As one of the five practices of early literacy, singing to your little one can help to provide skills that are necessary for their eventual reading and writing. But singing with your little one also does so much more than that. Sharing songs and music with your children can help to calm and soothe, create bonding experiences between caregivers and children, help kids learn new vocabulary, break down words into easier to understand syllables, and so much more.
A clear example of the power of sharing a song can often be experienced in our library’s Baby Laptime program. When several babies are starting to cry during a session, often all it takes is to sing a simple lullaby together to help get things back on track.
Lullabies have been shown through research to have a profound effect on babies and their caregivers alike. As noted in Tess Prendergast’s article from the Association for Library Service for Children, studies have shown that lullabies (even those played or sung to little ones in their non-native language) can have a profound calming effect on little ones. Data even shows that by playing pre-recorded lullabies sung by their parents and caregivers, premature babies are able to recover faster from medical procedures than those who are not.
Singing with your little ones is so wonderful for them and you. Not only can it help to develop and build their early literacy skills, but it is calming and therapeutic as well. Make sure to sing with your child every day and take time to sing lullabies that are meaningful to you.
Add a comment to: Lullabies, Singing, and Early Literacy