and skills being presented in class. It's also true that developing a sense of rhythm can help children better understand patterns, a necessary skill for mathematics.

 

Kindermusik for the Young Child  - At Home Materials gently introduce your child to musical terms, specific musical concepts like reading, writing, and composing music of their own, and the habit of setting a little time aside each day to improve a skill.

 

* Home Cd and Family Songbook - feature all the songs and activities introduced in class.

 

* Folder - includes attendance and name stickers, and helps organize Activity Pages and Picture Pages for at home as well as in the classroom.

 

*Music At Home cards - summarize the weekly lesson highlights, providing orpportunity for review and enjoyment at home throughout the week.

 

* Games Bag - holds various manipulatives and cards that correlate with the weekly Music At Home cards and Activity Pages.

 

* Instrument - throughout Young Child, your child is exposed to three basic instruments, so he can decide what he likes best: keyboard (glockenspiel - Sem. 1-4), strings (dulcimer - Sem. 3), or wind (recorder - Sem. 4).

 

Kindermusik Family Time - At Home Materials are a multi-layered learning with CDs, puppets, instruments, literature books, activity book, and a game.

* Two Home CDs - music to play at home, in the car, everywhere!

 

* Puppets - a hand-puppet (has a zipper for hide-and seek items) and finger-puppet for pretend play.

 

* Literature Books - adventures of the Jelly Bean Band are included in each book themed with each unit.

 

* Family Activity Book - ideas to engage every family member during everyday activities and make everyday a musical day.

 

* Game - matching games, listening games, musical games!!

 

* Instrument - two instruments to continue steady beat, music making and play at home.

 

Everything in Kindermusik's At Home Materials has a learning purpose for your child. That's because more than 25 years of early childhood development research applies to every instrument, CD, book, activity, song, and game.

Kindermusik believes that you are your child's first and most important teacher. We also know that children learn best through repetition, and that often they learn best where they're most comfortable - at home. Your At Home Materials empower you to take Kindermusik from class to home where the games, songs, dances, books, and quit times make it easy for you to infuse music, joy, learning, and togetherness into your daily routine.

Why Music Matters

Music benefits every aspect of development

Music helps us to make sense of the world. Through sound we can give an expressive shape to our experience. It is a pleasure and a joy for its own sake. . . .

Recent research emphasizes the benefits of learning music: 

• Music aids the development of speech
• Music helps children to learn maths
• Music enhances social skills
• Music enhances you child's intellectual development

To read the whole article click on the picture below.

Music & Books

This local News feature from the U.S. shows how music will help you child also with reading skills. 

Quote:

"The whole patterns, counting, and pacing through music help children to pace through reading," Jody DelaGardelle, Assistant Librarian said.

To read the whole story and watch the video click on the following link to www.newslinkindiana.com.

Music related Brain Research

Click here to read this interesting post on the Kindermusik Berlin Blog.