On this blog post & on episode 33 of the Music For Kiddos Podcast, I’m sharing how I self-published a children's book because I want to save you some time if publishing a children’s book is one of the things you’d like to do. It’s a lot more simple than you would think.

We are talking business this week on the blog! On this blog post, we are sharing our favorite online marketing tools we use almost every single day to create content and work on the behind the scenes of Music For Kiddos.

There are some questions about sensory regulation, songwriting & early childhood music education that I get asked on a consistent basis over on Instagram or Facebook. Especially since the release of my Social Media Marketing For Music Therapists & Music Educators course last year, I’ve increasingly received questions about how I run my online business, Music For Kiddos.

So I’m going to answer some of my most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about how is it that I am able to create an online business, in a really specialized way, with a relatively small audience, that provides a full-time income.

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for new songs to play in the car, to bring to my classes or session, or to share over our Instagram & Facebook. Spotify playlists are a great resource to find new music, as they include songs and artists that we might have not found otherwise!

How do we use music to help regulate kids’ sensory systems?

Over the years, I’ve talked to hundreds of music therapists, music educators and parents about self-regulation, and it is a topic that tends to really pique everybody's interest. On this blog post and on episode 31 of the Music For Kiddos podcast, we're talking about songs for sensory regulation and about songs that can be used to help regulate kids’ sensory systems.

Some mindfulness-based, like those inspired in the practice and process of yoga, are movement songs that help children improve balance & strength, build motor skills while practicing mindfulness & self-expression. In addition to the mental & physical benefits of practicing mindful movement, guiding children through yoga-inspired movement, sequences and poses can be fun.

Yoga is a Hindu process & tradition and you can learn more about its meaning and history here and here.

How are you feeling about back to school this year?

Throughout the last couple of weeks, I’ve been fortunate to connect with a couple of music educators and music therapists over on Instagram. Most of us feel a mix of emotions, including uncertainty, as we approach the start of a new school year.

Maybe you’re currently prepping to go back-to-school. Maybe you’re planning your preschool or kindergarten music lesson plans on a weekend. Perhaps you’re a music therapist looking for songs or ideas for your next music therapy session. Whatever you’re doing right now or however you found this blog post, know that this blog post was created to serve as a one-stop source of the music therapy and music education ideas, free songs & resources that we have available here on our website, MusicForKiddos.com.

Transitions can be difficult for young kids, and I think it may be because when we're moving from activity to activity or from place to place, a child may be in the middle of something and may not have gotten quite enough advanced notice that a transition or change is happening. A song can really them prepare and go through that change successfully. Of course, we’d still want to give them as much advanced notice as we could, but a song can also serve as that gentle reminder & “timer” before they transition to something else.

How do we make clean-up time more fun and engaging? We sing a clean up song.

“Clean Up” songs can be deemed as transitional songs, which are songs that help kids move from one activity or setting to another. Sometimes, children (and even adults!) might need some motivation to clean up, at home or in the classroom, and a motivating clean-up song might just be what we need to reinforce and encourage that activity.