Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
We were so excited to receive another one of these fabulous CDs from Music Together. My kids have had so much fun with the original Family Favorites that this second installment had a lot to live up to. And it delivered! Family Favorites 2 is absolutely twice the fun, with 19 songs that have won 9 different awards—music and movement and learning, oh my!
These are not just silly kid songs; they are engaging songs that teach without your kids even realizing it. Each CD comes with an activity guide with suggestions for each song. Rhythm activities, language development, music and movement, harmonies, and multi-cultural appreciation are all incorporated into this selection of songs. While I love a lot of different things about this music, I love the multi-cultural aspect most of all. Each album has included a number of ethnic songs that kids love!
As I share about some of our favorites, please check out the Music Together website to hear samples. But don’t listen alone, or you won’t catch the wonder. Get your kids and watch their reaction to the music. I’ll guarantee they can’t sit still and listen.
Some of our favorites…
- Two of my favorites to use with Littlest have been Wiggle! and Saying and Doing. Wiggle! also has a verse to sing “tickle,” so not only does Littlest get some great wiggles in but we finish it off with a huge tickle. Saying and Doing is great for emphasizing words and actions from “washing our hands” to “brushing our teeth.”
- Rhythms and Rhymes has been my favorite for Middlest for one particular verse: “no one knows where a tippy-toer goes.” Oh my goodness, what a life-saver! Middlest runs everywhere and sounds like an elephant when she does. Trying to get her to tip-toe through the hall while Littlest naps is something we’ve been working on for over a year. But she loves this little rhyme, and I can finally get her to tip-toe! Mr. Rabbit is another of her favorites that she loves to act out.
- While all of the kids enjoy the ethnic songs included on these CDs, Oldest is especially drawn to them. And I love to encourage his interest as a way of opening his heart to the unsaved in those cultures. Don Alfredo Baila and Hey-Ya-na are a couple of his favorites. Don Alfredo is similar to If you’re happy and you know it or Father Abraham, combining repeated movements with a progressively faster melody—music and movement and total engagement. It’s definitely a tune that leaves you out of breath. Hey-Ya-na is a Native American melody that has the distinct STRONG-soft beat. My little Indians love to stomp, clap, drum, and dance this rhythm—with a little “whoop” just for effect.
- Our last favorite Foolin’ Around is a “grab your instrument and play along” tune. The kids have so much fun with their “instruments,” pretending to play along. And as long as my nerves can stand it, sometimes they harmonize with real instruments, too. It’s hard on the hearing, but so much fun to watch!
Family Favorites and Family Favorites 2 have definite child-appeal that use music and movement to introduce so many learning elements. Plus, the accompanying activity guides give you terrific ideas for making the most of each song. It’s great for rainy days, happy days, gloomy days, and those days when you just need a few wiggles out.
Family Favorites 2 is available as a CD for $14.95 (plus shipping) or as a download for $9.99. Visit the website and let your kids dance through a few samples. It won’t be long before these become your “family favorites,” too.
Disclaimer: I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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