Music can be a lot of fun for kids, but it is also a great learning tool.
Lots of babies love to boogie but did you know that they can also understand rhythm and even learn language through music?
Sharing your love of music can have a wide range of exciting benefits for your baby. We鈥檝e listed a few amazing baby music facts below:
Why is music and singing good for babies?
1. Babies understand rhythm (and love to make music!)
suggests that newborn babies are able to pick up on patterns in rhythms very early on. In other words, they can detect the beat in music.
Dr Michelle Peter, a child language researcher, says that playing music can be a great way of getting kids to develop memory and listening skills.
鈥淭hings like tapping out rhythms and seeing if a child can copy it is a great way of helping them with their development. It can be a great bonding experience too.鈥
She says that giving kids makeshift instruments can be a fun way of getting them to learn about different sounds at home.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 have to be anything expensive. It could just be a saucepan and a spoon, or even (with supervision) blowing on bottles filled with different levels of water.鈥
She adds that picking up on rhythms 鈥渃an boost the kind of skills that are important for language development, in particular the ability to detect patterns.鈥
So don鈥檛 feel like you have to play Mozart around the house. Anything with a tune will capture your baby鈥檚 attention and help their development.
2. Singing in any language is soothing for babies
Babies start to recognise their parent's voice during pregnancy. That鈥檚 why singing to babies from early on can be a great way to bond with them.
But if you feel like you鈥檙e tone-deaf, there鈥檚 no need to worry: babies are very forgiving! Researchers have even found that lullabies in any language can calm babies, reducing their heart rate and how often they blinked amongst other things.
鈥淚n the newborn phase your own child will love the sound of your voice,鈥 says Dr Peter.
鈥淚 think it happens quite naturally for a lot of people when they have a small baby, they just rock them and sing to them.鈥
Singing your baby to sleep may not work for everyone, but music can still calm your baby down at key moments says Dr Peter.
鈥淪o, for example, a nappy change can be an opportunity to sing, which might also stop them wriggling around. It allows you to have that face-to-face interaction and social eye gaze. They can see how your mouth is moving and the sounds you鈥檙e making,鈥 says Dr Peter.
She adds that as well as calming babies, singing is a great way of introducing them to language.
If you鈥檙e providing them with as much input as possible then that鈥檚 great. If you鈥檙e doing it through music, then it鈥檚 probably more entertaining and there鈥檚 a greater chance they鈥檒l take it in.
3. Dance parties boost their mobility
It鈥檚 not just babies who enjoy a boogie 鈥 adults can join in too.
Games like musical statues and musical bumps can help you wind down or get the endorphins flowing, whatever your age.
Trying different musical games with your little ones can be an opportunity to introduce them to new sounds and movements, as well as improving their coordination and concentration skills in a social environment.
鈥淲e鈥檙e always playing musical statues at home,鈥 says Dr Peter. 鈥淢y son loves it and it鈥檚 good for growth and motor skills, as well as understanding that you need to be in tune with the rhythm.鈥
4. Musical TV shows can make learning fun
While screen time can be a contentious topic, TV shows with music can be a great learning tool. Dr Peter says that while 鈥渢hey鈥檙e not a substitute for interaction鈥, they can be useful for parents.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something quite intrinsic about hearing music that makes you want to pay attention,鈥 says Dr Peter.
鈥淧artly it might be because young children like high pitched tones and we talk to them naturally like that.鈥
She suggests singing along with your kid to help them pick up numbers or new words.
Programmes like Number 1 Newton Avenue and Numberblocks are great examples of shows that introduce counting via catchy songs.
鈥淭ake the good things out of those programmes,鈥 says Dr Peter.
Dr Peter suggests watching the shows together and then incorporating the songs (and any new ideas) into daily life.
鈥淵ou can put on a show for a few minutes while you鈥檙e doing something, as long as you intersperse it with human interaction. Just remember that they鈥檙e not a substitute for spending time with you.
5. Songs with actions can help kids build developmental skills
Songs with gestures can help encourage babies鈥 development.
If a child isn鈥檛 talking or singing along, music with actions can be a good way to get them to improve their coordination.
Songs like Incy Wincy Spider, which involve hand gestures can also encourage them to communicate, says Dr Peter.
Your child may be able to sing the words, but if they're not at this point yet, then you can still encourage them to get involved using gestures and actions like pointing and clapping.
She adds: 鈥淭hese are both milestones that require a combination of motor and socio-cognitive abilities so singing is a super fun way to help them build these developmental skills".
6. Nursery Rhymes help babies learn language
Rhyming songs can be a great tool for kids鈥 learning language. Old Macdonald鈥檚 neverending list of livestock might be repetitive to adults, but the simple, similar sounding words have plenty of positives for little ones.
鈥淩hyming encourages kids to guess which the next word is and helps them remember. The repetition is a great way to support their language development too.鈥
Michelle adds that nursery rhymes can feature unusual words and are a great way to expand kids鈥 vocabulary through repetition.
鈥淭here鈥檚 also comfort for a lot of kids in singing a tune they know with words they recognise,鈥 says Dr Peter.
Find out 7 more benefits of nursery rhymes here.
Next time you鈥檙e looking for ways to entertain your kids, why not try some homemade instruments, a dance party, or some sing-along nursery rhymes?
Check out our activities page for more fun music and singing activities for your baby.
