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As a parent or caregiver, your child's academic achievement depends on your role in preparing your child for school. You can ensure your child's success in learning and life by getting involved early in your child's education. Communication between parent and child is crucial. Your connections to the school and his or her friends will help your child adjust to school. Here are some ideas to help prepare your child for the upcoming year:

• Let your child know what the schedule will be like. Include what time school begins and ends each day.
• Ask your child about his/her feelings -- both the excitement and the concerns for the first day of school.
• Visit the school with your child to see the classroom and meet his or her new teacher before school officially starts.
• Point out the positive aspects of starting school. It will be fun and he or she can make new friends.
• Let your child know that all kids are nervous about the first day of school.
• Leave a note in your child's lunchbox.
• Reassure your child that if any problems arise at school, you will be there to help resolve them.
• Try to have your child meet a classmate before the first day of school.
• Arrange for your child to walk to school or ride together on the bus with another child in the neighborhood.
• Find out about after-school activities that your child can join.
• Please be sure to update all contact information for your child.

What was the first song you ever learned? I’m willing to wager that the “Alphabet Song” is right up there at the top of the list. Let’s not forget “Fingers and Toes,” and the songs about washing your hands and buckling up for safety.

Moms, dads, and teachers all over America have been instructing through song for generations. Why? Because attaching information to a simple melody is one of the quickest and most fun modes of information transfer. While they are important teaching tools, a child can quickly tire of nothing but flashcards and worksheets. Not to mention, these methods can be limited to your child’s age, reading, and writing ability.

Song, however, is something that we often hear escaping the lips of even the smallest child.
In addition, children are able to learn wonderful facts and there is the added bonus of improving your child’s vocabulary. How many children, of any age, do you know who can recite the presidents from George Washington to Barack Obama, or know that you find a metacarpal bone in your hand? Singin’ Smart is one resource that teaches these facts, and more, accompanied by catchy melodies.

Knowledge isn’t the only benefit of incorporating song into learning. Children learning through this method are widening their vocabularies, experiencing rhythm, and feeling the beat as they sing along. 

There have been studies showing that beyond teaching simple facts, music can improve a wide range of learning in the classroom setting. Don’t take my word for it though. Chris Boyd Brewer has done extensive research on how incorporating music into a learning atmosphere improves attitude, memory, and so much more!

Whether you’re a working mom looking for a way to add more teaching opportunities to your home-life, a home-schooler, or a third-grade teacher, learning through song can be an important tool in your teaching arsenal. So, if you’re on your way to the grocery store with the kids, or in a home-school or classroom setting, pop in a CD and teach your children about the wonderful world they live in through the joy of song!