Kids Are Different, and We’ve Got Your Back
Kids Are Different, and We've Got Your Back
The tools that make joyful teaching possible — even in May
The Classroom Has Changed - And So Have We
I've heard it, read it, and said it myself. Kids in 2026 are not the same as they were in 2016. Screens, passive consumption, and online letter and number drills for 3-year-olds have officially changed the game. We are seeing different behaviors and increased speech challenges.
And yet, some key things remain the same. Children still love and benefit from an environment filled with wonder, play, and creativity. The pacing and flow of a lesson are still essential. The decisive element in the classroom is still the teacher. Joy and delight can still fill our rooms.
The decisive element in the classroom is still the teacher - and joy and delight can still fill our rooms.
The Happy Singing Teacher
I know, because this is still happening in my classes. In fact, I've been called the happy singing teacher. When something doesn't seem to be working, I start singing, and everything begins to flow once more. It's not a brain break led by a screen but a purposeful time of music and movement. I get us started, and I'm actively involved in the whole process.
As a result, in addition to the children getting to move and play, I'm building relationships and opportunities for play and cross-curricular learning as well.
Does this sound too complicated for May? Not if you've got the KMR Curriculum and Teacher Training as your foundation! I lean on it HARD at this time every year. I'm honestly not sure how I would teach well in August and May without the tools I gained from Kids' MusicRound. My teaching practice is fundamentally different now, and my bag of tricks is more like Mary Poppins' magic bag than the shallow toolkit I had before.
The Top 5 Ways I Use These Skills Daily
Here are the top 5 ways I use the skills I learned in Kids' MusicRound every single day in my classroom.
1. Transitions
We've said it 400 times. Please stand in line. Please keep your hands in your own space. Catch a bubble. But what if we approached walking in line as another opportunity to play? I once worked with a teacher who invited her students to be hallway ninjas, and I've never seen a quieter line.
I use music to help get the children in line. Whether it's a train song or "Clap Your Hands," we play our way into the line. I intentionally incorporate dynamics so that when we get into the line, we are silent. We tiptoe down the hall, into the next location, and sing a little celebration song.
2. Relationship & Rapport Building
Have you ever noticed that children are drawn to the adults who genuinely want to play with them? When I pretend to be an elephant (complete with elephant sounds and silly faces), I immediately have everyone's attention. There is nothing like seeing a grown adult stomping around the room to draw you into whatever it is they're asking you to do.
This was not my strength before Kids' MusicRound training! I needed to revisit the world of play. It's so easy to get caught up in progress reports, graduation ceremonies, classroom repairs, and all the adult things in the world. Kids' MusicRound helps me channel my best self, and when that's a little too much (it is May, after all!), I reach for the pre-created, well-balanced set of materials and skills that help me engage students.
3. Phonological Awareness
A colleague pointed out that children are jumping rope less and are not seeing older children outside reciting jump rope rhymes as we did in the past. The games have switched to letter identification on a tablet instead of children of various ages playing silly word games when they're bored or waiting for something.
As a result, children are having a harder time isolating sounds in a word and creating rhyming words. Kids' MusicRound has developed a curriculum where these skills are embedded. Rhythmic rhymes are part of every lesson, and children are actively engaged in changing parts of words as a natural part of music-making.
These games go far beyond the musical benefits and provide children with the essential phonological awareness skills they require to become strong readers.
4. Social Emotional Development
How many times have I said, "Use your words," without stopping to consider whether the child actually knows what words to use? Too many! Teacher training reminded me that children communicate in many different ways, and it's my job to hear what they're saying with or without words. Children's body language is often quite clear, and it often mimics what adults do.
I've also learned to talk less, which is possibly the most difficult task in the world for me! However, the benefits to my students are second to none.
5. Soothing
Just this morning, I was holding a baby in our church nursery. He was sad to have his caregiver leave, and his tears started a chain reaction. I did the first thing that came to mind: I sang a lullaby from Kids' MusicRound, and the tears slowly subsided as the child relaxed into my arms.
Yes, some things have changed, but the most important things have remained the same. Lullabies soothe weary souls; language and musical development can support each other; and playing with children is a game-changer.
Refresh Your Skills This Summer
Kids' MusicRound Teacher Training helps us bring together the past and the future in the best possible way. Join us this summer to refresh your skills, have some fun, and add a little Mary Poppins magic to your teaching toolkit.
See You Soon!
Kids' MusicRound Teacher Training helps us bring together the past and the future in the best possible way. Join us this summer to refresh your skills, have some fun, and add a little Mary Poppins magic to your teaching toolkit.
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