Literacy in the Library

TOOLS FOR INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME LIFELONG READERS AND LEARNERS

Make a Little Music

December 2008/January 2009

Does your little one sing nonsense songs? Does she bang on pots and pans? Do you dance around the house together? If you do, you are effortlessly helping your child become ready for reading. The same part of our brains processes language and music. Studies show that infants and young children who participate in frequent sing-along exchanges with their caregivers demonstrate greater levels of academic achievement later in life.

There are many ways that music and song help children birth to 5-years-old develop a variety of pre-literacy skills:

Singing songs in different tempos teaches the concepts of fast and slow.
Physically shaking a rattle high in the air while singing in a high voice and shaking it low while singing in a low voice teaches the concepts of high and low both visually and musically.
Tapping your hands on your knees along with rhymes or recorded music helps children recognize rhythm patterns in music and language.
Rhymes and songs that require your child to repeat what you’ve said encourage good listening.
Simply listening to music and the word patterns of songs and rhymes teaches word awareness.

Many parents feel self-conscious about singing aloud with their children. Don’t worry about having perfect pitch; your child doesn’t know the difference. Choose simple songs that you already know, or visit a Book Babies or Storytime program at your local library branch to learn simple new songs to sing with your little one. If you’re not comfortable singing, there are other musical activities and non-musical rhyming activities that will also help your child learn.

Infants can shake a rattle or you can sway with them to a recorded song. Your baby will respond to music with coos and smiles. Repeat your baby’s coos back and have a musical exchange.

Help crawlers and walkers explore the sounds they can make with their voices and by clapping their hands. Wave their arms and legs to music that you enjoy yourself.

Toddlers will recognize songs that they like and will want to sing them over and over, though they are rarely able to catch all of the words. Make up songs about everyday activities like picking up toys and brushing teeth. While listening to music, dance and move together while holding your toddler’s hands. Singing songs with toddlers helps them develop their attention spans.

Preschoolers will remember songs that they know and can sing songs with puppets or stuffed toys. Use empty containers to make drums with your child and pound away to recorded music. Dance to music and then see what happens when you turn the music off. Try humming tunes to familiar songs and let your child fill in the lyrics.

Simple and fun musical activities with your child will help him pick up vocabulary and the cadence of language while you spend quality time together. Our October/November newsletter contained suggestions for music CDs available at your library branch. Sing a new song today!

By Gwen Vanderhage, Children's Librarian, Central Children's Library, The Denver Public Library

Literacy in the Library

Make a Little Music

December 2008/January 2009

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