From pregnancy to their teens children can associate music with places, times, good memories or possibly even bad memories. It enhances all the main senses which take us through all stages of life. Music is one of those things we can all relate to or even chat about. It can bring two people close together and bond over many things!
In pregnancy as a mother we are told to play certain types of music to see how the baby reacts in your body or for your birth – certain music can calm you down whereas louder music may not be as worthwhile depending on what you are doing at that time. I remember my mum said she used to watch Coronation Street when she was expecting me and, when I was born I turned / kicked to the sound of the theme tune starting on TV. This was back when Coronation Street was about the only thing to watch on TV!
Most children are born with a natural sense of rhythm and response to sound. Babies are accustomed to the beat of their mother’s heart, and can pick up sounds even before they’re born. So from the very start, the groundwork is being laid toward developing an appreciation of music.
Music will calm your child when she’s restless, enliven her when she’s bored, and entertain her when there’s nothing to do. I remember so many times putting my girls into the car seats when they where 6 months to 13 months and they screamed. It made my car journeys very stressful so I made sure to have their favourite nursery rhyme on CD – the one worked the best was head, shoulders, knees and toes or the wheels on the bus.
After repeating the same song 2 times my child automatically calmed down! It was a god send. Another thing I remember with my middle girl, I had to sing song after song after song to get her sleeping in the evening then I used to sneak out putting on white noise, hoping she wouldn’t start crying! Saying that at the early ages when you are so sleep deprived you will use any song you can as long as the child settles!
Children adore having their own music. Your child will love to sing, move, clap and dance to music. This strengthens her vocabulary and coordination, and she learns new concepts and ideas. And most importantly, she’s laying the foundation for that essential tool of communication – LANGUAGE. As your child grows you can enjoy dancing around the kitchen to your favourite songs or creating a stage at home for your child to perform. These first years of singing and dancing are memories you will cherish forever! And remember everyone can sing – they just need to train their voices to find the tone that suits the best.
