Homeschool Lessons Through a Chord Book

My eldest son who recently turned 5 years old has a new favorite book. Guess what it is? It's a chord/song book from one of his uncles who is also a musician. If you've been reading my posts or following this blog, you probably know that my boys, especially my eldest, is very musical. It was because of this that his 5th birthday celebration's theme is Little Rockstar. (You may read about the details of his birthday party here and how I planned or prepared for it.)

 

Anyway, back to why I'm writing this post. I'm writing this post to document how my eldest is "teaching himself" in the past weeks since he had his 5th birthday celebration. Since he got this chord book as a gift recently, he has been using it when he practices or plays his guitar. He loves his new chord book because it includes many of his current favorite worship songs. Aside from singing Mass songs, he loves singing worship songs even outside of the worship services that we attend.

 

Here are some reasons why I love this gift he received and how it is helping us in our homeschool.

 

1. It helps him practice his reading skills. My son loves to read. He loves books. Reading his favorite songs in this chord book is a fun and refreshing way to further hone his reading skills. Reading the lyrics of the songs also through this chord book helps him take note and remember the right words/lyrics in the songs. My son can easily learn tunes or pick up the words in a song but just like most of us, there are times when we don't remember the correct lyrics completely. Thus, looking up the songs in a song book or chord book helps correct whatever wrong words he taught were part of the lyrics.

 

2. He learned how to use the Table of Contents through it. Before he had this chord book, he doesn't know yet how to use the Table of Contents. So, we taught him how to easily find the songs he wants to play or sing using the Table of Contents.

 

3. It reinforces his skills in recognizing numbers and mastering their sequence. Using the Table of Contents in searching for the songs that he wants to read or sing in the chord book forces him to pay attention to the page numbers and their correct sequence.

 

4. He is encouraged to practice or try practicing the chords with his fingers. My husband first taught our eldest son a few basic chords in playing the guitar when he was 3 years old. Reading these chords on top of the lyrics encourages our eldest to try the chords on his own. This promotes not only fine motor skills and hand eye coordination but also patience, perseverance, discipline and focus.

 

5. And last but not the least, this gift fuels his passion for music, singing his heart out to God and his interest in learning how to play the guitar. This is what I love most with this gift that he recently received. It may seem simple but to our homeschool family, it's definitely a big help in raising a child who's passionate to learn and love the Lord with his gift.



Chord book from Tito Gerald

 

It's been weeks since he first received this chord book and he continues to spend at least 30 minutes each time he uses it. Some days, he spends hours playing his guitar and singing songs with some help from his new favorite book.

Note: I'm linking this post to the Catholic Bloggers Network Monthly Link up Blitz for November.