Before we wave goodbye to February this week, I want to remind the readers that February is International Friendship Month. I always remember what Helen Keller said about friendship: “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” Keller was deaf and blind and was a well-known educator, author and lecturer whom I truly admired. She is a source of encouragement for all of us with her faith, hope and attitude of never giving up. We can take what she said to heart, because she truly understood the value of friendship.
When children begin to discover the joy of friendship, their world opens up to new relationships and they develop socialization skills. As an early childhood teacher over the years, I have loved seeing the joy children express when they begin to make friends. A tune that I learned and like to pass on is, “Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.”
March is also recognized as Music Involvement Month as well as Sing With Your Child Month. Music is such a beautiful cross-generational activity for the young and elderly to enjoy. Children delight in music and song. When I am reading to preschool classes, I love the way we burst out in song as we sing, clap and dance out the stories.
Babies are aware of and sensitive to the rhythm, intonation and tempo of music. Studies have shown that infants can discern musical styles, and early childhood teachers observe this each day. When mothers are rocking their babies, the infant quickly recognizes their voices by smiling, gurgling and falling to sleep in peace.
When teaching and singing with toddlers, I learned quickly that they are great imitators. Toddlers love to sing songs that involve motions with their hands and feet. Preschool-age children enjoy music just for music. They are not concerned about pitch or the right key. They love to sing and hum when they’re playing and doing their little jobs as well as when we are going through the transitions of subjects or centers. Children love and respond happily to musical directions. Try this at home.
Children love to march, skip, dance and jump as they listen to music, and big smiles spread over their faces as they imitate animals. Clapping a simple rhythm helps children with comprehension and memory making. Music helps them memorize words. Don’t forget that children love to make their own homemade instruments out of paper, empty boxes and pots and pans.
On the other end of the age spectrum, the minds of my elderly friends who have forms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease come alive with the sound of music. Music is a wonderful way to enrich the quality of life for these loved ones. Although dementia and Alzheimer’s destroy a person’s ability to remember people and life experiences, the memory of music seems to survive the destruction of this disease. One thing I have closely observed in my senior friends with dementia is that even if their eyes are closed, their minds and motions come alive when we are singing. There are fun play songs that bring up significant reflections of the past for them. For caregivers, there are many different kinds of music you can play on CDs, karaoke, piano or just singing a capella. Happy memory songs also encourage clapping, toe tapping and other kinds of movement, promoting physical exercise which is needed for good health. One truth that I hear caregivers of dementia sufferers say over and over is that their loved one is “still there” and that music is one way they can connect.
On March 2, we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss, who is featured during Read Across America March 2-6 in schools, libraries and homes. As teachers and parents, this week calls on us to celebrate reading.
The first week in March is also Newspapers In Education week. Our newspapers are such valuable tools in teaching children about our community and the world. We are very blessed to have a wonderful hometown newspaper, The Observer.
March is recognized as National Optimism Month. With optimism we think of faith. Hebrews 11:1 expresses this very well: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Beth Pinyerd has taught in the early childhood classroom for many years. She holds a master’s degree in education.
