Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Get literal with baby music



photo source: fierceover50.wordpress.com
It’s true— baby music supports the development of reading and comprehension skills. Time and time again, research has shown that when parents play a baby CD for their infants and toddlers, these children benefit in multiple ways.  

For starters, it turns out that when children have a strong sense of rhythm and beat, they have an easier time learning to read—and have the potential to read very well. Very few of even the best baby toys can promise the level of entertainment and reading benefits that baby music provides.

When children listen to a baby CD, their senses are stimulated in an almost unparalleled way—simply listening helps them learn to identify patterns and sequences, which extends to several areas of academic learning. When they are a little older and start to sing along and move around to the music, then their body and ear learns to work together. This significantly boosts coordination and rhythm, while memory is improved and oral skills are enhanced. A no-brainer about baby music toys—if there is the potential for musical talents and inclination, early exposure will significantly enhance their abilities. In a sense, music can germinate and cultivate those talents, while instilling enthusiasm for the arts in general.

Musical baby books also offer another level of learning when it comes to reading. Having books sung to children helps them develop an ear for tone and enunciation while expanding their vocabulary and boosting reading comprehension skills.

The best baby toys not only keep children busy and entertained, they support a higher level of thinking and affect all areas of their growth, including intellectual, physical, social and emotional. The bottom line is, baby music CDs and other musical baby toys do exactly that—early exposure promotes creativity and social skills, as well as language development, self-confidence and memory. Few other toys can do all that!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The top 5 children’s songs



We all know that kids love to sing along with children’s songs. Haven’t you thrown many a baby CD to lull an infant or toddler to sleep? Likewise, we know the magical effect an energetic song can have on a room full of children.

The great part about baby music is that it makes learning fun for kids. They move and dance along to tunes, which will help them develop their coordination and fine motor skills, and they learn new words and their meanings. In addition, children improve their memory skills when they learn the words to their favorite children’s songs.

If you’re looking for some ideas for the perfect baby CD to give as a gift or to play for your own child, why not look for compilations that incorporate some of the universal favorites? Below are some of the all-time most requested children’s songs!

The Alphabet Song. This Sesame Street favorite offers the perfect way to teach children the alphabet as well as enhance phonemic learning.  

I’m a Little Teapot. Simple but so much fun and very interactive—remember bending over to “become” a teapot? This song promotes coordination and encourages social interaction, as it’s so much fun to form the stout and handle and pretend to pour the tea!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The lyrics are easy to remember and beneficial to memory, and the song is great for teaching rhymes.  

London Bridge is Falling Down. The double repetition employed is excellent for building memory skills. The rhyme is one of the most well- known in the world!

Old MacDonald Had a Farm. This is an undisputed classic among all forms of baby music. It’s a great vocabulary builder and helps teach children the meaning of many words, such as the animals sung about. Give this song an extra learning boost by finding a baby DVD that plays it—they’ll quickly learn to associate certain animals with their correct names, as well as the sounds they make. Where else can you easily learn about pigs, chickens and cows?  

Sunday, October 14, 2012

5 great musical baby toys

Do you have a baby shower coming up and are unsure of what type of gift you should give to the expectant parents? Musical baby toys are ideal gifts for showers, especially when the parents-to-be elect not to find out the baby’s gender in advance. When it comes to preparing for academic learning, the best baby toys will not be gender specific. Instead, they will serve to inspire learning, boost development and, of course, entertain.


Below are some of the most popular musical baby toys available, all of which make the perfect gift for the baby on the way.
  1. When it comes to musical baby books, the Baby Genius Library Pack Offer is the perfect way to ignite a child’s love of reading. Four board books filled with vivid imagery and funs songs will make a child laugh and smile, way before they can sing on their own. The four different books include The Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald had a Farm, 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bus and 1, 2, 3 Little Elephants.
  2. A great baby CD filled with the best children’s songs is The Best of Baby Genius. Featuring 20 songs infused with fun-filled rhymes and rhythms, young ones will be moving and singing along before their parents know it.
  3. Favorite Lullabies is actually a gift for both the expectant parents and their little one. This beautiful compilation of children’s songs and lullabies soothes babies to sleep, with symphonic classics, all-time favorite lullabies and sweet instrumental originals. This two-CD set contains 26 songs.
  4. Another great option for entertaining babies and toddlers are baby music DVDs. An awesome one to try is the award-winning Mozart and Friends Sleepytime baby DVD. Mozart masterpieces coupled with relaxing images of kittens, puppies and fields of beautiful flowers lull babies to sleep in no time at all.
  5. Last but not least, one of the best baby toys to gift is the Underwater Adventures baby music DVD. Toddlers can discover the wonders of underwater creatures with colorful images of undersea life set to amazing classical music—everything from sea lions and dolphins to manta rays and more!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

10 reasons why musical baby toys are the best

Musical baby toys have a unique effect on a child’s one's physical, emotional and social development. When you look at research findings, it’s easy to see who so many parents think the best baby toys are the ones that feature music. Their benefits are wide-ranging and unrivalled when it comes to educational baby toys—they help prepare babies and toddlers for learning and keep them happy.

Here are some of the reasons why musical baby toys are so beneficial:

1.    Baby music provides a great way to bond with your child. Relationships are nurtured when we sing, dance and play together. Plus, it teaches children to listen, learn the meanings of certain words, build their pronunciation skills, and helps them understand the use of tone and elocution.

2.    Toys that include baby music inspire smiling, happy babies. Research shows that children who are exposed to music as babies smile more and communicate better.

3.    Singing along with baby music CDs helps to expand your child’s vocabulary and develop their memorization skills. 

4.    Research shows that baby music helps produce more neural pathways in the brain.

5.    Babies and toddlers improve their cognitive abilities by associating items with music and sounds.

6.    Dancing to baby music CDs helps children to improve coordination and motor skills, and develop a sense of rhythm. 

7.    Listening to a baby CD with music improves your child’s spatial reasoning and phonemic learning. 

8.    Musical baby toys help children build self-confidence, encourage curiosity and inspire a creative imagination. 

9.    Baby music can inspire a passion for the arts and develop the potential for musical abilities and talent. Who knows—you may have a Baby Beethoven in your family!

10. Only the best baby toys can do it all—promote social interaction, build memory and develop important learning processes, all while keeping children happy and entertained. This is exactly why musical baby toys are considered the best!