It’s beginning to feel like summer in Dallas! If you’re like me, you probably appreciate having some fun, indoor activities to do with your kids when the daily temperatures start to rise, and summer is a great time to try a Kindermusik by Sound Steps class.
My two children (ages 22 months and 3 years) and I actually love Kindermusik year-round.
Our first experiences with Kindermusik were at the Dallas Arboretum’s “Mommy and Me Mondays” and “Tiny Tot Tuesdays” during the spring and fall (free with an Arboretum membership or admission). I was a bit reluctant, however, to sign up for a weekly class because I wasn’t sure it would be worth the cost ($67 per month for the first child, with a discount for additional siblings). But I decided to try a Kindermusik class when my oldest was 21 months old, and I’m so glad I did!
We’ve been going to classes ever since, and it’s still one of our favorite things to do each week—almost two years later.
Here’s what I like most about our Kindermusik by Sound Steps classes:
1. The Music
To be honest, I’m not crazy about most “kids’ music,” but I really like Kindermusik songs. If you take a Kindermusik class, you always get a CD that includes the songs you sing and listen to during class for each theme (you can also download the music online). We now have quite a collection:
My kids ask to listen to our various Kindermusik CDs nearly every day, and I’m still not tired of the songs. I certainly can’t say that about any of the other children’s music that we listened to before starting Kindermusik classes!
Plus, learning songs in class and then listening to the CDs at home has turned me into one of those moms who has a song for everything. Whether it’s making toast, answering the door, or seeing a picture of a donkey—I know a Kindermusik song for the occasion. Caveat: I’m not sure my husband considers this a plus with my singing voice! But my kids seem to appreciate it.
2. The People
I love the camaraderie among the moms at Kindermusik classes, and it’s been fun to watch my kids interact with the same babies and/or toddlers week after week, even when they were still too young to start making actual friends.
In addition, I feel like I’m always learning new things during class that help me as a parent—sometimes from the other moms but usually from casual comments by our Kindermusik instructor. (In fact, Kindermusik is where I first learned what an “open-ended toy” was, long before I started blogging about great toys.)
You can read more about the Kindermusik educators online here—they all have impressive backgrounds and, even more importantly, they understand children.
3. The Impact
My kids love Kindermusik. My son regularly wants to “play” Kindermusik at home. He likes to pretend he’s the instructor and lead us in a “class” right in our own living room. And when my daughter was just beginning to talk, one of the first phrases she ever used was “Hop Up”—words to her favorite Kindermusik song “Hop Up, My Baby.” Both kids get so excited when it’s the day they get to go to Kindermusik class.
Looking to try Kindermusik for yourself? Here’s the Details:
Kindermusik classes are designed for children in the following age groups:
- Babies and 1-year-olds (“Village”)
- Age 2 to 3.5-year-olds (“Our Time”)
- Age 3.5 and 4-year-olds (“Imagine That”)
- 5-7 years old (“Young Child”)
If you have kids who fall within different age groups, the Kindermusik educators will work with you to try to find a class that will work for both kids. (For example, when my daughter was still a baby, I got approval to bring her along to “Our Time” classes, intended for kids my son’s age.)
The classes last 45 minutes and involve the same basic routine each week, with some fun variations.
I’ve been in “Village” and “Our Time” classes, both of which have singing and dancing, as you might expect, sometimes sitting or standing in a circle, sometimes moving around the room. The kids get to play with things like balls and scarves, as well as egg shakers, bells, and other musical instruments. There is usually a story time and a slower “rest” song toward the end of the class.
Kindermusik classes are offered at a variety of times, including late afternoons, evenings, and weekends (online schedules available here). The classes are held in five main locations around town (most of which are studios within churches, although Kindermusik has no religious affiliation or content):
- Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (across from Northpark Mall)
- Greenland Hills United Methodist Church (in the M Streets, not far from Mockingbird & Matilda)
- Lakewood United Methodist Church (on Abrams near Gaston)
- Highlands Christian Church (in Lake Highlands, not far from Walnut Hill & Audelia Road)
- Alcuin School (Preston & Forest area)
My kids tend to miss a lot of classes because of the Kindermusik wellness policy. But if you have to miss classes because your child is sick, you get unlimited lifetime make-ups that you can use anytime—even with different children and different classes—as long as there is space in the class you want to attend for the make-up.
We haven’t taken advantage of many make-up classes yet, but we’re planning to get in a lot of our make-up classes this summer. Perhaps we’ll see you at a class!
**I was not compensated in any way for this post on Kindermusik by Sound Steps.
