As Kindermusik educators here at Kindermusik of the Valley, it is such a gift to be with you and your child each week in Kindermusik class. We know you have many options for how you spend your time and it is such a great honor for us when you choose Kindermusik out of all that is available. Of course, when you attend Kindermusik class, you are getting a curriculum based on the best research available on young children’s learning and development. But beyond that, we thought it would be fun to “count the ways” we hope you experience our love and commitment to your family each and every week.

We love connecting to all the families in our classes, getting to know each and every adult and child. We love knowing all the details, small and large, of your family like how little Sarah loves shakers in any form, that Peter is teething and having trouble sleeping, that one family in the class has just moved into town, and Grandma Isabelle is starting a watercolor class. We also love connecting our families to one another. We love having you share stories with one another, check with other peoples’ experience about a troubling moment, and get advice for the best place to find bargains on baby clothes! We start each class with Gathering Time to provide an opportunity for everyone to check in and chat. Our goal is to create strong community in each class so everybody knows they belong and feels comfortable participating in whatever way is most helpful for them. We also know how important support is from others who share our concerns and questions. The connection continues as the children get to learn and practice social skills with other children and grownups in a safe, friendly — and musical! — environment.

It is so important to us that you be able to take home all the fun from class! We know that as an already excellent parent, you are your child’s first and best teacher and we want to support you in any way we can. We also want to make it easy to include Kindermusik in your regular daily routine. The CD of music for each class, the literature  books, and instruments in the home materials are essential and are just the first steps in helping you include Kindermusik at home. Each class includes an activity book as well as a link to play.kindermusik.com so you can download even more wonderful ideas and music. In addition, each week your educator provides insights for why we’re doing what we do in class and ways you can extend those activities at home.

In each class, we love to share our expertise to give you insight into your child’s miraculous learning and development.  We can help illuminate all the steps — both obvious and subtle — your child is taking even as they play or explore or discover throughout each activity. We also help each family understand their child’s unique and wonderful style because there are so many ways to experience and participate in a Kindermusik class. We want each parent and each child to be comfortable with their own ways of being part of our class.

Dear to our heart is how important it is to us that Kindermusik class be a time for each grownup have plenty of time to bond and play with their child. We live in such a busy world and these tender moments are so important to a growing child’s healthy development. The flexibility and creativity of Kindermusik classes allows plenty of time for that cozy, face-to-face time that goes into making the memories of a lifetime. Because we treasure that time, we create an atmosphere of comfort and safety where those spontaneous moments can naturally arise.

Valentine’s Day is an opportunity for all of us to tell those who are important to us that we appreciate and love them. We wanted to take the opportunity to tell you how important you are to us, how grateful we are to spend time with you each week, and how we love creating a Kindermusik class that reflects our love and commitment.

We wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day filled with the love of family and friends!

Our special Valentine’s Day playdate “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” is on Tuesday, February 14 at 9:30. FREE for enrolled families – only $5.00 for friends! Everyone is welcome! Please email Helen at helen.peterson@mchsi.com to register.

The beauty and joy of Kindermusik Village is the utter amazement and admiration parents (and grandparents) show when given the space, the time, and encouragement to really stop and watch their babies. Some are tiny ones like Chloe who is figuring out every last sound, movement, emotion, color, texture, taste, and smell of everything around [...] Read more

Next week we start new units for each age group. This is always a grand time for us – learning or relearning songs, reviewing lessons and remembering the fun we’ve had with past classes, looking forward to new ones, opening boxes of home materials and feeling all excited as we picture the faces of the [...] Read more

I read a wonderful blog post by Stephen Hough the other day in which he suggests that you don’t have to play an instrument or compose music to be a musician. To pay attention to music and listen to it is enough to make  you a musician.  Mr. Hough is a concert pianist and composer [...] Read more

One of our family’s favorite books is Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco. It’s about a grandmother who teaches her granddaughter, step by baby step, to have courage in the face of her own fear. A thunderstorm is coming and the little girl is hiding under the bed but her grandmother entices the little girl out [...] Read more

Some of our favorite stories about Kindermusik are the ones that parents tell us about how families enjoy Kindermusik at home. Some families enjoy playing the CDs or playlists in the car. They tell us the kids start singing and clapping along when the music is on and it makes car rides much easier! The [...] Read more

Have you ever heard someone say, “You need to learn how to relax”? Well, they were right. Relaxing is a learned behavior that even the youngest child can begin developing. In Kindermusik, we include a quiet time specifically designed to learn and practice relaxation techniques, such as rocking, listening to soothing music, or snuggling a [...] Read more

At about this time in December, there is so much excitement and energy among the kiddos! The weather frequently doesn’t allow for outside time to get some of the steam out so what are some good ideas to keep children’s energies engaged? If there’s a little too much complaining and tears, put on some happy [...] Read more

Childbirth and parenting classes should include a section called “Packing for the littlest traveler.” Parents who travel with a young child often look like a mobile baby super store. Pack-n-play, stroller, nursing pillow, sippy cups, bottles, binkies, blankie (and backup blankie), case of diapers, case of wipes, baby food, toys, car seat, two or three [...] Read more

This is our last week of classes before our two week break for the holidays. It’s been a wonderful fall and we’ve all learned and grown and bloomed! It’s so amazing to see the children grow right before our very eyes! Thank you all for your participation and support for your child. You are your child’s first [...] Read more