I love singing and dancing with Baby Mwah. It’s my favorite way to pass the time. Aside from being lots of fun, music is good for babies and children. Numerous studies have shown how music stimulates cognitive development and helps children with language development and communication skills. Dancing and moving along to music builds motor skills, and it is a great bonding experience for parents and children.
I’m constantly on the lookout for new family friendly music. I recently received five new CDs from Disney Music to review. I’ve been playing them non-stop for the past week.
- Disney Music Block Party: This CD features popular Playhouse Disney artists singing Disney classics with a modern twist. I love the new version of “Lavender Blue Dilly Dilly” by the Wiggles. When I was a child, my mother used to sing me the Burl Ives version of this song, and now I can sing it to Baby Mwah. I also adore the new calypso-style version of the “Tiki Tiki Tiki Room” by Wayne Brady. Baby Mwah breaks into contagious giggles when I “flap my wings” along with the song and tickle him during the chorus. This CD also contains a cool new version of the “Ballad of Davy Crockett” by They Might Be Giants, one of my favorite groups.
- Here Come the 123s: My husband was a math major, so he just loves this CD by They Might Be Giants. This witty cd is actually educational. It teaches concepts like infinity, even numbers, addition, polygons and…of course…the 123s. I love the songs One Dozen Monkeys and Nonagon. The CD came with a companion DVD. Since Baby Mwah doesn’t watch TV yet, I lent the DVD to a friend. Her kindergartener watches it repeatedly and has learned all the basic math concepts from the songs…which he sings relentlessly. They Might Be Giants also have free podcasts available at www.tmbg.com.
- Juice Box Heroes by The Imagination Movers: The song “I Want My Mommy” by the Imagination Movers has been a hit on satellite radio, and I can see why. “I Want My Mommy” is catchy, and it addresses a big issue for kids and parents– getting your children to sleep in their own bed. And I think every parent should learn to sing “The Medicine Song.” A friend reports that she sings this song to get her 3 year old to take his medicine. All the songs are fun-to-sing, and they address important issues (moving, sibling rivalry, the first day of school, sleeping alone, taking medicine) without condescending to kids.
- Choo-Choo Soul: The CD and the accompanying DVD has a rhythm and blues flavor and upbeat, danceable tunes. Baby Mwah and I groove to “Jump, Jump,” and I really like the gospel version of the A, B, C song.
- The Rhyming Circus by Ralph’s World: These fun children’s songs by rock & roller Ralph Covert will appeal to kids, but parents will appreciate the witty references. For example, “Folsom Daycare Blues” is based on the Johnny Cash tune, and “Abby’s Alphabet Soup” jokes about “a new girl in class, Polly Hedron, a non-Euclidean lass.” My husband and I had a good laugh when we heard that.
Want It:
Buy these CDs at www.disneymusicblockparty.com or download them from iTunes. There’s also a concert tour if you want to hear this music live. Tour info is available at www.disneymusicblockparty.com.
