The pleasure of sharing music builds connections between parent and child as sounds and rhythms surround the child in a world of sensations and feelings. Music also offers a joyful and rewarding learning experience, and nurtures children's imagination and creativity to move freely and express themselves with the music.

Using symbolic thinking, such as the idea that one object (a box) can represent another object (a telephone), is a new stage in children's thinking skills.

• Caregivers can use music to build on toddlers' growing abilities to use symbols by providing props to go along with songs—stuffed spiders when singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or fruit shapes cut out of felt to go along with the toddler favourite, "Fruit Salad."

Read more at AL-CRE-C02.