One Hundred Thousand Five Hundred

100,500
by Andrea King

It's a big number, and it caught my eye in a recent issue of Real Simple (I love that magazine, thanks Heather!). So what does it mean? The average person consumes (reads or hears) 100,500 words per day... let's do the math. For the 16-or-so hours a day we are awake, we are exposed to (and sometimes assaulted by) an average of 6,281 words per hour. And guess what, that number has tripled in the last 20 years (thanks to the internet, and maybe even this blog).

So what does it all mean? More than ever our children are growing up in a world demanding strong language and literacy skills. Whether it's reading & writing, or speaking & listening, strong communication skills are a must. That's why I love teaching Kindermusik classes! Everyday in class, I see children of all ages (babies too!) using music as their stepping stone to expressing themselves.

Sing-a-long to our favorite hello song? That's 20 words right there that share the idea of welcoming and building community. Actively listening to a recording of live sounds in our environment? That encourages a whole slew of descriptive words and sounds that encourage children to think critically about their world. Chanting that nursery rhyme while playing rhythm sticks to the steady beat? Those rhyming skills build a young child's understanding of the sounds in language and the steady beat cues them into the rhythm of language.

Music is language & expression! It's never too early to build on your child's communication strengths in the Kindermusik classroom!