Learning made fun

Free Easter Activity Download

DOWNLOAD the Musical Minis Easter activity pack from the Musical Minis website.

It's an Easter themed download with Easter songs, Easter hat ideas, Easter cooking suggestions and an Easter colouring picture with hidden eggs to find. Loads of fun for both children and adults!

Click on this link and enter your details to instantly receive the pack.

We would love to see photos of the finished activities in the pack. Please email them to us at [email protected] 

As well as being educational we primarily really want both children and adults to have fun

Musical Minis Summer Fun In South Wales

We are so excited to be able to offer some musical fun over the summer holidays for your little ones in Barry.

On Monday mornings in July and August South Wales Musical Minis 'Summer Sessions' will be held at All Saints Church, Barry at 10am.

Sessions are going to be on July 22nd, 29th and August 12th.

You can expect 45 minutes of singing, music, instruments, bubbles, parachute, stories ... lots of fun to keep your little one/s entertained over the summer holidays!

We would love to see our regular members but also welcome some new faces. Everyone welcome - no membership needed and older siblings are free to come along too. Booking is essential as places are limited. Click here for all the details and to book your place.

Summer Fun With Durham Musical Minis

Join in the fun with Durham Musical Minis Summer Parties.

The Summer Parties are being held in Belmont, Lanchester and Newton Hall.

The cost is only £5 per child and places must be booked in advance.

Everyone welcome - no membership needed.

Click here for all the details and to book your place.

As well as the Summer Parties Musical Minis Durham is running integenerational sessions this Summer too. These are taking place in Durham in St. Aidan Lodge in July and August. The residents will join in with the children bringing the young and old together for a morning of fun. There will be one session in July and one in August.

Click here for all the details and to book your place.

Bucks and South Northants Musical Minis Summer Sessions

We are so excited to be able to offer some musical fun over the summer holidays for your little ones in Bucks!

Across two weeks in August, we are running 8 Musical Minis 'Summer Sessions' in different locations and at different times. Sessions are going to be in Buckingham, Loughton Lodge, Maids Moreton, Stony Stratford, Tingewick and Winslow.

You can expect 45 minutes of singing, music, instruments, bubbles, parachute, stories ... lots of fun to keep your little one/s entertained over the summer holidays!

Our sessions will also be themed - the first week being all about ANIMALS and the second week will be based around GOING TO THE BEACH.

We would love to see our regular members but also welcome some new faces. Everyone welcome - no membership needed and older siblings are free to come along too. Booking is essential as places are limited. Click here for all the details and to book your place.

Join In The Fun This Summer With Musical Minis

Musical Minis franchisees are once again gearing up to make sure that Summer at Musical Minis is full of fun.

Musical Minis Summer parties and sessions are being run in some areas.

Click on the locations below to find out what is going on in your area:

Berkshire - Teddy Bears' Picnic

Buckinghamshire - regular themed sessions throughout the Summer

Durham - Summer Parties plus sessions in Care Homes.

South Lincs - regular sessions throughout the Summer.

South Wales - regular sessions throughout the Summer plus sessions in Care Homes.

Other locations will be added soon so please keep looking or contact your local Musical Minis franchisee.

Free Summer Activity Download

THERE is now a new activity download on the Musical Minis website.

It's our Summer themed download with songs and activities to do, both indoors and outdoors. You will also find ideas to help you have a great Teddy Bears' Picnic.

Click on this link and enter your details to instantly receive the pack.

I would love to hear from you as to how you get on with this download and any ideas which you may have for future ones. Are there any specific activities you particularly enjoy doing with your children? As well as being educational I primarily really want both children and adults to have fun.

A number of our Musical Minis franchisees are running Summer parties over the next few months. Check the local page for your area on our web site or email your local franchisee for details.

Musical Minis Top 10 Names In 2018

Following our tradition of tallying the names of children attending Musical Minis classes, the list below shows the most popular names for children attending in 2018. It isn't necessarily children who were born in 2018. Furthermore, it doesn't include children who attend Children's Centre sessions, or nursery/ school sessions or care home sessions. This is the 9th year we have issued the Musical Minis top 10 names.

The numbers in brackets shows the name's position in 2017.

Top 10 Boys Names:-

1 Henry  (7)
2 Jack (2)
=3 Harry (3)
=3  Finley
5 George (5)
=6 Charlie
=6 Joshua
8 Freddie
=9 Benjamin
=9 Samuel

There are 6 names which have dropped out of the top 10 boys names this year. They are Oliver, William, Thomas, Jacob, Harrison and Hugo. They have been replaced by Finley, Charlie, Joshua, Freddie, Benjamin and Samuel. Charlie has made in back into our top 10 after missing out last year (2017)  but it was in the 5 previous years (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Joshua has become more popular - it appeared in our top 10 in 2010 and 2011 and then dropped down. Benjamin made a brief appearance in the top 10 in 2011 but hasn't appeared since. Finley, Freddie and Samuel have never appeared in the Musical Minis top 10 before. Henry has become more popular over the year and moved up the top 10, whilst the other names that appeared last year (Jack, Harry and George) remained in the same position.

Top 10 Girls Names:-

1 Emily (1)
2 Isla (=3)
=3 Ava
=3 Isabella
5 Amelia
6 Charlotte 
7 Isabelle (2)
8 Sophie (=3)
=9 Grace (7)
=9 Jessica (=9)

There have been 4 new entries in the top 10 girls names this year - Ava, Isabella, Amelia and Charlotte. As well as this year, Ava has been in the top 10 in 3 previous years (2011. 2013 and 2016) since we started name tables 9 years ago. Isabella appeared in 2012. Amelia appeared in 3 previous years (2010, 2013 and 2016). Charlotte has been in the top 10, in 4 previous years (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) but had a 4 year gap before entering again this year - perhaps due to Princess Charlotte being born in 2015. Rosie, Alice, Lucy and Olivia have dropped out of this year's top 10. Isla has gained popularity over the year and moved up the top 10 whilst Isabelle, Sophie and Grace have moved down it. Emily and Jessica have remained in the same position as last year.

The names are counted according to the spelling and it is noted that there are various spellings of the same name, particularly with girls names. For example, Isabella, Isabelle, Isobel, Isobelle and Isabel are counted as 5 separate names despite being very similar.

From the popular names to the unusual names, from Aaliyah to Zoe (in our A - Z for 2018), there is a huge variety of names. This year we have noticed many more unique names that only one Musical Minis member has across the whole UK.

Names are obviously a personal choice by the parents. What one person loves, another might not. If you would like to know how popular your child's name is or fancy finding a unique name for your baby, just let me know.

Emily is the only girls name which has appeared in the top 10 for all 9 years since we started analysing the names. Girls names seem to be much more varied and move in and out of popularity - in the 9 years we have analysed there are 28 different girls names in the top 10. Boys names seem to be more static in the list in the 8 years we have analysed there are 22 boys names in the top 10. In the last 9 years, Jack, Harry and George have all appeared in the top 10 every year. Oliver and Thomas appeared every year apart from this year so perhaps we are starting to see a change with boys names.

Once again it is my 25 year old daughter, Emily, who has created the list of names. Her name has been in the top 10 girls names for the 9th year in a row - 7 of these years in the number 1 position. She is still happy being called Emily, so parents of Emily's we have chosen well!

Musical Minis - Bringing The Young And Old Together

Musical Minis is a pre-school fun time music group based on developmental activities. Each structured session encourages cognitive, physical and emotional development through the use of music, instruments and stories. Often elderly relatives accompany children to Musical Minis classes and we have noted how much satisfaction the older members get out of the session. Parents have mentioned how when their grandparents, the Musical Minis child’s great grandparents, have been to a class, how interactive and ‘alive’ they become and it is quite a contrast to how they usually behave. Musical Minis uses many traditional songs and nursery rhymes which can trigger memories with the older generation as it’s familiar for them. The older people also clearly get delight from seeing how the babies and toddlers in the classes respond.

As the population of a developed country ages, the number of cases of dementia identified increases. As a way of helping care for and support people with dementia, music has been shown to often have a dramatic effect. The power of music, especially singing, to unlock memories and stimulate the brain has been shown to be a valuable feature of dementia care. With people with dementia music seems to reach parts of the brain in ways other forms of communication cannot. People with dementia often have an ability to remember songs from their past. Some people with dementia aren’t able to talk but they can sing, clap, tap their feet or move to the music.

There have been a number of studies recently which show how elderly people, especially those with dementia, respond positively to music. There have also been a number of studies which show how elderly people benefit greatly from interacting regularly with children. With this in mind, together with our experience of how elderly relatives react at our regular Musical Minis classes, we decided to explore the possibility of running Musical Minis sessions in Residential Care Homes.

Over the last few months Musical Minis has linked up with a few Residential Care Homes throughout the UK for trial sessions. The programme has been well received and has resulted in regular sessions being held. Staff in the Care Homes have noticed that their residents who don’t usually respond to other activities, to their surprise have joined in with Musical Minis. The residents have expressed how much they enjoy the Musical Minis sessions and have still been talking about it days after our visit. As well as being stimulated by the traditional songs and playing the instruments provided, it is clearly apparent that they love the interaction with the young children at the classes. Likewise, the babies and toddlers together with their parents or carers find the experience of interacting with the elderly residents rewarding and worthwhile.

The Musical Minis programme hopes to boost confidence, self-esteem and quality of life by involving elderly people, including some with dementia, in interactive singing sessions. The fact that young children also participate in the same sessions adds to the experience and enjoyment by the residents. For everyone, the residents, the staff, the children and their carers, all joining in the Musical Minis session together helps them to feel life is valuable. It has proved to be beneficial to everyone taking part and something we are keen to expand.

If you would like to find out more about Musical Minis running pre-school music sessions in a Residential Care Home in your area please contact [email protected] . We would be happy to explore ways Musical Minis could work with you to achieve great results for both the young and old in your community.

Summer With Musical Minis South Lincs

Musical Minis is turning 15 years old in the South Lincolnshire area. That means there are many teenage Musical Minis out there!

To celebrate join "Jingle the Bear" and Hazel Morgan, the South Lincs Musical Minis Franchisee, on Saturday 28th July 10-11am for our 15th Birthday Party at Bourne Children's Centre. The cost is £5 per child under 5 years old and booking is essential. To book click here.

Hazel is also holding August Summer Fun classes in Morton, Sleaford, Bourne and Folkingham. To find out days and times and to book into one or more of them, click here.

To tie in with our 15th Birthday celebrations there is 15% off September class fees if booked online before the 15th August! Classes will be run in the Autumn Term in Bourne, Corby Glen, Market Deeping, Morton, Sleaford, Stamford and Wittering. Click here for details about the Autumn Term and to book online.

Come and join the Summer fun at Musical Minis in South Lincolnshire.

To find out more information visit the Musical Minis South Lincs website or email [email protected]

Have Fun With Musical Minis This Summer

Musical Minis franchisees are once again gearing up to make sure that Summer at Musical Minis is full of fun.

Musical Minis Summer parties and sessions are being run in some areas.

Click on the locations below to find out what is going on in your area:

Buckinghamshire - regular sessions throughout the Summer

Durham - Summer Parties

Oxford - themed Summer Parties

South Lincs - Fantastic Party to celebrate 15 years of Musical Minis in the area

South Wales - regular sessions throughout the Summer

Southern Home Counties - Summer Parties

Other locations will be added soon so please keep looking or contact your local Musical Minis franchisee.

Saint David’s Day 2018 with Musical Minis South Wales.

Guest blog post by Jo Weaving our South Wales Musical Minis franchisee.

Several years ago, I took the decision to include a week of Saint David’s Day celebrations within my classes. Despite having taken holiday’s in Wales as a child and having lived in Wales for 11 years before becoming a Mum, it wasn’t until I became a Mum that I realised how big the celebrations for Saint David’s Day, in Wales, are. When my eldest son, Jack, started school I first became aware of the Eisteddfod that all schools hold to celebrate Saint David’s Day. An Eisteddfod is a festival of music, dance & poetry held in Wales every summer and is the largest festival of it’s kind in Europe. Obviously, the schools Eisteddfods are on a much smaller scale but are still full of music, dancing, poetry, arts & crafts, story writing, baking and lots more. Children are encouraged to go to school dressed up in either national costume or a costume that has a welsh theme. (Rugby player, daffodil, leek etc etc) I can remember one year, a child had made a costume of Mount Snowdon.

So, who was Saint David? Saint David was born in Caefai in South West Wales. He founded a Celtic monastic community at Glyn Rhosyn on the western headland of Pembrokshire, where Saint David’s Cathedral stands today.

David’s fame as a teacher spread quickly among Celtic Christians and he helped found almost a dozen monasteries. His foundation at Glyn Rhosyn became an important Christian shrine, and the most important centre in Wales. The date of Saint David’s death is believed to be 1st March 589. Saint David was recognised as a national patron saint during the 12th Century.

We celebrate Saint David’s Day at Musical Minis South Wales by singing our name song in Welsh, including a few simple welsh nursery rhymes and with a dragon story. This year, 2018 was no different, except we only managed to run half of our classes due to the unexpected snow.

The whole of Wales take great pride in celebrating on March 1st, donning daffodils & leeks, sampling delicious welsh cakes and bara brith, as well as discussing the latest performance of the Welsh Rugby team in the Six Nations contest.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus.

Jo runs classes throughout the week in Barry, Barry Island, Bridgend, Cardiff Bay and Pontyclun. If you would like to know more about Musical Minis South Wales, please visit the website, email [email protected] or phone Jo on 01446 733788.