Hello, Music Makers!

Yesterday we talked about a simple and effective way to help infants develop steady beat. Today we'll look at one song that will help your toddler develop his or her inner pulse as well.

How to Keep the Beat with Toddlers

This age finds patting (patting the legs, patting the floor) the easiest motor activity. If your child is having trouble clapping his or her hands, change the lyrics to "pat" instead of "clap".

For younger toddlers, or if you want stationary movement, I recommend adding in verses such as:

"Pat, pat, pat your knees"
"Touch, touch, touch your ears"
"Pat, pat, pat your head"
"Touch, touch, touch your nose"

Etc. . . Nothing is too simple!

To add in some more movement, try out lyrics like:

"Stomp, stomp, stomp your feet"
"Wave, wave, wave your arms"
"Jump, jump, jump around"
"Slide, slide, side to side" (bonus: tongue twister!)

Again, nothing is too simple.

And Now We Sing:

When you listen to this recording you'll notice that I've only sung the main verse for you but that the piano keeps playing. That is so you can sing with your toddler by yourself and make up your own verses.

Your Song Library

Also, be sure to print off the lyrics and sheet music to start building your own song library. Take notes on these pages so you remember what verses your toddler especially loved!