In the first few years of your child’s life, you’ve been exposing him to music by singing songs and dancing to music together. Now that he’s approaching four years old, your child looks forward to music as a regular part of his life. He may sing a song as he plays with his toys or sing a clean-up song as he puts them away. If you were to ask him, he could probably tell you whether a song was fast or slow or if a person’s voice was high or low. He may ask you to sing or play his favorite songs and clap or march along to the beat. He may even make up his own song! At this age, many children also enjoy playing simple instruments along with music, such as a whistle, kazoo, drum, or shaker.

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your child the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Play Tips:

How can you support your child’s development of this Music Appreciation and Creation skill at this age? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Keep a collection of simple instruments available. During music time, encourage your child to play along with the music. Demonstrate how you can use an instrument to play to the beat of the song. If you know the key of a song, a harmonica in the matching key will never be out of tune and makes a fun way for a child to contribute to the song!
2. Make some simple instruments together. It’s easy to make a variety of shakers out of household materials. Use small plastic containers (such as single serving yogurt containers) and fill each one with a different material. For example, you could use rice for one, beans for another, and buttons for a third. Once filled, tape the lid tightly with packing or duct tape. Now test out your shakers and ask your child about the different sounds they make based on what they are filled with.
3. Take your child to see live music. You don’t have to go to a concert hall or a late night show to hear live music; check your community calendar to see what’s going on locally. Many libraries have a children’s musical program, whether regularly or as a special event. Summer can be a good time to find live music. Farmers’ markets like to have music as an added incentive for shoppers, and some communities have concerts in parks. When attending a live performance, point out the different instruments to your child. Ask him questions, such as what he thinks about the song, does he have any of the instruments at home, or which instrument is his favorite. It’s okay if he can’t sit still–encourage him to dance, march, or clap his hands!

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your child the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Music Appreciation and Creation developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Sings a song from memory (e.g. Itsy Bitsy Spider).
• Uses simple instruments to produce sounds and rhythms.

• About
• Latest Posts

Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

Latest posts by Playful Bee (see all)

• Have a Super Fortune Cookie Friday! - February 9, 2018
• All Kinds of Shapes: Your Child Is Learning Simple Shapes, and Drawing Them Too! - November 13, 2017
• Fishing for Sneakers: Create your own Hand-Eye Coordination Fun - November 11, 2017