I dont think the OP means what can she do to push her child in one direction or another, but more what can she do to help provide a stimulating learning environment.
I think its just as important for children to develop their own skills by having to play by themselves, or play with basic equipment/toys/games.
I also feel that if you can add in a few extra bits and pieces along the way it all helps. Some parents feel they need a little guidance when it comes to what to do with a 2 year old. Its a hard age, and going through it with my third i know there are days when its just nice to find a simple ativity and do something for a hange.
As im quite creative i make up our own crafts at home and do cooking and other general bits and pieces, but not everyone knows where to start looking for inspiration
Let me know if you want any more tips! Lol x
Thank you for your opinion. I would be very happy to hear the tips from the experienced mom:-)
Actually I think that it is better to take professional lessons than to play or sing myself in the wrong manner, because babies perceive the information so deep that it will be hard to correct it for the right way in the future. We often hear that he doesn't have an ear for the music, but I am sure that it is not the inheritage, it is the wrong parents upbringing in the music sphere. It also concerns arts, what paintings we like, sometimes it is just a name of the famous painter that makes us say "Wow, he is a genius", but in real the picture arose no emotions. I want my baby to enjoy the arts naturally, thats why we already go to the Kunsthaus.
Hmmm, well im not sure about the not singing to them yourself or playing music!
Music can be in the form of sauce pans, drums, rattles, bells, children like using these and its good to introduce rhythem and different sounds...you dont have to play an instrument professionally.
And with singing, children just like to hear different tones and its also another way of learning communtication skills.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...anguage-skills
Im Always singing whether my children like it or not, and with my eldest it helped her with her math skills singing through the times tables.
I think it would be very sad if parents deliberately didn't make music/sing with their children because they thought they weren't good enough!
Singing is something we can all do and something we do instinctively. The bond that develops between a parent and child when they sing together is so important, and I really don't think it has much at all to do with whether the parent and child sing in tune (and this is me speaking as a music teacher )
I read some oxymoronic conflicting views here.
My suggestion is this: take it easy.
If you are musically-inclined, your child will naturally be.
If you are not, "forcing" the child to go to a professional teacher will only help a bit but the risk of wrongful parental pushing is real.
Just expose him to lots of different types of music (using radio or specific CDs) and then arts, etc.
Arts cannot be forced. You either have it, or you don't. This does not place any sort of value leveling (judgement) on your child. Every child is special and different. He/she could be strong in other stuff, like Technical skills and building etc.
Take care.
The best approach to this is to show that you value whatever quality, skill or talent you want to encourage in your child.
You can send your child to the best literacy teacher in the world, but if your house is bereft of books, your child will not learn the value of reading.
The same goes for music, or anything else: the child must first understand that the thing is worth loving before considering lessons or formal concerts or anything else. Fill your house with music, from thrash metal to Mozart; sing while you're ironing; hum lullabies to your child; go to concerts and share your enthusiasm and excitement with your child; play an instrument - it doesn't matter if you're any good, as long as your child sees playing an instrument as a normal thing that people enjoy doing. Any and all of these things will do more good in the long run than trying to create an artificial love of something through formal lessons and training. There's plenty of time for getting his knuckles rapped by sour-faced Russian piano teachers when he's older.
And with that, I'm off to make a racket with my bouzouki...
I'm chuffed with my kids development. They are almost useful after the years of investment.
Cost centre 1. My 4 year old can make tea, do the washing up (even carries her own chair to reach the sink) and bring me opened bottles of beer without blocking my view of the telly.
Cost centre 2. The 9 year old needs a little more coaching, but is almost able to breath unaided. I think there's an app on her Ipad for that.
Thanks. Proud dad.
I'm going to have to go off and practice my facial expressions and start learning a few Russian words...I had no idea all music teachers were such dragons! Won't my students be pleased when they see me next
Frankly I can't imagine a 2 year old being impressed with the art in an art gallery or co-operating/concentrating long enough to benefit from professional music lessons because it's doubtful if the capacity for understanding is there.
Children at that age will probably be impressed by colour and not much else and, if there is a musical tendency, this will show itself in a sense of rhythmn.
It's true - art does/should awaken emotions in the one who is viewing but if this is something that can be achieved by very early exposure is doubtful. I was about 23 when I realised this fact for myself and not one of the pictures in the local gallery achieved this, rather some very simple cheap copies of impressions from Vietnam during the war . Wouldn't be understood by a 2 year old.
Sorry...I have read enough...creativity involves doing things in the wrong manner. If you aren't prepared to get things wrong you will never have an original idea that is of value - one of the definitions of creativity.
I suggest you watch this film and look for Ken Robinson elsewhere on the TED Talks website. The one thing that will kill all creativity in your child is being told how or what to think or like! And schools are the worst places for developing creativity.
Cheers,
Nick
And by the way, do you read to your child and tell stories? At bedtime I am always reading to my son who is now 5 and often following it up with a made-up story where my son is one of the characters and we make up all kinds of other magical friends and characters - sometimes nicked from the likes of Enid Blyton but what the heck?
My son is constantly building things out of Lego and acting out scenarios with Playmobil figures - mostly pirates, knights and Lightning McQueen. But it is all about encouraging imagination and lack of inhibition when expressing new ideas which may be wrong but now and again you get a right one. And that is the basis of creativity.
Cheers,
Nick
It can be disheartening if your child shushes you whilst singing! Though just keep on. Now my baby asks for it! I see the point of the OP. thanks to Loulabelle for the suggestions. for me I'm looking for a dance class. I don't know any traditional dancing but I will look into it soon for me, but I wouldn't attempt to teach my daughter ballet(hahaha) but we do watch dancing, we are totally into acrobatics in my house and I really hope when she starts a dance class she'll enjoy it!
My goal is not to teach him to play a musical instrument or to make him understand the arts now, NO, i want to build the background, the basis that he will use or enjoy in the future.
I strongly believe in early development. Do you remember yourself till you are 3 or 4 or even older?Me not, but my parents "stuffed" me with all kind of good things in the form of classes, that I don't remember but now I understand that that made my future, my profession, my eager for foreign languages etc.
I am not one that pushes, I am the one that incline and dispose.
Yes, my son is a book maniac, we have read with him so many books already, plus he learns verses by heart like 1.2.3.I think it should be more used and developed if he is like this.
Before going to sleep we do home performances of the fairy tales or the theatre of shadows.
He plays Lego Duplo for now.
As for the dance class, I saw the other day good feedbacks about
http://www.apple-tree.ch/?page=Dance
For those with facebook, only just created this so more pictures and ideas will be added!
http://www.facebook.com/groups/274240019375187/
And just to continue this a bit...
Tonight at bedtime we read a section out of one of the "How To Train Your Dragon" books.
After that I had to tell one of my made up "Ronnie the Water Rat" stories - a series that has been on-going for about the past 3 years. Ronnie the Water Rat lives under the bridge (where we play Pooh-sticks) across a little stream near where we live and NickatbaselJnr gets into all kinds of adventures with Ronnie - mostly in the Altstetterwald which I can tell you is occupied by all manner of dragons, elves and pixies and trees with secret doors in etc etc etc. NickatbaselJnr told me the list of characters who must be in tonight's story.
I'm sure if I wrote any of these stories down I would be sued for plagiarism by everyone from the Kenneth Graham foundation to the Tolkiens and the Blytons.
It's called "having an imagination" and it is an essential part of every child's growing up and this is where creativity starts. No amount of going to courses is going to give this to a child. This is what you have to do as a parent - spend time with your child and enjoy the experience because the time will just fly by.
Cheers,
Nick