Preliminary to "dancing" with my baby, I start doing interactive songs with him. I did a video with two songs: The Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Addams Family Theme Song. (Sometimes I play the music for the second from a video on youtube instead of singing it. Also since you can't see too well in the video, on the clicks in The Addams Family Theme I either loosely pinch his cheeks by using my thumb and pointer of one hand and place one on each cheek and squeeze or I use both hands and use the knuckle on my pointer finger and kind of push his cheeks inward.) (Also for the Itsy Bitsy Spider, I used to do rain (instead of the air) over his face but he seemed to freak out a little (never cried) but I found if I did light rain down the sides of his face and his body he'll sometimes giggle and he never seems upset by it. Another one of these is the 5 little piggies rhyme: This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef and this little piggy had none. And this little piggy went wee-wee- wee- wee all the way home. (I wiggle each toe on one foot and for the wee's I tickle all over his body and end up on his nose for home. Then I do the other foot and then I actually do both feet at the same time.)
These songs are a great time to make faces and get your child used to different types of music. These songs are things you can do motions for on your child (use your child's body for the water spout), or pretend to play the piano on them. Not exactly a song, but something I like to do is lay my child in front of me and do the jaws theme. For the first dun-na I go from being upright to leaning on my hands- arms fully extended. The second dun-na I lean forward a little with my elbows bent. Then while doing the final dun-na dun-na dun-na- moving steadily forward and then instead of screaming I pretend to eat his neck, shoulders, stomach or blow raspberries (it really depends on my child and what they like). My first child really liked raspberries on his stomach. My second seems to like pretend eating at his shoulder/chest area. He will often start laughing before I get there- anticipating the end.
Then there are songs that have good beats. You can use these to help your child learn to feel the rhythm. Almost any song you like can be used for this, but one of my favorites is "Down By the Bay" by Raffi. I generally just tap out the beat but I rotate different body types.
Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow, Back to my home,
A C B C D C B C A C B C D C B C A C B C D
I dare not go, For if I do, my Mother will say, Did you ever see a(n)
C B C A C B C D C B C A C B C D C B C A C B C A&C A&C
____ ______ ___ Down by the bay
A&C A&C A&C A&C A&C
If I lay my child in my lap- head on one knee and feet on the other I might tap his toes for A, knees for B, stomach for C and shoulders for D. With my first son, when he started sitting in my lap I would do my right knee for A, his right knee for B, his left knee for C and my left knee for D. You can do any body parts you like, just remember to tap lightly.
These songs are a great time to make faces and get your child used to different types of music. These songs are things you can do motions for on your child (use your child's body for the water spout), or pretend to play the piano on them. Not exactly a song, but something I like to do is lay my child in front of me and do the jaws theme. For the first dun-na I go from being upright to leaning on my hands- arms fully extended. The second dun-na I lean forward a little with my elbows bent. Then while doing the final dun-na dun-na dun-na- moving steadily forward and then instead of screaming I pretend to eat his neck, shoulders, stomach or blow raspberries (it really depends on my child and what they like). My first child really liked raspberries on his stomach. My second seems to like pretend eating at his shoulder/chest area. He will often start laughing before I get there- anticipating the end.
Then there are songs that have good beats. You can use these to help your child learn to feel the rhythm. Almost any song you like can be used for this, but one of my favorites is "Down By the Bay" by Raffi. I generally just tap out the beat but I rotate different body types.
Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow, Back to my home,
A C B C D C B C A C B C D C B C A C B C D
I dare not go, For if I do, my Mother will say, Did you ever see a(n)
C B C A C B C D C B C A C B C D C B C A C B C A&C A&C
____ ______ ___ Down by the bay
A&C A&C A&C A&C A&C
If I lay my child in my lap- head on one knee and feet on the other I might tap his toes for A, knees for B, stomach for C and shoulders for D. With my first son, when he started sitting in my lap I would do my right knee for A, his right knee for B, his left knee for C and my left knee for D. You can do any body parts you like, just remember to tap lightly.
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