Music and Your Baby
by Ann Scaling Tucker
Parents play an important role in the early years of development and help foster their child's sense of creativity and intellectual growth. A child can often begin development in the area of music. As we all know, music is a constant in our lives, on the radio, TV, in the car, on CDs, and even on boom boxes carried by people on the street or in the park. We often get caught up in humming or singing some commercial jingle from the TV. We sing in the shower and when we are driving the car. You will be singing a lullaby to your child when you rock them to sleep. Mothers-to-be are even told to play music near their stomach even before the child is born. This is a form of expression that will help in the development of your child.
Don't think you have to be a great vocalist in order to sing to your baby. You also don't have to know a lot of fancy songs. You can use any Mother Goose storybook and you will have lots of songs to sing. Of course your newborn is too young to sing with you but they will love to listen and you can also play tapes when the baby is in bed. As your child grows up they can sing their favorites along with you.
You can also share music with your child by sitting and listening to your favorite music. By exposing your child to different types of music, it will allow him/her to experience all sorts of new sounds and feelings. Children love to dance around and move to music so if your child starts moving encourage them to dance along. This also helps to develop rhythm in your child.
Finger plays such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," and "Pat-a-Cake" are a few of the many childhood favorites. Children love to play finger games or watch as you do them If you sing, listen to music, or do finger plays with your children, you are not only sharing quality time, but the child is developing the following skills: language, logic, aesthetic appreciation, reasoning, vocabulary, repetition, listening, creativity, thinking, self-esteem, rhythm, free thinking, motor skills, expression, individuality, hand-to-eye coordination, number recognition, letter recognition, body part recognition and much more.
Let your child get as creative as they want with the songs that you sing together. Your child's imagination can make the songs more interesting and they love to be creative. Always praise and applaud your child for their creativeness no matter how bad or silly it is. You can always find time to share music and sing with your children. It might be in the car, in the bathtub, at bedtime, or any time you have a free moment.
Any time spent sharing music with your child helps with bonding and helps them build self-esteem. Several studies say a child who listens to classical music will be better at math. It also tells your child that you care about them and think what they do is very important even if it is silly and fun.
Some our favorite childhood songs are:
"Mary Had a Little Lamb"
"The Alphabet Song" *(it is amazing how many children learn their ABC's with the Alphabet Song) "If You're Happy and You Know It"
"The Itsy Bitsy Spider"
"I'm a Little Teapot"
"Yankee Doodle"
"The Name Game"
"Pat-a-Cake"
"London Bridge"
"This Old Man"
There are several really good children's TV programs where there is a lot of music and singing. Put some of these on when you child is in the room at play time and let them hear them. As they grow and watch them they will recognize some of the music and the finger plays that go with them.
