Little Hands Programs
0 - 1 1/2 (Infants)
For children newborn up to 17 months, Little Hands classes for infants incorporate the most current research on early childhood development and provide families a special place for learning and connecting with other parents and babies through music and movement. Your baby is learning every waking moment. Capture the magic of music and movement to help them learn and build their bond with you. Learn about what your child is GROWING through and discover how to help them grow in musical ways. Singing, playing baby-safe instruments, bounces and dances will be fun for BOTH of you. The fifteen minutes before the stated class time, as well as fifteen minutes after the 30-minute structured time are available to families for non-rushed coming and going, as well as getting to know each other time. Learn some baby signs along the way and explore a variety of props and instruments, as well as songs, poems and dances for children from around the globe. Instruments, books, and music available at class for your use at home. This is a unique experience of sound and motion that is delight-FULL!
Infant Massage and Music
Little Hands celebrates its “Littlest Hands” in a 12 week class for infants 6 weeks to pre-crawling age that begins with infant massage and progressively integrates music and movement experiences.
Come join us as we celebrate some of baby’s firsts - first massage, first play a long, first circle dance, and first exercise!
In the first 4 weeks of class, learn to calm and soothe your baby through infant massage. Infant Massage is a wonderful way to experience the way your baby communicates with you. With the nurturing touch of Infant Massage, you and your baby may feel more relaxed. Research also shows that babies who are massaged: may sleep deeper and longer, spend more time active and alert for learning, increase bonding and attachments to their parents, and improve elimination.
After learning the Infant Massage techniques, babies will experience the many benefits of music and movement for their development. Interactive music classes give babies a strong foundation in social interaction, coping skills, motor development and much more.
In addition in each class, there will be a time for discussion. This is a great opportunity to develop relationships with other parents in the class. Discussion topics will include benefits of massage, reading your baby's cues, integrating massageand music into your baby's routine and more.
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1 1/2 - 3 1/2 (Toddlers)
Little Hands toddler programs bring you and your child together in a magical time of play, song and movement! Be part of an engaging musical world while building confidence, self-control and communications skills. Singing, imitating sounds, rhyming and object identification foster language skills. Creative movement to various musical moods develops a sense of balance, timing and spatial awareness. Listening and turn-taking encourage blossoming social skills.
Children and parents meet weekly for a 30-minute class and enjoy singing, moving, listening, and playing simple specially designed instruments. Language skills are fostered with singing, sound imitation, and vocal play; book and story telling encourage emergent literacy skills; and creative dancing affirms a child's urge to move. This is a 12-week program in Fall and Spring sessions, as well as shorter 5 or 6-week programs in the late-spring and summer.
Little Hands Make Music
Little Hands Make Music is a fun and developmentally appropriate music and movement enrichment program for child care centers and preschools. We can tailor this program to meet the needs of your center or preschool. Classes are taught by our professional and experienced staff, who are all trained early childhood music educators. We offer materials to extend our fun and learning to your home.
Please feel free to contact us about providing classes at your Center or School! Little Hands Make Music classes can be tailored to the Center curricula or Preschool themes. Information and materials are also provided for parents to continue the activities at home.
3-5 year olds
Pre-schoolers are ready and able to embark on a musical journey of discovery and exploration…a journey limited only by the power of imagination. Pretend play activities are integrated with music, vocal development, storytelling, movement and literature to capture your child's potential to learn and to encourage cognitive and literacy skills, creativity and individuality, as well as musical readiness.
Little Hands classes are designed for active, energetic, enthusiastic, and imaginative 3- and 4-year-olds and encourage socialization, sharing, and participating in group activities. Singing becomes a focus for enhancing the preschooler's vocal development as her expressive language is just beginning to emerge. Parents are invited to participate in the last 10 minutes for Sharing Time of the 45-minute class.
4 1/2 - 6 year olds
Little Hands classes for this age group provide a pressure-free, developmentally appropriate transition to musically succeed before taking on more formal instruction. Classes provide the opportunity to explore voice development, rhythm, notation, musical symbols and authentic pitched instruments.
Young Musicians helps every child develop a confident, joyful voice for singing and speaking as well as essential building blocks for a future of learning. Designed for children ages 4½ through 6 years, classes meet once a week for 60 minutes. Students explore many facets of the musical experience-speaking, singing, moving, dancing, listening, creating and playing instruments, as well as learning about reading and writing music. Young Musicians broadens and deepens the child's introduction to musicianship and prepares them for future instrumental lessons.
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5 1/2 - 7 year olds
Students continue their music-making journey with further skill-building on pitched instruments just right for little hands. Musical note reading and writing as well as expanded knowledge of meter, form and musical styles engage students in the process of music-making. Dance and movement, hands on ensemble skill and learning about famous composers make this integrated experience unforgettable. Students and families end the year with a Graduation Celebration! This is a group class that teaches lots of skill while encouraging enjoyment of the art of music-making.