Attending to Music

“Music Soothes Savage Beasts (Including Kids)”

“Let go” while playing music, clap your hands, rock back and forth, sway from side to side and move your child to the beat of the music.

• Remove the physical cues and allow your child to imitate the movements that you previously provided.
• Introduce instruments (e.g., rattles, drums, and other musical toys).
• Play music, stop it intermittently, and start it after your child looks toward you.
• Use hand over hand assistance to help your child shake a rattle when music plays.
• Stop your child’s rattle when the music stops, to help build understanding of “cause and effect.”
• Sing familiar children’s songs and interactive finger plays, while sitting face to face with your child (e.g., The Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus, Open Shut Them, etc).
• Exaggerate facial expressions, change your tone of voice, and vary musical activities to keep your child interested.