Week of July 13, 2015

 
BABY DOLL CIRCLE TIME
 
This week in music class the children adored “Baby Doll Circle Time!”
I’ve been having fun with baby dolls and infant songs in music class for some time, but in recent years, I’ve combined the fun activity with an underpinning of Conscious Discipline’s Baby Doll Circle Time program. This method is wonderful because not only do the children enjoy singing and playing with babies, something amazing happens while they are doing so: they relive special moments from their own childhood, and recall bonding activities with parents, caregivers and teachers. You can see this process happening with each child as they think about what songs and nurturing activities to do with their baby!
Much of baby doll circle time is child-led. Not only do we observe what they are doing (“Look! You’re making your baby jump up and down. Let’s all try that!”), we also suggest fingerplays and songs that mean something to them. Many children from our activity today suggested songs or games from their own personal experiences, and I have no doubt that, while they were enjoying the fun with their doll, they were reliving the experience with a parent or caregiver in their own mind, strengthening that bond once more.
Even the schoolagers enjoyed baby doll circle time (no matter how much they tried to act uninterested, haha!) and our school age group also used their xylophones with rhythm practice.
It is a truly amazing process and also one that happens to be a total blast! From brainstorming what we know about “baby facts” to soothing, rocking and cuddling, Baby Doll Circle Time is a huge hit! Don’t miss the opportunity to ask your child about it while the memory is still fresh in their head!
Check out the videos and pictures below, as well as your weekly extender questions. Happy Tuesday! =)













 
The three year old's list

 
The four year old's list




 























 
The schoolager's list
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD
 
1. What did your baby do at baby doll circle time? (Did it go up in the air? Did it jump? Was your baby crying?
 
2. What do you know about babies?
 
3. (For school aged children): Did you solo on your xylophone? What does solo mean?