Stephanie Leavell
Say Hello: A Movement-Based Hello Song For Kids!

Say Hello (from your head to your toes) incorporates a lot of structured movement and also provides a "boogie break", which is the perfect opportunity for kids to engage in creative movement.

Say Hello: A Movement-Based Hello Song For Kids!

Helping kids calm, WAKE UP or sleep with music

Helping kids calm, WAKE UP or sleep with music

Imagine for a moment... it's Saturday morning. The house is dark and quiet and you've miraculously been able to sleep in until 9am. 

(I'll let you stay in that dreamland for a moment.)

It's time to wake up. Music comes on and gently wakes you. It starts very quiet-- so quiet you can barely hear it-- and it gradually gets louder, coaxing you awake. It's music you love. What's your mood? 

Now, imagine for a moment... the same scenario. It's Saturday morning in a dark, quiet house and you're blissfully able to sleep until 9am.

It's time to wake up. Then, as if there's a speaker right by your ear, IMMEDIATELY LOUD heavy metal music plays and shocks you out of bed. What's your mood now? 

Music for an Overwhelmed Parent

Music for an Overwhelmed Parent

I'd like to think that the first 6 months of my daughter's life were only blissful and carefree... uh, nope. It was HARD. She was a preemie with sensory issues that she (mostly) outgrew, but the sight of a ceiling fan could send her into an I-WILL-SCREAM-AND-NOTHING-WILL-CALM-ME meltdown that would simultaneously send me into my own special kind of meltdown.

It's no coincidence that I am so passionate about helping parents and educators find the right music that can help kids through life's (inevitable) challenges. Being a music therapist who worked with kids with sensory needs set me up to be the ideal parent for my own daughter. The process was FAR from perfect, but we learned a lot together.

Something I didn't expect??? Music helped ME in a miraculous kind of way. 

Lullabies for Babies & Kids

Lullabies for Babies & Kids

I have always loved lullabies. They're my absolute favorite to sing, write and play. I recommend picking one special lullaby to sing to your child over and over again throughout their childhood (recordings are okay, too, but live singing from a parent is the very best, according to music therapy research). For my daughter, that lullaby was a version of "Stay Awake" from Mary Poppins. My daughter was so used to that song as a "cue" for sleep that to this day, she yawns right when I sing the first few notes.

10 Songs for Kindergarteners

10 Songs for Kindergarteners

"I'm bored..." is the anthem of many kindergarteners. They need music that's complex and challenging to keep up with their fast-moving and ever-learning brains! In my experience, kids over age 5 are generally done with "little kid music". But this is still the perfect age to try music to improve attention, increase motivation and reinforce learning. Here are my favorites for kids ages 5-7.

10 Songs for Preschoolers

10 Songs for Preschoolers

Testing boundaries tends to show up at times of transition (like, ahem, trying to leave the house when we're late and we gotta GO). Music can be a miraculous tool for easing those transitions. There are no limits-- take your toughest transition and try it. We use specific music while brushing teeth, cleaning up, getting out the door and in the car on the way to school (to calm nerves). 

10 Songs for Toddlers

10 Songs for Toddlers

Music can be a powerful tool for a toddler's endless need to move and groove. It can also "hold" those BIG emotions and help them transition to smaller, more manageable emotions. Imagine my own epiphany when my husband (not the music therapist in the family!) discovered that our toddler ate faster and stayed in her seat when he played certain music during meal times. GENIUS.

The possibilities are endless, and we'll cover all of that. For now, let's dive into my very favorite music for toddlers!

10 Songs for Babies

10 Songs for Babies

Music is not one-size-fits-all and every child is going to react differently. In this list, you'll find music that could work for sleep/rest, music for play time, music for learning, etc. We could get really complicated here, but we're not going to! Plain and simple: these are my all-time favorite songs for babies. 

 
 
 

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