Should I Sing to My Child?

Should I Sing to My Child?

How Music Helps Child Development

We all want our children to succeed in life, and singing to them at a young age may aid in toddler development. Just Children Child Care Centers are more than just child care centers. We want to help parents help their children. With locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, we encourage kids music and want to share these research findings with you. Music for kids can be crucial to toddler development, and you may want to start even earlier with baby music. You don’t have to be an excellent singer to help your child experience the benefits that singing can do for their brain development.

A study presented by the Cognitive Neuroscience Society showed that singing lullabies to your young child can comfort you and your child, in addition to benefiting your infant’s cognitive development. Singing songs to your baby or toddler can increase their attention span and help them display positive emotions toward their parents. Another study by the Harvard Medical School found that parents who sing lullabies to babies had a calming effect on infants who were fussy or wailing. Lullabies sung by parents help your little ones feel reassurance that they are safe.

Five Reasons to Sing to Your Children

Many parents don’t know that their babies’ brains are pre-programmed to enjoy music. Babies want to pay attention to sound patterns and melodies if given the opportunity. Infants tend to prefer higher-pitched voices and singing, which is why adults use that silly baby voice that helps them pay closer attention to what we are saying or singing. Check out these five reasons why every parent should sing to their children:

• Enhancing Your Bond – Are you looking for ways to strengthen your bond with your baby? Singing to them will help them become more attached to you. Be sure to incorporate touching, holding, cuddling, rocking, and patting with your songs. When you sing, don’t forget the smiling, eye contact, and nodding. Singing naturally enhances mutual eye gaze, which is very important in establishing a bond between parent and child. Eye contact makes babies feel loved and important. Singing can lead to positive experiences, including laughing and smiling.
• Improving Communication – Singing to your child is an excellent form of emotional communication. Singing comforts babies, and your child instantly recognizes their mother’s voice from birth. Voices are very important to babies during their first few months when they experience poor vision. Hearing a parent is often more calming than seeing one at this critical stage of development. Singing out loud to your baby is much better than just listening to a recording.
• Establishing Emotions – Babies don’t know how to regulate their emotions or feelings when they are born, which is why they cry so much. As your baby’s brain grows connections and begins to understand emotions, they begin to express themselves better. Singing can help with establishing emotions by calming children when they are upset or afraid.
• Helping Yourself – Singing does more than just help your youngster. Singing has been proven to reduce stress levels and make you feel better about being a parent. Parents who sing feel more in tune with their child’s emotions, leading them to be happier and more satisfied.
• Improving Cognitive Development – Singing to your baby is an excellent way to develop their skills regarding paying attention and concentration. Singing helps your baby learn language skills as well. Song time provides a safe and fun environment for children to learn new words and sounds.

You Don’t Need to Be an Amazing Singer

One of the top reasons people don’t sing is because they don’t think they have a good voice, but there’s no reason to be nervous about singing to your baby or toddler. Anyone can sing simple lullabies, and your young child is not going to judge your singing voice. Babies love their parents’ voices no matter what songs they sing, but traditional lullabies are often a good choice because of their rhyming and melodic patterns.

The Best Songs to Sing to Your Baby

The two types of songs you can sing to your baby are lullabies and play songs. Lullabies are meant to soothe infants and are often accompanied by rocking or swaying motions. Lullabies usually rhyme like poems and can encourage babies to sleep. Play songs are sung to toddlers to encourage them to engage in playing. Check out the best lullabies to sing to your babies, including “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “You Are My Sunshine,” “Hush Little Baby,” and more.

Child Care in PA & NJ

Studies have found that babies can begin to sing as early as three months old and that singing to your baby in the womb may even have benefits. Just Children Child Care Centers encourages the use of music and singing to aid in child development. Our child care centers are family-owned and fully licensed. We provide a bright and stimulating environment where your children can learn as they play. We encourage you to try singing to your baby or toddler, even if you are a bit uncomfortable at first. We’re here to guide your child to education success, and we offer child care for infants, toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, before and after school, and summer fun camp. Contact us today to learn more.