Why you should sing to your grandchildren
Don’t feel embarrassed about breaking into song in front of a baby or toddler. It’s a natural thing to do.
Sharing a song
Family fun. Singing is a great way to involve older siblings in welcoming a new baby to the home and creating a bond.
Learning names. A baby can learn his or her name by hearing it in song. Try substituting the baby’s name for other words in songs so they hear it sung over and over again.
Listening skills. It’s an opportunity for a baby to begin to understand feelings expressed through language.
Love. It boils down to using your singing voice as a way to express love. Babies don’t care if you are a great singer. They only care that you are singing to them. In their eyes (and ears), you’re a star!
When you’re a new grandparent cradling a baby, you may be surprised to find yourself reciting a nonsense verse or singing a silly song.
You may be even more surprised to notice that the young one you’re singing to is paying you a lot more attention.
It seems we instinctively know that singing to babies and infants is good for them. It also helps us to create a bond with them.
The Telethon Kids Institute, a medical research group based in Perth, says studies show that singing as a form of communication benefits babies.
Singing sticks out against the background humdrum sound of adults talking to each other, and songs can help teach young children the skills of interacting with others.
Language is musical, and when you sing and speak, your baby learns to comprehend words, language, and communication.
When you hold up a toy as you sing about it, the baby learns to associate the name of the toy with the words being sung. The same applies to body parts.
Over time, babies will recognise the rhymes and rhythms of the songs, giving them an appreciation for music.
ABC Radio recently asked listeners to call in with their favourite songs, and you can listen to some of them here.
In the first six weeks, the songs tend to be soothing lullabies. As the baby gets older, there can be songs for waking up, sleeping, and other routines. It helps them know what comes next.
By the time a child hits the nine-month mark, they start to repeat words, so the songs become more about content than musical pitch and tone.
Once they are two or three years old, singing is about making everyday chores a fun, shared experience.
But at some point, the child will probably lose interest in singing with you – a cringe factor can creep in.
Telethon Kids Institute’s Dr Alix Woolard says children’s loss of interest in song could be partly because it has served its purpose: there’s no need to sing once you can have conversations with them instead.
Listen to ABC Radio’s Why do we sing to babies? to hear more songs.
