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How do you engage toddlers with music? Tell us to win one of TEN Let's Sing and Play book and CD sets!

83 replies

SorchaMumsnet · 05/09/2016 14:16

By reading, singing, dancing and playing, everyone is having so much fun that they don’t realise how clever they are being! Join Monkey and Mo and explore the magical world of music with your child.

Published by pre-school specialist Campbell Books and based on the award-winning Monkey Music classes, Let’s Sing and Play is full of ideas on how to make music with your toddler.

You can use the CD with the book, separately, or even, when you know the songs… not at all!

Find out more and buy the book

To be in with a chance of winning 1 of 10 Let's Sing and Play book and CD sets, just tell us - how do you engage your toddler with music?

This discussion is sponsored by Pan Macmillan and will end on 5 October

Books T&Cs apply

How do you engage toddlers with music? Tell us to win one of TEN Let's Sing and Play book and CD sets!
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Daniwiththelimphair · 05/09/2016 15:27

Music is constantly on in our house so I don't think he's ever not engaged with music. I'm always singing, he's always singing (or telling me to stop singing...). I think surrounding children with music in every day life is so important, even if it's just your own voice and some finger clicking!

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flickas · 05/09/2016 15:39

My 2.5 year old loves to bop to music, whenever he hears music he'll do a little dance.
We've always put relaxing classic music on as a cue for sleeping/night time.
I also sing to him (usually made up songs) when eating as he's a bit of a fussy eater, to encourage him to eat, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.
I do think that music and singing are a very fun way to learn things!

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Mozarmstrong · 05/09/2016 16:00

Music is Bril played softly for bedtime and louder for rhythm m o cements Tec at Mmmm s legs bums wiggle wiggle they love it!

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barricade · 05/09/2016 16:13

The theme tunes to popular children's TV shows is great for motivating otherwise reluctant kids in completing varying tasks, be it brushing teeth, changing for bed, getting ready for bath-time, etc. E.g. CBBC themes - Andy's Dinosaur Adventure, Hey-Ho!, Get Well Soon!, Ballormory, etc. are incredibly popular.

And, of course, songs are incredibly helpful with learning to count ('Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed'), learning the alphabet ('The Alphabet Song', 'E,I,H,G,O'), and to calm them down ('Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', 'Row-Row-Row Your Boat', etc.)

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nooka · 05/09/2016 16:13

We played lots of music with our toddlers. All sorts of things except music designed for toddlers as at least back then it was all really quite painfully awful. I hope it's better now!

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miahighland · 05/09/2016 16:29

We always have music playing in the house. My daughter sings all the time and tells me and dad to stop singing whenever we try to sing as well, she puts music on when she goes to bed. She sings everywhere including the supermarket. People just think it is hilarious,

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carz1985 · 05/09/2016 17:15

We always have music on in the car and around the house. Mostly Disney stuff as the kids love it.we sing along to them and my eldest daughter loves to do different voices she lives doing zazu from lion King. We also sing songs which we can do actions ect to like head, shoulder, knees and toes, row row row your boat.

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NauticalDisaster · 05/09/2016 17:30

My DSs haven't realised that I sing quite badly so don't companies that I sing all the time! We have songs for everything, gardening, bath time, meals, shopping, car songs, beach songs, etc. and they are all made up by us! Music is just part of our everyday life because we ding all the time.

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Firewall · 05/09/2016 18:22

We always play music in the house and sing! we always have a CD in the car and sing during bath times, nappy changes, getting changed etc! Brightens up the day!

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kaydeed · 05/09/2016 18:34

We have music play time when we get out saucepans, sieves, plastic beakers and wooden spoons and we set up pretend drum kits and bang along to nursery rhymes.

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asuwere · 05/09/2016 18:37

We usually have some kind of music on at most times. We sing nursery rhyme type songs in the bath, sing in the car and of course sing along to Frozen! I find it is good for encouraging speech.

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Anusia86 · 05/09/2016 19:03

We have music every day in our live, as we all love it. Starting from breakfast - always music on and we pick our favorite songs, than some more on afternoon. And of course every time when we drive the car always music with us.

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Greensmurf1 · 05/09/2016 19:26

I set up a little old boom box in my toddler's room. I can't remember exactly how old she was. At first, I'd set her up with a cd to listen to when I needed her to play independently. Now that she's 3.5, she puts on her frozen cd or children's songs and rhymes and starts singing and dancing along. I used to sing a lot of lullabies to get her to sleep and we still sing songs about marching and galloping when she starts to feel too tired to walk home. It gives her the boost of energy and saves my aching back from carrying her back from the shops.
We went to sing and sign when she was very little, another local music play group and made sure she had rattles and bells and tambourines and drums. She likes the toy electronic keyboard and drum too. There are free lunchtime and early evening concerts at the Royal festival hall on a Friday, so we often go there for an indoor picnic and a bit of a dance.

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Taityt · 05/09/2016 20:01

We set up a 'disco room' with decks and flashing lights where the little one discos til his legs can take no more. We always have 6 music on around the house, too!

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rachnicuk · 05/09/2016 20:45

We love having the cd player on in the car, as soon as she gets in the car my grandaughter is asking for music man cd and off we go singing along and doing the actions (when safe to do so lol) She soon picks up all the words, looking forward to getting some christmas cds to sing along to next :)

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hanliying · 05/09/2016 21:02

we would sing the songs together with actions. Songs she like most are "five little monkeys", "wheels on the bus", "row row row your boat".

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FeelingSmurfy · 05/09/2016 21:18

Singing along in the car is good because you have a captive audience and it makes the journey go quicker

Also dancing along to music with children rather than just telling them to dance, nobody is watching you dance in your kitchen so just go for it and enjoy it

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FoxInABox · 05/09/2016 21:43

The more noisier the musical instrument the better! Toddler groups with songs and instruments too.

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IreadthereforeIam · 06/09/2016 08:18

We play all types of music where I work (at a preschool): children's music with actions and words that the children can sing along to, and adults music ranging from the Beatles to modern pop music (all vetted for language, though!!). The more music a child hears and can move to, the more they seem to love it! We also give the the choice of dancing with props: ribbons, scarves etc, and also with instruments so that they can play along! The children also request what they'd like to listen to, so they are forming their own opinions as to their likes and dislikes. They LOVE action songs!!

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cathisherwood · 06/09/2016 08:43

We sing whenever we can just to keep ourselves amused - walking along in the buggy, waiting in queues, even on the bus - no ones complained yet

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Pamaga · 06/09/2016 08:58

We've bought quite a few CDs with music for children. A great favourite is the Typewriter Song where two year old Charlie types along with his fingers while it plays. Grandpa has a ukulele and Charlie showed so much interest in this that we bought him a little one of his own. It is bright yellow and, in an episode of Postman Pat (a TV favourite) there is a ukulele band and a little girl in that has one the same as Charlie's. He has attended music sessions at the Sage in Gateshead which has wonderful opportunities for babies and toddlers to engage in tuneful play!

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TwoMs · 06/09/2016 08:59

We sing all the time too. Nursery rhymes, tv theme tunes, along to the radio.... We also dance around the house (the sillier the better Grin)

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lottietiger · 06/09/2016 10:01

We always have the radio on but lately I have been made to turn it off by my 3 year old as he wants to listen to his own music. he loves the CD story books such as Emperors New Clothes which have really good catchy music that he can dance to. We love to sing together especially nursery rhymes and the digger song!

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Havingkittens04 · 06/09/2016 11:10

I have sung to DD and played music for her since she was in the womb Smile She was wriggling to music on her activity mat within weeks of being born, and jigging about in her tub chair as soon as she could sit upright. We gave her spoons and pots to bash when in her high hair, then as a toddler ELC drums, keyboard and guitar. She's now 3.5 and makes up her own, very amusing and lovely songs Grin X

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forkhandles4candles · 06/09/2016 11:19

don't play exclusively baby music - just play them music, sing a lot, take pleasure in it and have lots of fun instruments around.

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