such good fun with your baby! (Jo Jingles)

Member Name: lorriellah1

Product:	Jo Jingles
Date:	20/07/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun, interactive, eductaional

Disadvantages: addictive!

Over the past few years there have been a sudden growth in the amount of fun classes you can take part in with your children as the government have tried to encourage new mums to bond with their children in this way. I have done baby massage and rhythm time and enjoyed them both and now I have started Jo Jingles too and both me and my baby love it!

Jo Jingles involves music and movement and is all about having fun and learning some basics too. Classes vary depending upon the age group involved as the ages it targets are from 3months to 5 years so obviously huge differences developmentally depending upon the age of your child/children.
The aim of Jo JIngles is to have fun and to stimulate children. It tries to have an educational front too such as songs which involve counting and clapping. It also provides the mother with some fun games/songs which she can play whilst interacting with the child outside of the Jo Jingles class and does offer DVDs and CDs for in the home too.

History:
Jo Jingles classes started in 1991 and have become very popular since. The first ever Jo JIngles class being in Beaconsfield and then soon after in Maidenhead. Jill Thomas was the founder of this intitiative and has developed it now to over a hundred franchises which are all over the UK and have just branched out to Ireland. Her aim was to try to get children exposed to the fun and joys of music early on in their lives before school/preschool.
Class content:
Classes vary depending upon the age group and range but they tend to include singing, actions, the use of musical instruments such as rattles and shakers and things to bash, rhythm and dance and the ability to hold a tune. The Jo JIngles doll- a bright red clothed yellow haired boy accompanies the lessons. Some finger puppets and bubbles are also used to add to the interactive element.

Where can I go to take part?
By visiting the Jo Jingles website: www.jojingles.co.uk you are able to search the franchises to see whichs is best suited for you. There are now 500 different centres in the UK. There are also some classes in your local Sure Start Centre but you have to keep your eyes peeled as for when they will be attending and for which age range.
How much are classes?
At the sure start centres they are free but the individual centres not funded by the government charge £5 a session which seems to be the going price for children's classes.

How long are classes?
They are usually 30 minutes to 45 minutes depending upon the age range- the younger children's class is a little shorter due to their attention spans and frequent feeding routines! They tend to run in a series of 6 weeks but you are able to keep going to them.
My personal experience?
I thoroughly enjoyed attending this with my 4 month old baby. We sang about 6 different songs, used a teddy for actions, had finger puppets, bubbles and she was lying down at one point then sat on my knee for another so there was lots and lots of interaction and things going on. Afterwards she was really relaxed and laid back and even slept for an hour which is a rarity during the day! She was definitely stimulated and I really enjoyed myself.

I would definitely recommend this activity for you if you want something fun and interactive to do with your baby. It is really enjoyable and I think if my baby could talk she would say so too! I don't know what the classes are like for older babies and toddlers but I can only imagine that as teh baby becomes more interactive that teh classes become more fun!
I also have seen that Jo JIngles run special parties too although I don't know anything about this personally so perhaps it would be a different idea to hold one of these for your children's birthdays if you're looking for something slightly different to do!
(also on ciao under same name)

Summary: A great way to bond and play with your baby/toddler