The best musical toys for your child are the props that you use musically with CCS Activities—the doll that dances, the truck that rolls in rhythm, the hammer that pounds in rhythm.  Using toys musically in the context of tonality and meter, while modeling musical interaction, stimulates imitation and “Music Babble.”  The young child doesn’t know how a toy is “supposed to work.”  If you consistently chant rhythm while pounding with a little hammer, and chant rhythm while your child pounds with the hammer, your little one will assume that this is “how this toy works.”  Ultimately, your child will imitate both your pounding and your chanting.

As your little one grows into more advanced CCS Activities, we will be using additional everyday “props,” that function as “musical instruments” for your child—objects that stimulate musical behavior.  It is always interesting to observe the contrast between CCS children who can sensitively play with ordinary toys as musical instruments, and others who use toys only as toys.

“Playing Music” offers a number of ideas for using toys with Tonal and Rhythm Activities—with the toys facilitating rather than dominating the activities.  Any household object that is used musically with CCS Activities can be an effective “musical instrument” for your child.