• We move a lot. Come in comfortable clothes. We leave our shoes at the door and do class in bare or sock feet.
• Music class is very much a “Parent and Me” time. Throughout the course of the class there will be activities that your child will do in your lap or sitting beside you. There will also be times that I will invite the children to do something independently if they wish. Many toddlers enjoy doing some things “all by themselves”.
• Feel free to a arrive a couple minutes early to get your bearings. The other parents usually enjoy chatting a few minutes beforehand and there are a few toys and instruments out that the children are free to explore.
• Throughout class I model the activities for you (the parent/caregiver). It is normal for your child to not participle fully their first time to class. Many children need time to observe before they are comfortable in new environments. Even if they don’t seem to be fully engaged they are still learning and they are watching how you interact closely.
• Toddlers are very busy. For their safety, do not let them run unless they are holding your hand. Sometimes there is the child who feels a little extra squirrelly and wants to go wandering. This is fine as long as they aren’t disturbing the other children or touching things that aren’t appropriate. Feel free to get up and wander with them a few minutes before reengaging them in the activity.
• Everyone at class understands that all toddlers have bad days sometimes. If your child has a fit that is disrupting or distracting the class please step out of the room to calm down a minute and then come back in. You want to give your child the opportunity to succeed after falling apart, so please, don’t feel shy about coming back into class.
• Babies and toddlers learn by watching. Since you (as the parent) are their first and most important role model, as the caregiver, be engaged in the class and model what I am doing for your child. Save phones & adult conversation until class is finished. Class is meant to be a special time with your child, phones & conversations are distracting to the children, the parents and myself as I teach.
• Do not leave until class in finished
For parents with babies: • Babies obviously participate in a different way than the toddlers do. They still have an amazing capacity to learn music and are absorbing everything they hear. When I have the toddlers tap their laps, you might tap your baby gently with your hands. When we walk, you might put your child on the floor and “walk” their legs or pick them up and walk with them. When the toddlers dance, it will probably be most fitting to hold your child and move to the music together.