For the toddlers in my family child care, music and movement was the favorite time of day...and usually occurred more than once in the day. 

If you care for young children, you cannot be shy about moving your body. They don't care how foolish we think we look, they just love that we are moving with them, whether it's dancing and being silly alongside them, or holding them in our arms as we dance.

Depending on the music, it can energize or calm an early childhood classroom. Children love to dance or move to music alone, or as part of a group. Dancing and movement promote both gross motor development and body awareness.

Playing movement games also helps children learn how to follow directions. Finger plays and playing musical instruments provide opportunities to work on fine motor skills and eye hand coordination.

Children can work on basic math concepts with patterns in music and learn about the world around them through music and songs. 

Check out my Music and Movement Board on Pinterest for some great ideas and resources!

How do you incorporate music and movement into your program?  I encourage you to share songs, games, ideas and photos with other providers on our Facebook page!

And don't  forget to enter the sweepstakes on our Facebook page each week for a chance to win materials for your family child care curriculum or environment!

This week, we are giving  away a 19 pc Music and Movement Set.   

This week's winner will be randomly selected and notified on Sunday, June 3, 2012. 

Please Help Nakali Consulting Receive 250 Votes To Qualify For A $250,000 Grant! 

I've submitted a grant proposal at Mission: Small Business.  

If awarded the grant,  I will:

• Set up a computer lab to provide computer training and technical assistance in multiple languages

• Work with family child care associations to create an on-line presence, including websites, E-newsletters and social media strategies 

•  Help providers market their programs through "Selling Play" workshops and materials that teach providers how to market their family child care programs by helping parents make the connection between play and learning
• You can read the entire grant proposal here.

We need 186 more votes to qualify for a $250,000 Grant!

Please vote for us using the link below and ask others to vote for us as well!

Go to Missionsmallbusiness.com 
Look for the "Log in and support" button near the bottom of the page.
After clicking "Support", look for our business (Nakali Consulting) and vote for us!

*You have to click on the support button first because Chase and Living Social donate $5 for each person.  

* You must have a Facebook account to vote.  If you don't have a Facebook account but want to help, please pass the link on to your friends and ask them to vote.

Thanks so much for your support!

Natalie