One step, Two step...

One of the elements of our music classes that is most important to me is that our music has the opportunity to extend beyond our 45 minute classes. It means a lot to me that the young mothers attending can take the songs and rhymes and rhythms back home with them to use with their children. In our most recent class we engaged in the rhyme that goes, "Round and round the garden, like a teddy bear. One step, two step, tickle you under there!" Our moms used their fingers to trace a circle around their babies' bellies and then made their fingers take "one step, two step" up towards their necks for a little tickle. We talked about how their babies' reactions will change as they repeat the rhyme over and over, that the babies will quickly learn to anticipate the tickle under the neck and will get excited as they wait for it to come. Even after just doing this rhyme three times in a row, some of our youngest toddlers had caught on to the story of the rhyme and were in fits of giggles by the end. It was a wonderful sound to hear!