Showing posts with label Baby and Toddler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baby and Toddler. Show all posts

Lullaby and "Motherese"

"Motherese" is the term used in child devlopment research which refers to the special inflection, tonality and language used when caregivers (usually, but not necessarily mothers) interact with babies. Usually, we call it "baby talk". It is an interesting topic because it seems like the characteristics of "motherese" are similar across many different cultures.

Naturally, mothers talk and sing to their babies. When I say "singing," it may not even refer to a particular tradition song. How many times have you seen a mother sings a baby to sleep without a specific tune. Mothers know how to soothe their babies best with their voices.

Lullaby is another interesting topic in both music psychology and developmental psychology. Like motherese, there are many features in lullabies across different cultures that are identical. (the form, the interval used, etc.)

Nobody would mind listening to a lullaby because it it so soothing, it reminds us the time when we were in our own cradle. The sense of comfort may be traced back to the time when we were still the womb.

Here, I would like to share two videos from websites that I recommend parents to explore.

1) Language from the Cradle is an EU sponsored project which collect lullabies across Europe. 7 of them were put onto this webiste and Youtube, here's one of them from Czech:



2) Lullabies of the world is a site that i LOVE! This is a Russian site, similar to the one i recommended above, the site shares a collection of animated films based on lullabies of different nations. As you can see from the video below, the animation is of very high quality. I downloaded all 16 of them. This one is my favorite, it's a Chukchi lullaby (they are the indigenous people who lives in the Northern part of Russia). The animation reminds me of the photo I saw recently of a mommy and baby polar bear trapped on a floating iceberg.



Enjoy~

Beautiful Barefoot Books

Their books are full of colour and culture; their books bring children into a whole new world of imagination. There books are BEAUTIFUL!

Not only do I like Barefoot Books for the the above reasons, I also love the initial intention and core values behind this community of children literature.

As quoted from the official website, this is how it all started, "Barefoot Books began with two mothers who wanted their children to have books that would feed the imagination, while instilling a respect for diversity and a love of the planet."

Isn't this simple intention the very reason why we, as parents and educators, want to bring our children into the wonderful world of reading?

Here is a video that tells the story behind Barefoot Books -


You can find the book catalogue in the Barefoot Book Official Website. Here is the animation of one of its bestselling and award-winning title The Animal Boogie.

Show recommendation Oct 2011 - The Snow Dragon


The snow dragon is a picture book by Toby Mitchell and Anna Lewenhaup.

It is a story about little Billy's encounter with the Snow Dragon. The stage version of this story is produced by TALL STORIES and it has been well-received in the UK. The production house will bring this fabulous show to Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) between 12-16 October, 2011! It's a show designed for everyone 3 and up~


Drawing development in children


Children love to draw. As teachers and parents, we encourage our children to express their feelings through aesthetic engagement like drawing. While children are enjoying themselves, adults may feel a bit lost. We may ask ourselves, "Should I draw with them and show them how they should draw a star properly?" "My daughter is 3 years old already, should she be able to draw a portrait?" "At 6 years old, what kind of art classes are most age-appropriate to my child?"

Viktor Lowenfeld (1903-1960) was a prominent professor in art education. His book Creative and Mental Growth (1947) has been an influential resource for primary art teacher education. Lowenfeld believed that children's art work is a vivid reflection of their physical and emotional growth.

Lowenfeld also developed the theory of artistic development based on his research. This theory consists of six artistic stages that children go through.

1) Scribble (2 years old)

2) Preschematic (3-5 years old)

3) Schematic (6-7 years old)

4) Drawing Realism (8-11 years old)

5) Pseudorealism (12-13 years old)

6) Period of decision/crisis (14-16 years old)


For the more detailed description of each stage, please visit Drawing Development in Children.

In the above website, you can also find the stages of artistic development devised by American art teacher and author, Betty Edwards. She, on the other hand, based her arguements on brain research; hence, the way she organizes her system has to do with the different functions of the two hemisphere of our brains. Her publication Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (1979) has become one of the major reference for the study of art education. You may visit the website http://www.drawright.com/ to see a bit of the background of her theory.

Hopefully, by having a bit of background in our children's artistic development, educators and parents can set realistic expectations and provide appropriate responses while our children take pleasure in drawing!

IAC 2011 Recommendation - Lulu Nuit Blanche (3+)


A French theatre group Démons et Merveilles will be putting on a show called Lulu Nuit Blanche during the IAC 2011. (22-24 Jul at Sai Wan Ho and Tai Po Civic centre) It is suitable for children 3+. Please click HERE for show details.

Meanwhile, you can have an idea of what it's about by watching a clip from the show:

Few websites for Toddlers



We possess the ability to differentiate different sound sources from a very young age. It's amazing to see infants showing preference to a familiar word over an unfamiliar words (e.g. flower vs. daffodils). Our hearing sense is constantly receptive during our daily routine; therefore, infants and young children are stimulated aurally when they are awake. As they grow older, their little minds start to construct connection between visual objects to the relevant sound; and soon start to lable them. (e.g. cow = moo) Finally, as their short term memory develops, they'll be able to put into sequence the sound they hear.


When I come to think of it, aren't these the very skills needed when we appreciate a piece of music or academically speaking, properly analyse a musical exerpt? Our body tends to relax when we listen to a style that we are familiar with and it becomes more tense if we listen to a totally foreign piece. When we sit in a symphony concert, we can differentiate different instruments and able to label them; also, music listeners tend to analyse a piece of music in a sequential manner (e.g. exposition-development-recapitulation in a sonata.) These skills doesn't come within a day of practice. I always believe that if children are given opportunity to continue exercising their ears in music class, they will definitely grow up to be mature audience.


There are many good programs and resource out there for older children but I particularly like refering to BBC's Parents' Music Room for inspiration. Its information are simple yet very helpful for young parents, who have little or no music background, it helps them to get music education started in their very own home. Below are a few sites that I like, which I'm sure toddlers would enjoy too. Please click the links below the picture to access.





BBC's Little Animal Activity Center (Shockwave player needed)


BOBINOGS is another site that toddlers will enjoy!

Print a memory game

I strongly recommend parents and teachers to bookmark MADE BY JOEL, there are so many great DIY ideas and downloadable resources that can keep little hands busy! I came across a memory game and here's the printable version.

Click the image to enlarge and print!

I think every child can make a set of memory game like this one on their own and certainly it will become part of their childhood memory! 

Show recommendation April 2011 - Barney Space Adventure


Here's a show for tots! Barney will be in Hong Kong this from 2-5 April; the theme of the musical is about Barney's space adventure. I can already imagine my toddler friends jumping up and down during this show! Barney, along with his friends, will be singing many of your favorite tunes!

In fact, they've just visited Singapore and finished a successful show there in 2010. Here's a video of what the show will be like, see if it suits your tot's taste!


The show is opened for ALL ages, please click HERE for ticket info.

The Gruffalo in Hong Kong (Jan, 2011)

The name Julia Donaldson may not sound familiar to you but if you look at your toddler's bookshelf at home, you may own one or two books by her.

I have recommended her book Stick Man earlier. Other than the Stickman, Ms Donaldson's other book, The Gruffalo, has also become live on stage.

GOOD NEWS for Hong Kong audience! Gruffalo will be coming to Hong Kong in Janurary 2011. Please click HERE for ticket information.

Click here to enter the official Gruffalo site

Another book that I'd like to recommend here is Cave Baby. It is about an adventure of a little baby riding through beautiful landscape on the back of a mammoth. It is illustrated by one of my favorite illustrator, Emily Gravett.

Click here to enter the official Cave Baby site
Click on all the hyperlinks in this blog article to find out more about the author, illustrator and stories!

Creative and beatiful baby pictures

This is an awesome series of beautiful pictures taken by a creative mother, Adele Enersen, while her baby princess is asleep. =)





Beautiful, aren't they? Please click to its original link to see more!


Website for young children - Boowa & Kwala

Facts:

In 2007,
48% of children under 6 years old have used the Internet in the US.

In 2005,
the fastest growing age group for using the Internet is 2 to 5 years old. 

Click HERE to enter the Boowa and Kwala Website
While parents are still struggling with what role should computers play in children's growth, young children have already become a noticeable population in the world of internet usage. 

Obviously, there are many good children sites around.  Before I recommend a website for children, I would spend some time finding out the intention behind the site's host.  I especially like those sites that are developed by parents.  . 

Boowa and Kwala is a children's website developed by a Franco-English couple.  Their sole intention to build this site in 1997 was that their daughter can have access to an educational and bilingual website.  The game bank in this website is huge - 818 in total!  Besides the usual music and story sections, I especially like activities/games which aims at developing children's coordination skill over the mouse or computer keyboards.  Certainly, the fact that this site being bilingual makes it very unique - a great resource for les canadiens!  =)

Have fun exploring the site!

Every moment is a precious moment



Mamas and papas have to be task-jugglers in order to survive parenthood nowadays. On top of giving children our undivided attention, we have to work, run errands, keep a social life, etc. Some parents have a guilty feeling about not being able to spend enough time educating their children.

Actually, let's forget about playing playdough, music or flashcards for a while. Do children stop getting information from their surrounding environment while we stop using these stimulus? The answer is obvious. Therefore, busy parents, we can sometimes sit back and let the enviornment teach what our children need to know.

Recently, Zero to Three has published a downloadable series called The Magic of Everyday Moments. (one for babies 9-12 months old; another one for toddlers 18-24 months old)

These two booklets reminds us how daily routines, like running errands, going to the grocery and saying hello and goodbye, play an important role in our children's development. It also tells us what to expect from our children and how to interpret their responses in the most ordinary situations.

To children, every moment is a precious moment - only if parents can see that as well! =)

Please click on the links below for the whole recommended series:



The Magic of Everyday Moments (6-9 months) [1324.52kb, .pdf, 20 pages]





All downloadable folders from this articles are from www.kpirc.org

音樂與BB (0 至 9 個月)

這幾年﹐遊戲班的冒起令家長開始留意到學前教育的重要性。坊間的選擇眾多﹔音樂﹑體操﹑語文等等都是家長的選擇。未知家長們有否留意﹐大部份的遊戲班通常都建議BB在六個月大時開始參加﹐只有音樂班會歡迎剛出生的BB參加。(從前教音樂班﹐最小的學生在參加時只有三個星期大﹔每個星期看著他一點一點地成長是多麼奇妙的事情!)

那是為什麼﹖難到體操班﹑語文班不想早早招攬生意嗎﹖BB通常會在出生後的頭六個月﹐慢慢掌握從頭﹑到頸﹑到上半身﹐最後到下半身的活動。這是生長的定律﹐不用上課﹐不用特別訓練﹐正常的BB也會自然達標。既然還未能坐起﹑未能轉身﹐當然沒有需要上體操課﹑Flashcard課。但音樂不同﹐BB的聽力早在他們出生前已經很發達﹔他們喜歡聽爸爸媽媽的聲音﹑他們才幾個月大便已經有自己喜歡的音樂。(如喜歡簡單的旋律﹑不喜歡吵耳的Rock 'n Roll﹑喜歡唱歌聲音多於樂器聲等。)

其實不用上遊戲班﹐父母都可以在家透過音樂與BB玩遊戲。以下是我從Zero to Three出版的“Getting in Tune"裡﹐針對零至九個月BB的部份。希望在這裡跟各位父母分享。


1) 用音樂建立關係 (Bonding with your child through music)

出生後不久﹐BB便會認出爸爸媽媽的聲音。聽到父母的聲音﹐他們會特別安心﹔所以請不要小跟BB說話與唱歌的時間。那是小孩子跟父母建立互信的第一步啊!

如果你有細心留意﹐不論國籍﹐當成年人跟BB說話的時候﹐我們總會提高音調﹑放輕聲量﹐而且說話的內容通常都很有節奏。BB未必會分辨出那究竟是音樂還是說話﹔他們就是愛聽。

BB很喜歡看著你說話和唱歌﹐大一點的BB甚至會開始模仿。有時候﹐看久了﹐BB會把頭擰開。爸爸媽媽﹐請不要介意﹐他們不是不喜歡﹔他們只是剛才太專著看你而變得累了。這時候你可以把他的頭貼在你的胸口﹐聽你繼續輕輕唱歌說話直到入睡 - 他們會睡得特別甜因為那感覺就像當天住在媽媽的肚子裡那樣安全。

當我鼓勵父母跟BB唱歌﹐他們有時會覺得尷尬﹔因為他們覺得自己不懂唱歌﹐有的更誇張說怕自己會弄得孩子五音不全。我對他們說﹐在這個階段﹐BB需要的不是一個模仿對象而是一份安全感與歸屬感 - 而只有父母的聲音才夠滿足他們。


2) 從音樂中學習 (Learning through melodies and movement)

當我談嬰兒﹑幼兒的音樂發展﹐我通常會特意迴避用“教育”二字。因為家長對“教育”有特定的期望﹐所以如果他們看見“幼兒音樂教育”﹐他們便會立即聯想到一些不設實際的假設﹔比如說他們希望音樂能令孩子聰明些。音樂的好處並不存在一種與其他科目的因果關係 ﹔如“因為學音樂﹐所以幼兒能數數”或“因為學音樂﹐所以BB的集中力提昇了”- 這些想法即使來自有學術研究﹐對我來說都不及一句“因為學音樂﹐孩子便愛音樂”來得重要。

在幼兒明白語言之前﹐他們已經記得旋律。如果你在BB睡前給他唱同一首歌﹐他們會把那旋律和安靜聯繫在一起。他們不需要知道那是首有關星星或綿羊的歌﹔只要旋律一想起﹐他們便知道爸爸媽媽想他們怎樣 (當然他們服從不服從又是另一回事)。這不正是溝通的第一步嗎﹖而教育跟本就是兩代間的溝通。

等BB長大一點﹐這種溝通會漸漸變成雙向。你跟他們說話﹐他們會靜靜聽﹔當你停頓﹐他們便會模仿你去“發言”。不要看漏這小小的一步﹐"turn-taking"是很多幼稚園生還未學會的習慣啊! 再大一點﹐他們會開始一些律動﹔他們會搖晃身體或坐著用屁股彈彈彈﹐然後到大肌肉的活動﹑最後連小肌肉也能參與舞蹈!我們不需要刻意“教”BB怎樣拍手﹑怎樣轉圈。只要他們有機會多看﹐很自然地﹐他們便會開始模仿。所以﹐爸爸媽媽﹐請不要覺得害羞!與你的BB盡情跳舞﹐他們看見自己的父母享受音樂﹑享受舞蹈﹐他們怎會不熱愛這兩種藝術。說到底﹐BB時期的教育其實來自父母對不同事情的熱愛。媽媽愛音樂﹐BB自然喜歡聽歌﹔爸爸愛遠足﹐BB會喜歡親近大自然﹐同樣地﹐媽媽愛shopping﹑爸爸愛跑馬﹐BB也愛...=)


3) 用音樂去啟發創意 (Music - Creativity connection)

BB的創意﹐是成年人不能理解的。他們聽到音樂﹐會開始動起來﹔雖然他們的律動沒有特定節奏和拍子﹐但看他們快樂的樣子﹐我們成年人不得不承認BB真的懂得陶醉於自己的音樂世界裡。到他們的小手能夠捏東西﹐他們又會隨著音樂響起而搖動手裡的小樂器。

從前有家長在上課後緊張地問我﹕“我的寶寶怎麼還不懂得跟這老師做﹖老師打鼓﹐他卻自己爬開﹔老師說要安靜﹐他卻偏要繼續打鼓。怎辦﹖”我通常會笑著回答﹕“如果一個還未滿一歲的BB能夠完全跟著老師做﹐那不是很可怕嗎﹖”我常說﹐遊戲班裡的活動﹐根本是滿足成年人的安排。一堂四十五分鐘﹐先有歡迎歌﹐再來按摩﹑接著有快歌跳舞﹑玩樂器﹐最後有慢歌時間讓BB靜下來 - 這樣兩百塊錢總算沒有白花。但我相信每位父母都知道﹐那種走馬看花的速度﹐與BB的學習速度根本完全不配合。爸爸媽媽﹐要緊記﹐無論何時﹐BB都需要時間去聽﹑去想﹑去觸摸﹑去記住﹔趕快地完成打鼓﹑跳舞﹑搖鈴等活動﹐覺得多姿多彩的﹐到頭來只有父母。

對我而言﹐音樂課裡最美麗的一刻是當成年人便成旁觀者時﹐BB會在音樂裡決定自己表達的方式 - 有的會爬來爬去﹑有的會呆著看其他人爬來爬去﹑有的會咿咿呀呀地叫﹑有的會抱著爸爸媽媽﹔ 藝術的美正在於百花齊放﹐而創意就是跟別人不一樣。

耳朵是關不掉的﹐無論BB選擇在聽音樂是做什麼﹐只要是安全﹐便隨他們罷!

This article is inspired by the outline of "Getting in Tune" by Zero to Three, please click here to access to the original .pdf publication.

Cycle-of-life for Toddlers

Have you ever tried talking to your toddler about life? And you may say, "What? They're too young for that!"

You think so? The more I interact with kids, the more I think they know something about life that I don't, or at least I've forgotten about. I'd like to share a cute little short film with you and your tots - yes, a film about life that I'm sure both of you would love.




If you fail to see the video above, you will find it on the website of New York International Children's Film Festival (Just for Tots page)

How Mother Goose helps Baby Massage


Baby massage has become quite popular. Even if parents do not know the massage techniques, they still enjoy touching their baby gently because they know that their babies like it. Baby massage is an intimate time between mommy/daddy and baby - baby lies down comfortably at a position where they can make eye contact with mommy/daddy (whoever's giving the massage), and they long for every touch. Although it feels vulnerable when we lie down with the tummy facing the sky, but babies know that mommy/daddy is not going to harm them - this is one of the the first steps of trust-building between parents and baby. (This can also explains why some babies do not feel comfortable lying down in a class or any other strange environment; they do not feel as secured as they are at home.)



If massage is not a pre-naptime routine for the baby, parents may move onto a series of gentle streching exercises so that babies can enjoy the fun moving their limbs and joints.



Click here to learn more about the benefits of infant massage and how it help babies grow (source from Infant Massage USA) .



Some parents choose to play gentle music during massage and more up-beated music during exercises. Even better, some parents would sing a song or speak a rhyme when they play with their babies - this is when the Mother Goose Rhymes can come into play. Since it's a collection of English rhymes from quite long time ago, there exists some old English. (e.g. Bow wow wow, who's dog art thou...) Although the content is suitable for children, I feel that it is not the best resource for speech training for older children. So I guess these rhymes are meant to be read by adults to children.



Please click here for the complete collection of Mother Goose Rhymes in alphabetical order



Even if you consider yourself as not so musical, it is quite easy to speak the rhymes to a steady beat. Since I've shared with you earlier on how babies like steady beat, it's musical and fun while parents accompany massage and exercises with songs and rhymes.



If you're not familiar with Mother Goose rhymes, I can share with you 10 of my personal favorites:



1) Baa baa black sheep

2) Dickory, dickory dare

3) Diddle diddle dumpling

4) Hey diddle diddle

5) Jack and Jill

6) Jack be nimble

7) Little boy blue

8) Oh dear! What can the matter be?

9) Ride a cock-horse

10) Wee willie winkie



There's another Mother Goose website I'd recommend. The page design is not great (and it has non-stop music accompanying it, which makes the homepage quite annoying) , but if you browse around you can find some downloadable games (with Mother Goose rhymes themes) and printable resources, which are suitable for older children. Click here if you'd like to explore it.

On Youtube, there is a series (9 in total) of Mother Goose Cartoons which includes the melodies of many tunes. Here is the first video of the nine.

Music in the first 3 years

"Getting in Tune" is my favorite publications by Zero to Three; I recommend it to ALL parents. It talks about the musical development of babies and how music and movement relate to bonding and creativity development.

幼兒與藝術

我很鼓勵家長送小朋友上畫班或手工藝班。即使是未懂走路的小孩子﹐他們正出於一個觸角非常敏感的階段﹔父母可以開始讓他們碰碰顏料﹑膠水﹑泥膠等不同物料。

其實坊間很多幼兒藝術班正為孩子提供這接觸藝術的機會。但每當我看到街上那些剛剛懂走路的小孩一臉茫然捧著他們的“製成品”﹐我都會覺得奇怪。他們拿著的可能是一隻用紙碟製成的小雞﹑一架用“廁紙筒”造的私家車﹐甚至是一隻跟他們身高差不多的海洋生物。我們都知道﹐這些製成品只是滿足成年人的道具 - 兩三歲的小孩子需要的不是一件製成品.

藝術是一種反映人們對世界的認知的渠道﹐對小孩子亦然。幼兒的創作不需要原因﹑不需要結果﹑更不需要方法。紙碟和小雞﹑廁紙筒和車﹐在小孩子眼內可能根本沒有直接的關係﹔這些製成品只反映成年人的創意(而且是不高的創意)。你放一張白紙﹑一些顏色筆在孩子 面前﹐他們會認真地畫﹐他們要一筆一筆地證明顏色筆與白紙的關係﹔說到這裡﹐你還會覺得他畫什麼還是重點嗎﹖你給小孩子一支漿糊筆﹑一些紙碎﹐他們會併命地黏啊黏﹔當我看到他們的那種專注﹐我便知道他們不是為造一隻水母而黏 - 可能他們正嘗試記下那黏黏的感覺啊!我怎好意思打擾他們。

按捺不住的通常是成年人。我們看到自己的孩子漫無目的地畫畫﹑搓泥膠和剪貼﹐便會開始覺得納悶﹔我們會提議﹕“不如我們剪個心心!”“讓媽媽教你畫粒星星!”“來﹐爸爸用泥膠造隻船給你!”小朋友這時會抬起頭來﹐歡天喜地的期待一個製成品。這一刻﹐雖然技術上的訓練繼續﹐但明顯地﹐創意便要停止﹔他們要學習複製和同意大眾對藝術的認知 (花是怎樣﹑船是怎樣)。這不是很可悲嗎?

近來我在看一本有關創意藝術的書﹐其中一章有關視覺藝術。我們都知道﹐在幼兒教育裡﹐過程比結果重要﹐但在視覺藝術的範疇﹐老師與家長都能做到以下幾點嗎﹖ (Edwards, p.165)

1) 收起所有填色活動﹐只供應白紙。
2) 準備材料時不複印。
3) 不提供一個給孩子“跟著做”的模型。
4) 不提供一套給孩子“跟著做”的步驟。
5) 只提供原材料和一個適合創作的環境。
6) 讓孩子按自己的速度創作。
7) 創作的過程中﹐不刷掉或丟掉孩子的任何製品。(我們沒有資格去判斷那些值得或不值得留下)

因為成年人的世界通常看重結果﹐所以要做到以上幾點其實很難。家長們會為那隻紙碟小雞而驕傲﹐但不懂得看著一堆漿糊和碎紙給適當的反映。書裡又指出一些“Inappropriate Approaches for Talking about Art"﹐換言之﹐我們有時候會幼稚地作出一些對孩子創作的言論和舉動。所以老實和家長要留意以下幾點﹕

1) 不要在開始創作前問小孩子他們要造什麼﹖(幼兒通常不會事前計劃到自己製成品的模樣)
2) 不要問他們要用什麼顏色。
3) 看著他們的製成品﹐不要告訴他們你覺得是什麼。(我們其實通常估錯﹐但他們無論如何都會點頭和應)
4) 不要介意製成品的整潔程度。(因為它跟創意是沒有直接關係的。要他們整潔﹐我們可能已犧牲了某程度的創意)

很難。我看完這幾點﹐便覺得這是對成年人的大挑戰。如果不問他們要畫什麼﹑不問他們畫了什麼﹐家長和老師還可以說什麼﹖

然後﹐我恍然大悟﹐關鍵就是成年人的說話 - 我們太多言了!孩子從來沒有問我們應該要畫什麼﹑沒有問我們覺得他畫的是什麼。他們需要的可能只是一句﹕“那是用顏色筆畫的嗎﹖一定很好玩!”或者“這作品真漂亮!”

文字和言語只會為創意加上不必要的註釋。當孩子創作時﹐請尊重他們﹑讓他們沉醉在他們所認識的藝術世界罷!他們才兩三歲﹐未來能跟他們欣賞藝術﹑談創意的日子還很漫長呢!

Reference:

Edwards, L. (2010). The Creative Arts - A Process Approach for Teachers and Children (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Click here to see young children's 5 stages of drawing and writing (From Zero to Three)

To my dear little friends

那次不辭而別﹐令我到今天仍然耿耿于懷。

小朋友﹐我們彼此認識一年多了 - 那即是你們的大半生。我看著你們成長﹔從爬行到蹦蹦跳跳﹑從呀呀學語到懂得主動跟我說早晨﹑從愛哭變成主動...有幾個甚至在媽媽的肚子裡面已經聽過我的聲音 - 大概這就是緣份罷﹖

沒有工作的星期六早上﹐感覺很清閒﹔對於一星期裡面﹐終於有一天可以睡晚一點﹑星期五晚上我終於可以晚點回家﹐我是感恩的 - 畢竟那是我過去兩年來都未享受過的生活啊!但是﹐到現在我仍然會在每個星期六早上想你們一遍﹕

Sabrina仍然像從前般害羞﹑常常躲在爸爸身後跟老師玩捉迷藏嗎﹖
Audrey依舊會一走進課室便大聲跟大家說聲哈囉嗎﹖
Jay還是一樣喜歡站在圈圈中間表演跳舞嗎﹖
Christopher還常常用那殺死人的眼神望著老師嗎﹖
Elena那“招牌”的扭屁股舞步有沒有進步啊﹖
Alby還是一樣愛跳跳跳﹐而且通常在下課前十分鐘便開始問“走得未”嗎﹖
Magdelene大概已當了姐姐罷﹖
Mason仍然愛團團轉直到暈得倒在地上嗎﹖
嘉嘉與Charlotte﹐你們有否繼續大聲唱歌啊!
HeiLoi還會因為爸爸在上課途中離開班房而發脾氣嗎﹖
Newton 已經長大了不少﹐相信你仍舊喜歡跟爸爸媽媽跳舞。
Sophie還是一如既往那樣有性格和愛觀察嗎﹖
Andrea依舊愛笑嗎﹖
Samantha走路時大概已經不用把雙手舉起來平衡罷﹖(雖然那是超可愛的動作)
Justin還有機會與老師在鋼琴上合奏嗎﹖

我想過﹐直接在fb直接稱呼他們的名字是否侵犯了這班朋友的私隱﹔但我細想﹐這堆名字對別人來說只是一般的英文名字。只有我與一小部份家長知道他們是誰。

我從來都不需要這份工作﹐父母也奇怪我為什麼要找一份教Playgroup的兼職 - 我大可到小學當全職老師﹐不用跑跑跳跳﹐比較容易。我跟我的爸爸說﹐我最喜歡教一歲半到三歲的小孩子﹔而我從他們的身上亦學到最多。

這個年紀的小朋友最需要鍛煉大小肌肉的協調。令我最深刻的是每個小朋友學習跳起這動作。他們都愛"jump"但不能jump。每次嘗試﹐他們都用盡全力﹐用雙腳把小小的身軀撐起 - 其實沒有跳起﹐但卻一臉滿足﹔像要告訴父母和老師﹕”看我多棒!”上完四十五分鐘的課後﹐他們都會很累﹐那是因為他們每一分鐘都全力以赴 - 就算是躺在地上看星星的環節﹐他們也認真地看﹑仔細地聽。看著他們﹐你叫我們當老師的怎好意思鬆懈一刻﹖如果給少了1%的投入﹐我也覺得欠了他們!

從他們身上得到最大的得著便是學會了坦誠的信任就是最大的愛﹐你看小孩子多快樂!那是因為他們最懂得愛。他們相信老師﹐所以留心地聽﹑認真地學。老師令他們明白世界﹐所以他們不會吝惜下課前給老師一個擁抱。父母告訴我﹐下課後我給他們在手背上蓋上小小的印﹐他們可以樂上一天﹐甚至一星期 - 我知道我要特別留意一些微不足道的小節﹐因為最不起眼的時可能最令孩子快樂和驕傲。

我喜歡小小的孩子﹔我知道他們也喜歡我。有人想知道秘訣在那兒 - 是我的教學法嗎﹖是我的聲線運用嗎﹖我說﹐秘訣根本不在我這邊﹔課堂上的好表演其實是滿足父母對好老師的期望 - 那不過是要達成成年人世界的規則﹐ 所以一點也不難。小朋友其實最挑剔直接﹔當內容不合心意﹐他們會不留情面地走開﹐不會對你做戲。這些小小的孩子﹐雖然不諳用語言表達自己﹐甚至肢體語言都有限﹐但不知怎地﹐他們很會令你知道他們的要求。所以無論什麼年紀的小孩子﹐我都十分尊重他們。

要突然離開你們﹐我是十萬個不願意。我可以肯定﹐你們長大以後一定不會記得我﹔雖然如此﹐我希望你們會好好保存那顆音樂的種籽 - 有機會的話﹐要讓它發芽成長啊!

BBC Health - Baby recognizes mother's tunes

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2125207.stm

BBC-Parenting has quite a good archive on music and babies. This is an easy-to-read article for those mommies and daddies who are interested in finding out more about this topic.



Playing PEEKABOO seriously

Mommy-and-me music is a nice short article that gets parents thinking about what kind of musical games should you play with your children at different ages. Sometimes, adults overlook; games seem pointless and boring to us usually has great educational values behind.

I like using the "peek-a-boo" game as an example. Come on, we all know that i...t's not the most exciting game in the world, but we wouldn't say "no" when the 8-12 months old ask to play it over and over again. Why is this game SO fascinating to babies? What's the point behind this game?

Research says -
Object permanence refers to "one of an infant’s most important accomplishments: understanding that objects and events continue to exist, even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched" (Santrock, 2000).

So everytime when I play peekaboo, I do it seriously - I'd never go pick up the phone or leave in the middle of a hiding game or else babies would be totally confused.

Here is a website, called Kneebouncers, in which you can find interactive online games that are user-friendly for toddlers. (which is quite rare) Certainly, you can find "peekaboo" (named "peekabouncer" in the site)~Enjoy.
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