Given that Easter is just around the corner I thought it was timely to re-share this post by Christine Gora of Kids Music Toys offering a great suggestion for an alternative to chocolate eggs this year!
Even if you are yourself a chocoholic most parents realise that too much chocolate for children is not a good thing. There are many shakers or maracas that are ideal musical instruments for young children. They not only look beautiful but make lovely sounds and many have the traditional egg shape. These are a great alternative to the traditional chocolate Easter egg.
A pair of egg maracas provides for lots of musical exploration as they can be tapped together and rolled on the floor with both hands. Children at the bi – lateral stage of development love to use both hands at the same time and egg maracas fit neatly into the hands.
You can ask your child lots of questions and sing songs to encourage exploring the concepts of high, low, loud, soft, slow and fast. Try singing to the tune, “Here We go Round the Mulberry Bush” the following words:
This is the way we play up high, play up high, play up high
This is the way we play up high so early in the morning.
or
This is the way we play so quietly, play so quietly, play so quietly etcWhen you want to finish the game sing;
This is the way we rest our eggs, rest our eggs, rest our eggs etc.
You can also help with your child’s linguistic and imaginative skills by asking questions such as, “Can you play your eggs like gently falling raindrops?” or “Can you make your eggs sound like waves on the ocean?”
Don’t forget when you want them put away to sing the little song I spoke about in my last post, rather than just giving verbal instruction, try: “Eggs away, eggs away, gently put our eggs away”
At Kids Music Toys we have a range of wonderful egg maracas. Eggs can be purchased in pairs or individually. We have pairs of large egg maracas that are 9 cm in length with stripes and dots, available in the colours shown below:
The next largest egg shakers are the stripey egg maracas that come in 4 colourways. They are 7 cm in length and eggs can be bought individually.
There are also metallic solid colour egg shakers available either individually or in pairs.
Our boxed pairs of egg shakers come in four beautiful handpainted designs in an attractive wooden box and are particularly lovely as gifts.
We also stock a lovely basket containing a dozen wooden eggs with hand painted designs and various sizes all in a lovely bamboo container.
Why not consider a musical egg or two instead of chocolate this year and enjoy a happy and musical Easter!
Christine Gora is the manager of Kids Music Toys online music store, a Gymbaroo franchisee and Kindermusik educator, running music classes for children from birth to 7 years. In fact, she is the longest serving Kindermusik educator in Australia and New Zealand. Christine is the mother of four grown up musical devotees and a grandmother of four.
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