Singing With Babies Makes Them Smart. Here's How!

Once upon a time, preschool and nursery school teachers used songs to teach the children. We sometimes played old vinyl records, but mostly we sang. In the classrooms, we had a few puzzles, art supplies, books, and toys. We sang ABC's, nursery rhymes, and a few pop songs like "Monster Mash". We made our own fun with what we had.

Children do the same today. Whether they have fancy wooden toys galore or just a stick and a ball, they play. Young children are wired to play because it's the vehicle by which they learn. Take a moment to digest that.

When singing with young children, enthusiasm is much more important than technique. Singing causes connection and engagement. Songs build excitement, and excitement sparks learning. Here's what we know from research:

According to research from Yale University, singing to babies improves their mood.

Research from Vanderbilt University shows that singing to babies supports their speech and language development.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) tells us that babies learn bonding, language skills, listening skills, security, rhythm, and rhyme, and FUN when we sing with them!

Here's a great old song that young children enjoy. Who doesn't like to look out the window and think about nature?

https://youtu.be/kXLxJ0Ktc18?si=yliFjP78Z89HECNQ

When is a good time to sing? While washing hands, when it's time to come inside, when we're waiting for a bus, when we need to settle the baby down, when we feel ecstatic, when we feel sad, when we need a dance party, or when we have a social problem to work out.

Singing Builds Empathy!!!!!

One of the best things about singing is that it's portable. No equipment needed. Not even a tablet! Children appreciate it when we interact with them during a song and make eye contact. They also appreciate songs that include movements. Repitition is key.

Visual discrimination is an important step to reading

That's one of the reasons I love a good rebus. A rebus is a song or a story that mixes written words with illustrations.

Singing with a rebus promotes left-to-right progression, visual identification, and familiarity with the written word. When I put one of these out at eye level, I always see one or two children singing and pointing to the words on their own.

I put together a couple of verses of Rainbow Round Me in a rebus for you to use. Feel free to copy it and enjoy! I also included the you tube of the song by Ruth Pellham sung by Bev Boss so you'll have the tune.

If you want a science experience, use a prism to make real rainbows indoors. I have one that sticks to the window and uses solar power to send rainbows soaring around the room at certain times of the day.

When this happens, we always sing the song and dance around.

It's also easy to make rainbows almost anywhere and anytime with a simple glass prism!

Early childhood rocks exists to promote high-quality care and education during the first few years of life.

Join us for free and get our Baby Brain Toolkit. It includes one strategy that covers everything: problem-solving. We made the toolkit easy to use by breaking it down into 4 fun, simple techniques.

We're sure you're familiar with techniques 1 and 2, but 3 and 4 are a little less well-known. Some may consider them well-kept secrets among teachers, but at Early Childhood Rocks, we like to share!

Nanci J Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, author, teacher, family aerobics instructor, and an all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, healthy eating, lifelong learning, and most of all, PLAY!  (click on the word) She studied early childhood ed at Triton College and received her BS in education in 1986 from NIU. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in 2011. She has presented at statewide and nationwide conferences. She lives and teaches in Madison WI.