Elizabeth’s Story
Spanish, a sense of structure, and musical inspiration from Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® has helped Elizabeth and her toddler find balance amid life’s big disruptions.
Break-through Class
Last time I spoke with Elizabeth, she and her 20-month-old daughter had just finished music class (week 8), and she exclaimed that it had been the best class so far, a break-through class with lots of participation. When I asked what participation looked like for her daughter she said, “Big eyes taking everything in, playing instruments, and singing along.”
New to Mi Casa Es Tu Casa®
Unlike the last family I interviewed, Elizabeth and her daughter had never enrolled in Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® classes before the pandemic. And since she doesn’t do screen time, Elizabeth was hesitant to commit to online classes for her little one. But, as she put it, she wanted her daughter “to continue to have structure and inspiration during this big disruption to our daily routines and rituals,” and she trusted that the classes would live up to their reviews.
It took a couple of classes for them to figure out the best placement of the screen—close enough to see, but far enough to be out of reach of curious little hands. Once they got that down, and had gotten hooked on the songs, they really got into it.
Live and Interactive
“This,” Elizabeth says, “is the only screen time [my daughter] has aside from chatting with family and friends. [My daughter] understands that the experience is live and interactive.” She stressed that her daughter “responds positively to the reminder that other people are around and singing too.”
Her experience is right in line with what Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® is designed to give families, even on Zoom. The teachers interact with each family, they know everyone’s names, they use puppets, sign language, and movement to bring the classes to life.
Spanish Language Reinforcement
Spanish plays a big role in how Elizabeth is raising her daughter. It’s the primary language she speaks with her, even though she’s not a native speaker. So, she values the language learning that happens for her daughter in the classes: “…it's enriching for her to have community reinforcement. I like her hearing other people speaking Spanish, especially in such a cheerful atmosphere.”
But you don't have to be fluent in Spanish for these classes. As we saw with Melissa, no matter your Spanish-language level, music with Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® is linguistically enriching, for both parents and kiddos.
Find Out What It’s All About
Anyone can try an online class for free to get a feel for what they are like. If you’re concerned about the screen because your child is so young, remember that the main goal of the class is for parents and children to interact with each other. Use the time as a musical guide for one-on-one time with your child.
In our next interview, we’ll hear from a mother who began taking classes at Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® when her son was just 2 months old.