Description Why movement is an essential ingredient for healthy brain development Why music, song, lullabies and nursery rhymes prepare the brain for language How fairy tales can help children face their fears in in safety How rough and tumble play develops the neural circuits for creativity and self-regulation The links between learning problems and sedentary lifestyles and overexposure to electronic media What to look out for if your child does not seem to be “ready” for school. By special invitation, Jane Williams of Toddler Kindy GymbaROO offers her favorite baby massage rhymes, with action songs, finger play and more rhymes to inspire families. Fifty-two percent of parents admit they never read to their child. Toddlers watch 4½ hours of television daily. Increasingly, children are obese, enter school developmentally delayed, and require special education. Sally Goddard Blythe draws on neuroscience to reveal how the wisdom of nursery rhymes, playing traditional games, and fairy stories contribute to healthy child development. She explains why movement is importand and how games develop the skills of children at different stages of development. She offers a starter kit of stories, action games, songs and rhymes. C O N T E N T S Movement and training the senses, rough and tumble play—why movement matters Music and language—prenatal development, movement and music, nursery rhymes Lullabies, rhymes and song—origins and uses Action songs and games for babies to preschoolers, massage and rhythm, finger play Power of fairy tales Day in the Garden, story for movement “Getting ready for school”—developmental factors to look out for; assessments of hearing and vision; where to go for help
