Even before children can speak or comprehend words, they respond to music. We tap on the table, they tap back. We shake the maracas, bang away on pots and pans, and make a joyful noise. They squeal with excitement. It’s obvious that music has a special effect on a child’s growing brain. It makes sense [...]
Music Packs Learning Power
October 25, 2012 By 1 Comment
Researchers have found that the ability to process rhythm is present as early as three months–possibly even in the womb where mom’s heartbeat is the baby’s constant soundtrack. When my second kid was an infant, I could always distract and calm him with syncopated beats. As soon as he started howling, I would tap out [...]
The Benefit of Teaching Letter Sounds Before Letter Names
October 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Thinking back to my own experience of learning how to read, I remember learning the letters through repetition – flashcards, letter of the week, and other rote activities. The names came well before the sounds and uppercase was before lowercase. Thinking back, had I been taught the sounds first, the process of learning to read [...]
