Little children are intelligent, more so than you may realize. It simply amazes me how much they learn and pick up simply by (seemingly) only being in the room while something is going on, whether they appear to be paying attention or not. They repeat everything they hear (sometimes not quite accurately, which can be a bit embarrassing at times) and want to know what everything means. Curiosity, in my opinion, is a sign of growing intelligence, and so I attempt to explain to them, the best I can, when they ask me questions.
Because of this, I have decided to be very careful about what we watch on TV as well as what kinds of music we listen to in the house or in the car. I do my best to be sure my kids aren’t learning things that are inappropriate for their ages, and I want to be sure they don’t repeat a swear word or crass phrase. In fact, we try hard to keep words such as "duh", "stupid", "dumb", and other such things out of our vocabulary, and attempt to teach the kids that there are better ways to express their feelings with words that are more intelligent and kind.
So we have, in our house and in our car, several CDs of children’s music. Things from ABCs to Fairy Tale songs to some children’s songs from our church. And of course the occasional instrumental CD, though the kids don’t enjoy those nearly as much as I do. After almost five years of listening to these songs over and over, I know them pretty much by heart. And I have to say I’ve grown rather tired of hearing most of them every single day. And so, to my great relief, I found some music that I honestly don‘t ever think I will get tired of that is geared towards children! You can check it out here: http://www.jimgill.com/new/hear.html Jim Gill is an absolutely wonderful children’s musician! He sings some of the funniest songs I have heard, and most of them (maybe all of them?) are interactive. My kids and I listen to these songs and dance along. Some of my favorites are: Toe, Leg, Knee; The Sneezing Song; The Gong Song; and MANY MANY more. Jim has a degree in child development, and I’m certain that this degree coupled with his personality is what makes his songs so entertaining and fun to listen to. So if you are like me and truly can’t STAND listening to some of the children’s music out there (or even if you just need a change of pace), go get yourself one of Jim Gill’s CDs and take it home to listen to with (or without!) your kids. You’re sure to enjoy it – I know we have!
As a side note, I don’t actually own any of Jim Gill’s CDs yet, but I’m hoping Santa will bring at least one for the kids for Christmas this year. In the meantime, we check them out regularly from the library.
