Enhancing Your Child’s Literacy Skills Through Music Lessons

When your child enrolls in music classes, they won’t just learn how to play an instrument. In addition to getting the hang of playing the drums, piano, or guitar, or even improving their singing voice, they can also strengthen their literacy skills! Improved literacy is just one surprising benefit of in-person music lessons. From Little Fox Drumming, here’s how taking music lessons can also help your child grow as a reader and writer, especially if you make time to support their practice and create a space for their music at home.

Create Space for Growth

By allowing your child to practice music, you carve out space for their artistic and intellectual growth. It’s an indication that you take their creative development seriously. It’s important to create time and space for these pursuits, even if you’re busy. To further support this positive environment, consider incorporating the Native American practice of smudging with sage into your routine. This ancient ritual, used to cleanse a space of negative energy, can create a serene and focused atmosphere, ideal for creative endeavors like music. Smudging involves burning sage and allowing the smoke to permeate the space, believed to help clear negative vibes and promote a sense of peace and clarity.

Establish a Multi-Purpose Practice Space

With access to a multi-purpose space at home, your child will always have the ability to work on their musical skills. You can set up an area in your home office, attic, or basement for your child to practice! Enhancing this space with culturally significant decorations like dreamcatchers can also add a serene and inspiring ambiance. Dreamcatchers, with their Native American origins, are not just beautiful adornments but also carry a deep cultural importance. They are traditionally used to protect individuals from negative dreams and energies, making them a thoughtful addition to your child’s practice space. Their presence can create a more peaceful environment, ideal for concentration and creativity in music practice.

Improving Your Child’s Concentration Abilities

Music lessons will help your child focus more easily on any task, which is especially useful when they’re reading or studying! Twelve Tone Music School states that practicing an instrument or even listening to classical music can boost children’s cognitive functioning in numerous ways, including increasing their alertness, ability to tune out distractions, memory recall, and attention to detail.

Phonological Awareness

According to Kindermusik, the term “phonological awareness” refers to the ability to identify and use phonemes, or individual sounds, in your speech. Phonological awareness is a crucial aspect of language development for young children, and music lessons can help promote this skill. As your child participates in music lessons, they’ll get better at picking out and manipulating individual sounds.

Integrate Music and Literacy

You can find ways to bring music and literacy together. For example, as your child learns to play their favorite songs, you can discuss the lyrics together and choose their favorite lines. You can also encourage them to write their very own songs! You might be pleasantly surprised by what they come up with.

Creative Inspiration

Overall, taking music lessons can prompt your child to explore their creativity through other mediums, too. Perhaps your child’s interest in drumming or playing piano leads to a curiosity about taking singing lessons or dance classes. As their musical skills improve, they might gain the confidence to express themselves in different art forms. One day, your child may want to write poetry or even become an author!

Music lessons can help your child expand their skill set in unexpected ways. Once your child starts learning how to play an instrument, they can also become a stronger reader. By including your child’s lessons as a non-negotiable commitment in your schedule and designing a home practice space for them, you can encourage their passion for music.

When it comes to nurturing a love for music and unlocking the hidden talents within your children, Little Fox early childhood drumming incursions stand out as a premier choice. With a holistic approach to drumming, our sessions offer a unique learning environment that focuses on drumming for fun and providing a positive learning experience. Visit us online to learn more!

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Indoor activities to do when you can’t go outside

As an educator or homeschool parent, it’s up to you to come up with a variety of fun and educational indoor activities for the students in your charge. But it’s not always easy, and sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate when you’d rather take your learning endeavours outdoors. Today’s post shares a few activities that will educate, entertain, and enlighten the most curious of minds.

Schedule a drumming incursion.

While you can’t always predict the weather days or weeks in advance, if you know you’re coming into the rainy or hot season, plan at least one indoor early childhood drumming incursion. Drumming is not only fun, but Frederick Little Fox also teaches children how to coexist with one another through the power of music.

Create a custom trivia game.

Everybody loves trivia, and there are a limitless number of questions you might ask preschool-age students. Your questions can even tie into what you are learning. If you’re working on math, for example, create a trivia question about the height of characters or celebrities (choose someone universally loved, such as Yoda, to appeal to everyone). Not sure how tall the tiny Jedi is – there is a website for that.

Tie-dye T-shirts.

Tie dying is one of the most iconic forms of garment decoration out there, and it’s easier (and less messy) than you think. To get started, choose a T-shirt. Instructables recommends 100% cotton or other natural fibres since the dye only bonds to these and not synthetics. Let the kids put their rubber bands anywhere they want on the shirt, or follow the instructions linked above to create the rainbow pattern that’s long been associated with tie-dyed T-shirts.

Recreate famous artworks.

There are many famous artworks that have lots of history and stories behind them. The Mona Lisa, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and Starry Night by da Vinci, Vermeer, and van Gogh, respectively, top the list. A few canvases and some acrylic paint are all you need to re-create these famous works of art.

Prepare lunch together.

Even if you don’t have access to a kitchen (or if children are not allowed around knives and an oven), there are many ways that you can use the process of cooking to strengthen math, English, and problem-solving skills. Illustrative Mathematics shows how measuring cups can be used creatively for a lesson on fractions that even young children will understand.

Tips for Work at Home and Homeschool Parents

  • Plan your schoolwork and activities at least a week ahead of time. If something comes up with work and you can’t be present, make sure that you have a backup plan in the form of curriculum-related videos or activities that your children can complete independently until you’re available.
  • When the kids need your full attention, put your phone and email on auto-response, and plan to get started earlier in the day so that you can work in the later afternoon and into the evening.
  • Get together with other parents and students at least weekly. It’s easy to get into the habit of staying home, but a bad weather day is the perfect excuse to host a playdate or meet up with friends at your local library and create indoor activities that are fun and exciting.

In the end, even on rainy days, the goal is to provide kids with memorable educational experiences. Whether it’s a drumming activity or a simple game like guessing Yoda’s height, today’s indoor activities offer something for everyone. These ideas work well for both teachers and homeschooling parents working from home. Rainy-day activities create a chance for learning through play, turning indoor spaces into creative hubs. With a variety of indoor entertainment for kids, even on gloomy days, kids can have fun while learning. Whether it’s crafting, experimenting, or playing imaginative games, making the most of indoor time leads to enjoyable learning moments for educators and young learners alike.

To schedule a drumming incursion for your classroom, visit our Little Fox Drumming booking page today.

Cute Little Girl
Image via Pexels

Releasing the Winter Energy with Little Fox Drumming

Little Fox is busy during the winter in Melbourne.

And yes, winter may bring cold and dreary weather, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. At Little Fox Drumming, we specialise in turning those chilly winter months into a vibrant, rhythmic adventure for your children.

children dancing

Unleash the Energy

Children are bundles of energy, and during the winter in Melbourne, that energy can often remain untapped as outdoor playtime becomes limited. Our early childhood drumming incursions are the perfect solution. We provide an outlet for that pent-up enthusiasm, giving your kids an opportunity to express themselves and engage in a dynamic and interactive winter drumming session.

Here is what Aimee, the centre manager in Ashburton, said after Little Fox visited last month:

“Thank you so much. We had such a wonderful time. The children engaged easily with Little Fox Drumming and were very responsive to the program they provided. I don’t think I have ever seen so much enthusiasm and excitement in our children! We will look at booking again soon!”

Check out the other reviews Little Fox receives by following our reviews and testimonials page.

Your testimonial can inspire and guide others seeking a rewarding musical journey for their children. Please visit our review page here to share your thoughts.

Join the Fun

You, too, can experience the joy and enthusiasm that Little Fox Drumming brings to winter activities for kids. Don’t let winter hold your children back. If you don’t have things to do in Melbourne in the winter, our drumming incursions are not only a source of entertainment but also a valuable educational experience. We teach children about rhythm, teamwork, and the power of music in a fun and memorable way that is designed to ignite a lifelong passion for music and foster a sense of togetherness among children. Little Fox Drumming believes that winter should be a season of creativity, learning, and adventure. 

Join us today here in Melbourne, where we transform the chilly winter months into a vibrant playground of rhythmic discovery. Let your children tap into their inner drummers, and together, we’ll create unforgettable memories filled with laughter and learning. Embrace the beat and join us for a winter full of fun and exploration!

Book Today

Contact us today to book a Little Fox Drumming incursion and give your children a winter in Melbourne they’ll never forget. Let’s turn those chilly days into moments of warmth, laughter, and unforgettable beats!

Hello!

Welcome to Little Fox Drumming.

We are all aware that drumming and music is beneficial for young children. But did you know that children benefit from a lot more than just drumming when Little Fox visits?

 

The Talking Stick

Sitting in the middle of the semi-circle of children aged between 3 and 5 years old, Little Fox began the session with the Talking Stick. Intrigued and wondering when the stick would talk, the children listened carefully to whoever held the Talking Stick so they could hear everyone’s favourite animal. Anticipation was building in the circle, as some children noticed their favourite animal was also other people’s favourite, and other children were simply bursting to have their turn to share their favourite that could be perceived as obscure, creepy, crawly or even slimy!

Tracey, early childhood educator, loves the Talking Stick the children made for their group after Little Fox visited; she still uses it long after the session to encourage the children’s abilities to listen to others.

Little Fox Drumming Logo

What happens during a Little Fox Drumming incursion?

Here is Part 1 of the true Little Fox Drumming story:

In a time not so long ago, Little Fox visited a childcare centre in a quiet suburb of Melbourne.  The children were surprised when Little Fox arrived, and the excitement soon started to build when he wheeled in his drums and his big bag of other instruments and artefacts.

Sitting in the middle of the semi-circle of children aged between 3 and 5 years old, Little Fox began the session with the Talking Stick.  Intrigued and wondering when the stick would talk, the children listened carefully to whoever held the Talking Stick so they could hear everyone’s favourite animal.  Anticipation was building in the circle, as some children noticed their favourite animal was also other people’s favourite, and other children were simply bursting to have their turn to share their favourite that could be perceived as obscure, creepy, crawly, or even slimy!

Let the drumming begin! 

The children were up on their feet, dancing fast and then slowly and laughing, and becoming Australian and African animals; roaring, scratching, growling, slithering, jumping, and even standing as still as a tree.  Happiness abounded, with every child joining in and moving to the mesmerizing rhythms of Little Fox’s Native American Hoop Drums and African Djembes.

Then….. everyone took turns playing Little Fox’s drums with him and some of their friends, while the teachers and the rest of the group became the audience.  All the children loved playing in Little Fox’s groups equally as much as they loved watching their friends play with him too.  Everyone was sharing and having fun!

Many of Little Fox’s songs tell a story, and when paired with melodies that melt into the music the children often find themselves singing or humming those songs long after Little Fox has left the building.  And sometimes even days afterwards……

 

Part 2 of the true Little Fox Drumming story:

At home that evening after Little Fox Drumming came to her centre, Briana, who was almost five, sang the Mother Earth song to her mum after they finished dinner.  Briana’s dad joined in, and instead of drumming on a djembe or hoop drum, Briana and her dad clapped their hands.  Then the whole family joined in, and everyone was happy to hear what a fun day Briana had at kindergarten.  Briana drifted off to sleep that evening remembering Little Fox singing the Mother Earth song while he was playing his drum, and she felt happy.

The next day, it was almost time for Briana’s mum to go to the hospital to have her little baby brother.  Briana had waited so long for this day to arrive, and was sad that her mum was having pains in her tummy.  While they were waiting together on the couch for the right time to leave for hospital, Briana started humming the Mother Earth song because she remembered Little Fox saying it was a song that was sometimes sung at special times.  This was a special time, and her mum seemed to enjoy her singing, so she kept it up.  Briana decided to sing to her baby brother too, so she gently leaned down towards her mummy’s tummy so her brother could hear her.  Briana’s mum loved her singing so much that she said it helped her a lot while her brother was being born; there was so much love in the room.

Dane, Briana’s brother, went to the same childcare centre when he was old enough, and one day was lucky enough to also have a visit from Little Fox!  Briana and Dane’s mum knew Little Fox would appreciate their story, so she asked the staff to tell him. 

This true story is one that Little Fox will always hold dear to his heart, and it couples as evidence of Little Fox bringing much more than just drumming ♫ ♥