Young children have an innate love of music, and parents can encourage that love to blossom and grow. When music becomes a part of everyday life and is incorporated into the family, there is a sense of familiarity that a child grows attached to. It’s all about having fun together and creating memories centered around music.
Here are five ways you can nurture your young child’s love of music:
Listening to music with your child is a great way to nurture a love of it, whether you’re at home, in the car, or visiting a relative. The shared experience of listening together helps your child associate music with positive feelings.
Music can also help ease the challenges that transitions can present. Young children may respond to hearing a particular song played each day when it’s time to clean up all the toys strewn across the floor, or when it’s time for their afternoon nap. Many preschools, including the NMS Preschool and Toddler Program, implement this strategy with great success.
Singing together is another way to have fun as a family and enjoy music with others. Kids enjoy learning simple songs, and songs can help enrich their vocabulary and improve their listening skills.
Children love to have a special song to sing with a parent, which can become a familiar part of their bedtime routine. It’s great to use every opportunity you can to connect a special song with experiences of comfort and nurturing. You can even try making up your own lyrics together!
Recording music with your child is another good bonding activity. Watch the reaction on your child’s face as they observe a video of themselves singing a silly song, or even trying out an instrument.
Going to a concert together can be a great adventure. Whether you pack your child up for a performance in the park, or bring them along to a coffeehouse, experiencing music as part of an audience can make a big impression.
Try starting with a musical event targeted just for children. At a children’s concert, you can expect a family-friendly environment, and there may even be some interactive singing and dancing. You will leave a children’s concert having had a positive, fun experience centered around music that your child will carry with them into the future.
In a Music & Movement class, parents and young children sing, dance, play instruments, and learn about rhythm, movement, and sound. Children begin to learn about music through exploration, providing a foundation for future music study, and parents benefit from the opportunity to socialize with other parents and caregivers while bonding with their little ones. At a music class, parents and children grow closer through music.
