Time flew by and now, I have a toddler! Baby G has started walking around (almost running), picking up things, putting toys/stuff into boxes, almost climbed up the railings of our stairway (ayayay!), climbing stairs, back bending maneuvers and a whole lot more. He seems to pick up our daily routine like pretending to put deo on his armpit when he picks up Daddy G's deo, wiping using an eyeglass cloth, throwing his dirty nappies to the trash every time he sees one lying on our bedroom floor. It's so great to see your child immersed into the environment and manages to learn from everything. So, I decided to give a shot at trying some toddler classes and if, better, a trial class first.
There was A FREE demo class just last Sunday, April 24 at the Dance Studio of Alabang Country Club.
Cuddle and Bounce (newborn to 12m) 9:00am to 9:30am
Sing and Play (13m to 23m) 10:00am to 10:30am
Wiggle and Grow (2's and 3's) 11:00am to 11:30am
Laugh and Learn (3's and 4's) 11:45am to 12:15pm
There were certain aspects that I needed to consider before I even signed up. Baby G's social encounters are usually big kids (like his cousins in the neighborhood: gradeschool and up), and grown-ups. He hasn't really had a formal playdate and we only had one sort of playdate during one of my Babywearing meetups at a local coffee shop. Next, this will be his first class ever. His class "Sing and Play" is within his naptime block and I was worried he might throw a tantrum or be overwhelmed because of all that.
It's a good thing that among Teacher Ana's provisions, one is make sure you come in a few minutes early so that your child will get acquainted with the class setting, the mat. As an eager beaver, since it's also my first time, we were there 20 minutes before the class started. Baby G was the first to get there. At first, he was growing clingy and would not let go when I put him down (from being carried) at the studio lobby - currently an unfamiliar territory. I held his hand and guided him around the table as he slowly became more comfortable and began exploring. He was, then, allowed to explore in the studio where he walked through the chair barriers that divided the studio in two. He was able to fit in narrow side and lower spaces just to get in and out the barriers. Teacher Ana noticed that active exploratory behavior which led her to encourage him to "duck" when he tries to sneak back through the barriers when the dance bars got in the way of his head to prevent him from bumping and he understood and carefully "ducked".
We changed him with fresh socks so he can walk on the mat where stuffed animal toys were placed. Talk about a welcoming party! Knowing Baby G isn't so much into stuffed toys, he just happily threw the around and walked around the mat.
Baby G getting friendly with the other kiddos.
He was excited interacting with kids his age; he would approach them, touch them,
almost swats them (yikes!) and chase/run after/around them.
Slowly, the studio got filled with the rest of the participants. There were probably more or less 10 kids with Moms and/or Dads. I got my Kumare M and her mother, Mrs. M accompany us at that time. There were more videos of the class than photos. Parents are encouraged to participate and pictures/videos can be taken by the companions outside the mat area.
Baby G in action during one of the activities.
***Coming soon: a quick clip of our Kindermuzik experience
Kindermuzik makes learning fun and easy through their musical methods which involves: singing, dancing, playing. They have educational materials like toys, musical instruments and as simple as scarves, animal pictures and blankets as complementary aid to the class. Most importantly, parents and your yayas can attend and are immersed into the sessions. These sessions have so many take-aways that can be repeated as daily routine and can greatly impact the way you communicate with your child and how to gauge your child's personality, behavior and learning styles. Such a precious, fun-filled 1 hour experience. :)
Should you be interested on involving your child in toddler classes, this is a great experience for you and your little one.
Here's Teacher Ana's contact information:
Ana Castro
U.S. Licensed Kindermusik Educator
U.S. Licensed Kindermusik Educator
Oral Placement Therapy Practitioner
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