Montessori: Making Music | North American Montessori | St Louis
If there is one thing that unites us all, regardless of age, gender, or culture, it’s music. Children, in particular, love to dance and move to music, and they also love to create their own songs and sounds. In the Montessori classroom, music is valued and respected just as much as other subjects. That’s because music has been proven to be valuable to a child’s intellectual and emotional development. In fact, Maria Montessori believed that music is one of our most basic spiritual needs.
Song, instruments, and movement are all part of North American Montessori Child Care’s integrated approach to early childhood education—and are one of the most enjoyable parts of our day!
“… success is bound up with the need for the production of plenty of music around the child, so that there is set up an environment calculated to develop musical sense and intelligence.” — Maria Montessori, “The Discovery of the Child”
Montessori Music Ideas at Home
You don’t have to be a teacher to encourage your child through music. Here are a few suggestions for enriching your child’s life through music—and having loads of fun—Montessori style!
- Use music to help your child refine coordination. Songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” and “The Wheels on the Bus” help them master control of their bodies while they have a good time.
- Have fun with Walking on the Line activities. Tiptoeing, galloping, marching, and skipping to music builds coordination and encourages intellectual growth by helping your child to recognize the beat and tempo of music.
- Bring in the percussion. Tambourines, shakers, and drums are particularly fun for young children, and they allow them to engage their hands and bodies in a song.
- Sound Cylinders and Montessori Bells are good age-appropriate instrumental tools that help children to hone their ability to identify tones and notes.
- Listen to a variety of music at home. From classical music to songs from different parts of Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world, not only will different types of rhythms and sounds help you child’s intellectual development; it will also begin to teach them appreciation for other cultures.
- Expand the instruments. Set up a shelf at home of instruments. Harmonicas, kalimbas (thumb pianos), rainsticks, and triangles are good examples, but you’ll be surprised at how many fun options you can find!
“Music… formed part of the sacred heritage that each group…transmitted to their children.”—Mario Montessori, “Man’s Spiritual Expressions: Language and Music”
Interested in Montessori Child Care in St. Louis? Contact us today for a tour of one of our facilities!
