Social interaction skills
A young infant participates with a caregiver in responsive interactions focused on a song and movement.
None
[Hold the infant in your arms with his/her head well supported in the bend of your arm, ensuring the infant can clearly see you. Smile and greet the infant. Example: “Hello, Zion! I am happy to see you today.”]
[Explain that you want to sing a song and move your body a little bit. Example: “I am going to sing a song and we are going to move a little bit. I can stop singing or moving my body if you don’t like it.”
Softly sing a verse of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Gently sway from side to side with the infant in your arms as you sing. Maintain eye contact with the infant throughout the song and movement.
Pause after the verse and describe the infant’s reaction to the song and movement. Example: “You watched and listened to me sing a song. I think you liked listening to my voice and moving from side to side.”
If the infant remains interested, repeat the song several times, pausing in between each verse to describe the infant’s reactions.]
[Offer a brief description of what happened during the activity. Example: “Thank you for sharing time with me, Zion. I sang a song and we moved together. You smiled while we moved to the song! We had fun together.”]
Social interaction skills
Older infants participate in responsive interactions with a caregiver while dancing together.
Invite several infants who can sit independently, or stand, to dance with you. Infants who stand may wish to hold onto a piece of furniture. Play lively music, loud enough to be heard by the infants but soft enough to avoid overstimulating infants in the gathering. Demonstrate dancing to the music by moving parts of your upper body in gentle ways and occasionally moving your feet. Encourage infants to join you in dancing. Smile and make eye contact with infants as you dance together. Copy a brief part of what each infant does. This may be a slight movement of the head, a hand that goes in circles, or an arm that sways. Point out your mimicking actions. Examples: “I am dancing like Kylie is dancing.” “I am moving my arm the way Harper is moving her arm.” After several minutes, stop the music and describe what happened. Example: “We danced to the music! Luna danced. Marco danced. James smiled and watched the dancing. We had fun dancing together!”
Watch for and use opportunities to incorporate responsive interactions with infants. In Option 1, responsiveness can occur when you stop after the first verse to describe the infant’s actions during the rhyme and determine whether to continue. In Option 2, responsiveness can occur when you copy part of what each infant is doing. The infant’s action may be quite modest in adult eyes, yet, from the infant’s point of view, having a trusted caregiver also do the action can be a meaningful experience in feeling acknowledged. In both options, maintaining eye contact and offering many big smiles is a practical way to communicate you are tuned in. Some infants in Option 2 may prefer to listen to the music and watch their peers’ movements. Positively recognize all forms of participation. Remember that responsive interactions are wrapped around what an infant is doing, not around an interest in entertaining or directing what an infant might do.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: none
Offer singing and simple made-up rhymes throughout the day in response to an infant’s actions, including looking at you. Your own voice is much easier to use and far more spontaneous than recorded music for responding to an infant’s interests and actions. Examples: “Jamie, I see you looking at me. I’m going to sing a song for you!” “Desari, you are making sounds with a rattle. I am going to make up a rattle rhyme!” Your song or rhyme can be simple and short, and even include nonsense words. What is most important is your responsiveness to what an infant is doing.
Materials Needed: music player with different music styles
Dancing is an enjoyable activity for children of all ages. Offer opportunities for children in your setting to dance with different styles and tempos of music. Encourage toddlers and older children to dance in ways they choose. Older infants will enjoy listening to the music and moving their bodies while watching their older peers. Younger infants will enjoy being held during dance times.
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