A Yearlong Music Curriculum for Kids

I try to post about a variety of subjects here to inspire different kinds of learning with kids, but I think this is the first time I’ve posted something about music.

Every Star is Different shares her yearlong music curriculum, and I really like her ideas. All her kids are learning piano, and she has a musical concept to focus on each month (such as scales, opera, marching band, etc.) and a musical for the kids to watch each month (starting with Newsies, so you know it’s going to be good).

I love this idea even if you aren’t developing a full curriculum for your kids. It’s a great idea to mindfully introduce them to different kinds of music, different styles — though this is mostly classical — and a range of musicals to help them understand the range of music that is out there.

Do you do anything to teach your kids about music? We listen to jazz on Sunday mornings, but that’s about it. I’d love to hear your ideas.

[Photo via Every Star is Different.]There are lot’s of music learning resources available online too. Check out these Music games and Learning tools and Music Learning Flash Cards.

I did a post earlier this year with activities and ideas for teaching the alphabet, but a lot or learning letters and recognizing them just has to do with seeing them and working with them a lot.

That means coloring, tracing, identifying things that start with different letters and more.

One way to reinforce the letters is through little activity books like these cute printable alphabet books from Life Over Cs.

These are available for free when you subscribe to her newsletter, and I’d say that’s well worth it if you have a little one (or a group of little ones!) working on the alphabet and letter recognition.

Each mini book includes a collection of things that start with that letter to color, color and read with words that start with the letter, tracing the letter, finding the letter in a grid and other coloring pages with objects that start with that letter.

These little books are super useful reinforcing the different letters and giving kids different activities related to the letters.

If you do a letter of the day or letter of the week you can use a new book for each one, and then keep the copies in your reading center or in a basket where kids can look at them again.

And of course you can add in all the other letter activities you like, go on a scavenger hunt for items that start with that letter, read alphabet books, practice writing letters in rice or with pompoms or playdough or whatever sensory activities you like.

You can grab the free printables when you enter you email address at Life Over Cs, and check out her other great alphabet resources and activities while you are over there.

Do you have favorite activities for teaching letters to kids? I’d love to hear about them!

[Photo: Life Over Cs]

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