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Singing

High and Low Explorer

Ages 3–75 minutes

What You'll Need

  • A stuffed animal or small toy

How to Do It

  1. 1

    Hold the stuffed animal down low near the floor. Sing a low note: "Dooown here."

  2. 2

    Slowly lift the animal up high above your head. Let your voice slide up high: "Uuuup here!"

  3. 3

    Move the animal up and down, and let your voice follow — high when it's up, low when it's down.

  4. 4

    Let your child hold the animal and move it. You follow with your voice.

  5. 5

    Now switch — you move the animal, and your child sings high and low to match.

  6. 6

    Try moving the animal to different heights. Can you find a middle voice too?

Why This Helps

Understanding high and low is one of the first steps in learning about melody and pitch. Using a physical object makes the abstract concept visible and touchable, which is exactly how young children learn best — through their senses and their bodies.

Try This Next

Try this with two stuffed animals — one sings high, one sings low. Can you have a conversation between them?