Singing is well known to lower stress and boost mood, and many of us sing to our children in hopes of seeing that wonderful smile on their little face. But is there any major benefit in singing to our children? The short answer is yes, singing to your child can help them develop even before they learn to speak. Let’s explore why this is the case.
Singing to Your Baby Before They Can Speak
Most parents start singing to their children before they can even speak, and this is a good thing! Research has shown that singing is that singing is an essential precursor to learning to speak. The way we sing might sound very different to the way we speak in sentences, but songs actually contain a lot of important characteristics of our native language. Researchers believe that singing is a crucial part of helping your child develop the language skills necessary for their nursery and school education.
Studies have shown that children respond differently to live music than they do to recorded music. Babies are more responsive to music that comes directly to the parent, so it’s important not to rely or recordings or television shows. If you do, make sure you sing along with them at the same time!
How Singing to Your Child Supports Learning
When children are old enough to understand more, singing is an amazing way to help them absorb information. Attaching important information to a melody makes it easier to absorb. Whether this information is educational, or whether it’s simply helping them to learn regular patterns of speech in our language.
The benefits are even greater when children are encouraged to sing along, which helps to develop their skills of reciprocal communication. And creating actions and dances to go along with the songs can help improve their motor development, coordination and sense of rhythm. And children with a better sense of rhythm have been shown as more likely to read well!
How to Introduce More Singing Into Your Child’s Life
Now you know how important singing is to your child’s development, it’s time to make sure you include it as much as possible. As a baby, there are a number of musical baby groups you can attend to get you started. Then, when your child starts school, encourage them to sign up for the school choir. Additionally, try to include singing as part of your daily routine, for example as they are going to bed, or get them to sing along when you’re listening to the radio in the car!
