This lively book provides practitioners, students and other professionals, working within both early childhood care and music education, practical guidance on how to include musical activity in the care and education of children aged from birth to five years. The wide-ranging text offers the reader a synthesis of recent research as well as practical suggestions for fostering creativity through musical activities. The author also shows how music can help with literacy and numeracy education, using rhymes and rhythmic counting.

1. Issues and Contexts 2. Unborn and Just After 3. The First Year 4. Music with Toddlers 5. Group Music Play 6. On to Three and then Four: Voice-Play and Singing 7. On to Three and then Four: Playing Instruments 8. Reflective Practice.