Activities:   
 

Sing To Your Child (bonding and rhythm & pitch development -- babies): Sing happily to your child while making eye contact. Hold up the appropriate number of fingers for each verse as you sing. For pre-verbal babies, having them listen to you sing while physically interacting helps develop brain connections. The more you smile, touch & interact with your child, the more they will learn. 

Sing Without Words (audiation development – toddlers & ages 3-5): Sing the song with your child without the words, using "la," "ba" or animal sounds. By leaving out the words, this helps your child focus on pitch & rhythm. You can also try having your child echo each line as a call & response. This makes singing easier for children. 

Counting Activity (language & reasoning development – toddlers & ages 3-5): Hold up the appropriate number of fingers for each verse as you sing together. You can also touch your child’s fingers as you sing. Touch has more impact on toddlers & babies than sound alone. In between each verse, you can pause and count while tapping your child’s body up to the number in the verse. 

Choose Another Animal (making cognitive connections – ages 3-5): Ask your child to choose a new name for Alice. Ask your child to choose another animal (besides camel). Ask your child what the animal has to sing about (besides humps). Then, make up a new song using your child’s answers. Example: “Joey the Dog has four tails...” This activity is perfect for children developing their abstract reasoning, creative imagination and verbal skills.