It is an absolute joy to be back among my LifeSpan friends and family. We are such a wonderful community of teachers and advocates for early childhood education. It’s such a comforting feeling to know the difference we make and the lives that we impact.
As many of you know, as the music teacher for our daycare components, I’m the one who sings, dances, acts with little inhibition, and leads the children in truly rewarding and instructional music activities.
As wonderful as it is to hear the voices of children singing, and to see them dancing without inhibition, we sometimes forget how influential and important music is in regards to the development of infants.
Below you’ll find an article published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The article touches on the importance of singing with our infant children, and what they learn from vocalization. Although we already know that singing encourages language, rhyme, and rhythm; we don’t always realize the social-emotional impact it has on young children.
Also, please see the article below written by a Pre-School music teacher. Although the beginning of the article address benefits of singing to children, it’s the ending of the article that is a little more interesting for parents. Although not all of us are the best singers, that should not stop us from enjoying music with our children.
http://www.preschool-music.com/singing-to-baby.html
kidshealth.org, is quoted in saying:
“Children who grow up hearing music, singing songs, and moving to the beat are enjoying what experts call “a rich sensory environment.” That’s just a fancy way of saying a child is exposed to a wide variety of tastes, smells, textures, colors, and sounds. And kids who enjoy such a rich environment do more than have fun. Researchers believe they forge more pathways between the cells in their brains.”
It’s important for us as educators to realize that a “wide variety” does not mean complex. You don’t have to have the greatest singing voice, and you do not need to sing complex songs to encourage and advocate for music education. Keeping it simple is the best way to use music as a bonding tool for you and your child.
