We all know that music has charms to soothe the savage beast. But did you know that it can also be a critical part of your child’s healthy growth?

“Singing songs helps children develop communication skills, self-expression, socialization, and the self,”� according to Bobby Susser, a children’s songwriter. Susser says that children’s songs prepare the child “for a greater understanding of himself/herself, others, and the world he/she lives in as well as the many specific subjects taught in school.”�

Children songs can also be beneficial to infants. “Exposure to music enhances language development, spatial reasoning skills, socialization, and motivation to communicate,”� according to the founders of Small Talk Learning, a group dedicated to teaching sign language as a way to communicate with pre-verbal babies.

Listening to children’s music can also be extremely helpful to kids with special needs, according to Michelle Lazar, the director of Coast Music Therapy. She says that children’s music can be used to advance motor abilities, social interaction/communication and cognitive/academic s skills. Some suggestions from Lazar include:

• Using a tune to recall various counting patterns. Example: Count by 3’s to the tune of Jingle Bells, 4’s to the tune of Old McDonald, 6’s to the tune of I’m a Little Teapot, etc.
• Using words to familiar songs such as Take Me Out to the Ballgame or On Top of Spaghetti as a springboard to discuss new vocabulary and increase comprehension by asking children questions about the song lyrics.
• Using action songs such as Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, The Hokey Pokey, The Hand Jive, and Looby Loo to provide a great practice opportunity for a variety of motor skills.

For those of you who thought that singing songs was merely a way for your children to entertain themselves, think again. Children’s songs can have a positive influence on your youngster intellectually, emotionally, and physically as well.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Childrens Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.