A message from Maddie Welch,

Founder of Canta y Baila Conmigo LLC.

Welcome families!

The CyBC online Family Playground is a new format for ALL of us. The following is some information that we hope will be helpful as you prepare to enjoy this session with us. Remember that there is NO homework, NO pressure, and certainly NO specific expectations about how you use the material. Only you can decide what the Playground experience will look like for your family. 

Our Family Playground model is based on “Playdates” released once a week, where you and your child will find sing-along videos, language lessons, off-screen activities and other little treasures. We have decided to make this a “drip” product, meaning the content is not released all at once. Instead, we hope the weekly model helps you create a predictable family schedule (children thrive on routine), as well as excitement and anticipation as you wait for future modules to open up.

One advantage of being invited into your home is that, in addition to our developmentally appropriate content for our kids age 0-5, we can offer goodies for older siblings (especially Pre-K to Grade 2) as well as formal language mini-lessons geared to anyone over the age of 5.

Please remember that while our sing-along videos are OK for kids to re-watch by themselves, their purpose is to create a shared experience between them and an adult in the home. The real-life involvement and guidance of YOU, the grown-up (or perhaps even a teenage sibling), is what will make the experience truly meaningful for your child.

If you have babies at home, they are at their most receptive stages for both music and language! Remember that your voice is the most beautiful and important sound in their lives. Enjoy the recordings and challenge yourself to learn a new tune or two to sing to your child. We will guide you throughout the session with specific ideas on how to interact with your infant to pre-walker to make the most of this beautiful time.

The additional printable activities are great for preschool-aged kids with some help, or K-1 kids with a little more independence.

We are also excited to bring you short video Spanish lessons for anyone over 4 or 5 years old interested in learning Spanish formally. (Remember younger children acquire language in context so they do not need formal teaching. That is what our sing-alongs and live classes are for!) The language in the lessons will come from the songs in the collection. This will allow you, the parent, to enjoy the program more fully along with your child.

A note about SCREEN TIME: For those of you concerned about too much screen time for your child, rest assured that NOT ALL SCREEN TIME IS THE SAME. While passive consumption of media has been shown to be detrimental to young minds, what we are creating here is different. We CAN make video work for us in positive ways when it facilitates human connection and creative interaction. As part of our Playdates we will offer ideas, games and challenges to extend play and exploration beyond the screen.

Finally, as always, remember to listen to your music and use your songbook, whether it’s the physical book or the online version. Our joint experience during the session will based on the content we share from the De colores spring collection!

On behalf of the entire CyBC Family, we thank you for bringing us into your homes this session.

Now, let’s sing and dance!  -  Ahora, ¡a cantar y a bailar!