Which Kindermusik Class is Best for My Child?

One of the many strengths of the Kindermusik philosophy is its focus on the different developmental needs of each stage of childhood. Each level is designed to give your child the most appropriate, most stimulating environment to nurture their developmental needs. We celebrate and explore each age rather than rush forward, coaxing forth the joy and creativity in each individual child and respecting their unique pattern and pace in growing up.

Since Kindermusik addresses the development of the whole child, there are certain ages at which you may wonder which of the Kindermusik curricula best suits your child’s age and stage. It is necessary for us to indicate age levels to guide you, but there is flexibility in certain age spans which overlap curricula. Our “transitional stages” (18-20 months, 3 to 3 ½ years, and 5 years) are points at which you and I can help your child by deciding which level would be most beneficial and appropriate. Ask yourself some important questions. Which of these levels will my child thrive in, rather than just being able to get along in? Am I considering my child’s pleasure and emotional development as much as their cognitive development? Is my child eager for added independence and challenges, or are they most delighted by sharing special time with me to help guide and support them?

Transitioning from Village to Our Time

For those of you trying to decide whether to enroll your child for Village (ages birth to 18 months) or Our Time (ages 18 months to 3 ½ years), here are some milestones that may indicate your child is ready to move up. (Please note that the parent is present for the entire class during both Village and Our Time)

• Improved walking skills; beginning to explore a variety of movements, such as running and jumping
• Uses gestures and language to deal with frustration, as opposed to just crying or whining
• Sustains interest and attention in an activity for several minutes
• Follows two-step directions (for example, “Come get a scarf and take it back to Mommy.”)
• Reliably responds to own name
• Shows interest in what other children are doing and imitates others’ activities
• Recognizes and responds to familiar songs and rhymes

Transitioning from Our Time to Imagine That!

For those of you trying to decide whether to enroll your child for Our Time (ages 18 months to 3 ½ years) or Imagine That! (ages 3 ½ to 5 years), here are some developmental signs that he or she may be ready to move up. (Please note that while the parent is present for the entire Our Time class, families normally attend only the last 15 minutes of Imagine That! classes.)

• Feels more secure in group settings
• Separates from adult without crying
• Recognizes the needs of another person and can be empathetic
• Is developing patience (for example, can accept “She is playing the wood block, and you can have the tambourine right now.”)
• Knows his or her gender
• Does simple matching games; recognizes basic shapes like triangle, circle and square; recognizes basic colors like red, yellow, blue
• Thinks creatively (for example, has moved from “What animals do you know?” to “What animals might we see in our pretend tree?”)
• Relates a series of activities or tells stories; loves silly and nonsense words
• Is developing abstract language and thought; can sustain a pretend play and enjoy developing an idea for up to 5 minutes or more
• Has a broad movement vocabulary, and can explore the same movement in diverse ways (for example, “What other parts of your body can twirl?”)
• Recites simple rhymes and sings simple songs independently

Transitioning from Imagine That! to Young Child

Kindermusik for the Young Child realizes the developmental leap to a school-age child. Musically, it is the culmination of all that has come before; in addition to movement, instrumental play, singing, and creating, students in Young Child classes begin to learn musical notation (note and rhythmic), and begin learning to play a melody instrument, the glockenspiel. We strongly recommend that the step to Young Child classes be made by children who are entering Kindergarten, rather than those who are still in preschool. Here are some milestones that may indicate your child is ready for the next step:

• Exhibits self confidence and reliability in a classroom or group situation
• Has basic pre-reading skills (for example, understands that writing moves from left to right, and from the top of the page down)
• Is developing fine motor control (for example, reproduces shapes and letters, enjoys puzzles, games, and drawing)
• Follows directions reliably, can participate in an activity with groups doing different things simultaneously
• Is developing abstract thinking skills (for example, can answer questions such as “How do you think a composer can make music sound like birds?”)
• Can sing entire songs, and is developing a good sense of pitch
• Is eager to learn, and is developing the ability to work independently for short periods toward a set goal
• Is ready to begin understanding concepts of practice, proper handling of an instrument, and playing a tune as opposed to exploring ways of creating sound on an instrument

Please remember is that there is no rush. The important thing is that both you and your child enjoy your time with the rest of the class. If you would like to talk to me about this, just give me a call or email, or we can visit before/after class.