Learning and Loving Through Music
You can use lullabies to soothe your baby to sleep, or choose some danceable tunes to get little bodies moving and exercising their muscles.
Cherylyn Feierabend
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Learning and Loving Through Music
Hey there! You’re listening to the Mighty Mommy with some quick and dirty tips for practical parenting.
This week’s quick and dirty tip is that music is good for you and your kids. Enjoying it together is absolutely one of the best ways to bond with your kids and have a great time too.
Once a week I host a music and movement program in my home. I move all of the furniture out of my living room and select a few great songs for dancing. Anywhere from five to ten moms come over with their toddlers in tow and we have a great time dancing and playing. Music is such a great tool for parents. You can use lullabies to soothe your baby to sleep, or choose some danceable tunes to get little bodies moving and exercising their muscles. Music repetition has kids singing along with or without the music which helps with verbal development. You can even use songs to teach counting skills, the alphabet, colors, and just about anything you want to help your kids remember. Singing songs helps kids remember what you are teaching them.
Recently I’ve noticed my kids singing songs from a toddler-geared television program called Yo Gabba Gabba. One example is a song that teaches children to take turns with their toys. When my children are having a disagreement over whose turn it is with a toy or one of them snatches the toy out of the other’s hand, the victim will begin to sing, “Don’t just take it away. Don’t just take it away.” This song reminds the other child that they are sharing together and it’s amazing to watch them work it out just by singing a song together that they both know. Yo Gabba Gabba has a lot of great songs that teach good manners and better choices. I’ll include a link to their website with some of the song lyrics from the show so you can check them out for yourself.
Now, maybe you, like me, are actually really sick of toddler tunes. I’m talking about those songs that are made for kids and sometimes sung by kids in those kid-friendly voices. Well, I’m here to tell you that there are better options! Maybe you’ve already discovered Laurie Berkner, The Imagination Movers, and Milkshake; all of these are great options for upbeat, catchy music that won’t drive grown-ups insane, but you don’t have to limit yourself to self-proclaimed kid-friendly music. There are many options in our own grown-up music world that kids will enjoy and you may already have in your music collection. So, grab those CDs and pick out some of those songs you’ve loved for years and start playing them in the car, or in your own living room. If you get up and dance, your children will too and before you know it, your kids will be singing some of your favorite songs and bringing a smile to your face.
Recently, I went to see the new movie, Mamma Mia! which is filled with Abba music and songs sung by the movie cast. The movie was great fun and I immediately bought the soundtrack and started playing it in the car. My kids are crazy about this music. So, if you love Abba, your kids might love them too and they have some great songs for dancing! We also happen to have the Rockband video game in our home. Our son became enamored with the song Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones. I love a good rock-and-roll song as much as the next guy, but I found the lyrics to be inappropriate for kids. This is something you may want to consider when choosing songs to play for your kids. The great thing about today’s music is that it’s almost all online. I did a quick search on Amazon for Blitzkrieg Bop and was lucky enough to find a kid-friendly version of the song re-titled Kids Beat Bop by a band called Daddy a Go Go. It’s the same music, but the words are changed to make the song more acceptable for kids. We play it all the time and I’ve even incorporated it into our music day! So, if you find a song that you love and the beat is great, but the words are not necessarily appropriate, try an online search and you might just find something to substitute without degrading the quality of the music.
Finally, I’ve found that there are a few performers that I loved when I was younger. You know … during those pre-parenthood years … Artists like Lisa Loeb and bands like They Might be Giants are creating songs for kids, but they still sound like they did when I was buying the vinyl versions of their albums. These are great options for those of us who love listening to music with our kids and once the kids are hooked, bring out those old favorites and play them too. Your kids will recognize the voices and learn to love and appreciate the music we already do. I absolutely love singing and dancing with my kids and I hope you do too!
That’s it for now.
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Kids Dancing image courtesy of Shutterstock