Easy Listening
Prep: 15 Minutes | Activity Time: 5 Minutes
Enchant your baby with sound, color and movement as you play together with a simple, homemade musical instrument. Learning to focus on sounds helps pave the way for later accomplishments in phonological awareness, and that鈥檚 important for future reading and spelling skills.
- Cylinder-shaped container with a lid听
- About one cup of uncooked macaroni or dry beans听
- Colored construction or craft paper听
- 厂肠颈蝉蝉辞谤蝉听
- Double-sided tape听
Preparation
Step 1: 鈥Gather a clean, empty cylinder-shaped container (an empty, clean coffee can works well for this activity).
Step 2:鈥 Create a simple musical instrument by covering the container using brightly colored or patterned paper. You can use double-sided tape to attach the paper.鈥
Step 3:鈥 Fill about 录 of the container with uncooked macaroni, pasta or beans.
Step 4:鈥 Place the lid on the container and secure with tape.
听
Activity
Step 1:鈥While your baby is awake, alert and happily resting in his infant seat, swing or stroller, get his attention by showing him the decorated container. Talk to your baby as he is focusing on the object. You might say:
"Look what I have! Look at the pretty colors! There鈥檚 red, and black too."
Step 2:鈥鈥疓ently shake the container to make sound.鈥痀ou might see your baby respond by smiling or opening his eyes wide. Respond to your baby by commenting on his reaction. You might say:
"You heard the sound! Let鈥檚 listen again."鈥(Gently shake the container.)鈥"There it is again! I heard it too."
Step 3:鈥鈥疢ove the container toward either side of your baby, gently shake it again and watch as he turns his head to locate the sound. Be sure to continuously comment on his reactions. You might say:
"Yay!" (baby鈥檚 name) "You heard the sound again! Let鈥檚 listen, where is it now?"鈥(If the sound frightens your baby and he begins to cry, discontinue the activity and try again another time.)
Step 4:鈥鼵ontinue moving the 鈥渕usical鈥 container toward the opposite direction, allowing your baby to listen and focus on the sound. Be sure that the musical object remains within his sight.
Step 5:鈥As your baby begins to spend more time on his tummy, try placing the 鈥渕usical鈥 container on the floor in front of your baby and gently roll it, creating a sound. Comment on your baby鈥檚 excitement by describing what he hears and sees.