Today was the perfect dreary day to stay inside, relax, and ... rock out! Which is exactly what Kingston and I did. Today I introduced K to the drums. It was both a fun and super noisy day!
The first thing I did was simply introduce Kingston to what a drum was. Lately he has shown a lot of interest in banging on boxes, bins, and the like. Just yesterday, we were taking turns "drumming" on a shoe box. I knew he was going to love a more formal drum. I pulled out the LeapFrog Learning Drum
and turned it to the drum beat setting. I demonstrated how to use it and then handed it over.
and turned it to the drum beat setting. I demonstrated how to use it and then handed it over. 
He had so much fun tapping it and shrieking with excitement. We used all the other settings as well: ABC, 123, and general music. With the general music setting, K just had to tap the drum and it would play different musical notes. When we played with the ABC setting, Kingston watched as each letter flashed on top of the drum. Of course, I had to point out the K!
I actually really like this toy, despite its plastic, singsongy exterior. I love that the drum beats visually appear on the top of the drum, allowing the baby to visually connect with the music that they are creating. I also loved how encouraging the drum is. It actually tells baby what a great job they did playing. As corny as this sounds, I feel like it does a good job promoting the importance of music through positive praise.
The next activity we did was one that I've seen all over the place! It is a sort of childhood right of passage, a pots and pans band!
While Kingston was napping, I set this up on the rug. I wanted to collect pots and pans that made different sounds. I chose two pots of varying weight and size, two circular cake pans which I stacked face to face in order to produce a deep hollow sound, a large melamine bowl, and a springform pan. I also laid out three spoons in different sizes. When K woke up, I sat him down on one side of the set up, and I sat on the other.
I demonstrated the different sounds that each kitchen drum made, and I must admit the sound was pretty addictive. I couldn't resist doing a little drum solo for K! He enjoyed it! Once he saw me playing with the wooden spoon, he had to explore it. He was so adorable attempting to tap the pan with the spoon. He actually got a couple good bangs in there. This was a great activity for practicing motor skills.
We drummed together for a long time. Kingston was really smitten with the springform pan. I second that obsession. It made an AWESOME sound! I can imagine us tromping up the halls when he is a little older playing these pans and having a marching band.
This was such a fun activity. I left it out for most of the day. Kingston couldn't get enough of it. He would crawl around, getting into mischief, and then come across one of the pots and pans and start playing. I loved how easily he grasped this musical concept. This is definitely a baby friendly activity!
If you are interested in seeing another take on this activity for baby, go check out Kz and Me's adorable Baby Metal Band!!
When Daddy got home later on in the day, he was excited to see what Kingston had learned. They lay on the floor together and had the most adorable jam session. It started with a piano riff and ended with a three piece band!
I am loving how easily we are incorporating music into each and every play time. Kingston is quickly understanding and remembering what each instrument does and how to use them. I love watching him enjoy making his own music!
Don't forget to join us all week for more "Music Fun for Your Little One" activities! Or check out the other posts in this series:
Music Themed Sensory Bin (And Next Comes L)
Creating a Musical Environment for Baby (House of Burke)
Piano Quiet Book Page (And Next Comes L)
Instrument Exploration with Baby: Piano (House of Burke)
Giant Chalk Keyboard (And Next Comes L)
Musical Hide and Seek (And Next Comes L)
Yeah for babies and drums!
ReplyDeleteMy little zack LOVES playing on his drums.
They sure love their drums!! :)
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