Did you know babies are more likely to engage with a singing voice than a regular talking voice? It's true! No wonder singing to babies helps to improve their language skills. Research shows that infants sung to in the first year of life have better language abilities as a toddler. "Music and spoken language have a lot in common. They both use tones and rhythms. And studies indicate that there is some overlap in the ways that the brain processes music and speech" (Dewar, 2022).
Singing to your baby can also help prepare your child for better outcomes in reading, music, and more. "The sounds of words serve to strengthen and expand neural connections that can then process more words. Similar cortical maps are formed for other highly refined skills, such as musical ability (Huss et al., 2011). A young child who learns to play a musical instrument strengthens the neural circuits needed for the development of reading ability (Flaugnacco et al., 2015)."
Singing to your child also helps nurture the bond between you and promote your own health and wellness. When you sing, you'll get a well-deserved endorphin boost to help you get through the day.
So, to summarize, the five reasons to sing to your baby are:
Supporting your baby's developing language skills,
Setting your child up for better outcomes in their reading skills,
Nurturing their aptitude for music,
Strengthening your bond with your baby, and
Releasing feel-good hormones to help you get through your day!
Remember, you don't need to be Beyonce for your baby to reap all these benefits, so sing away!
What's your favorite song to sing to your baby? Let me know in the comments below!
References:
Dewar, G. (2022). Can musical training help babies learn language? Parenting Science. Retrieved December 30, 2022, from https://snip.ly/s36ftl?fbclid=IwAR36AoFRpNmM68IVgzn9eLZYbeiRVGIRSvnhBaKGkWhoreioqJWqAY4KOzw
Mash, Eric, J. and David A Wolfe. Abnormal Child Psychology. Available from: VitalSource Bookshelf, (7th Edition). Cengage Learning US, 2018.
What's your favorite song to sing to your baby? Let me know in the comments
below!