Articles

Singing with Babies

Infants

Because infants respond so strongly to the human voice, singing is a naturally powerful way for adults and babies to communicate. Use soothing songs, such as the classic Brahms’ lullaby, to lull restless babies to sleep. Some babies love slowly sung show tunes to settle into sleep. “Summertime/and the Living Is Easy” is a favorite.

Try cradlesongs of many cultures to soothe your babies to sleep. The lullaby “All the Pretty Little Horses” is among the most poignantly beautiful: “Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry/go to sleep little baby/when you wake, you shall have/ all the pretty little horses.” If you are worried about staying on pitch, then just hum two tones with the simple soothing sounds, “Ah-uh, Ah-uh, Ah-uh.”

By three weeks of age, infants respond to human voices with gurgling pleasure. Young babies practice singsong melodies in their cribs. So croon to even your tiniest babies. Sing soft songs about what you are doing together all day long.

SING FOR SEPARATION
Some babies are initially distressed at separation from parents. Sing a song to reflect Baby’s wish that the parent return. Sing over and over, “You want your mama to come back soon” to satisfy a worried baby. Singing has deep emotional healing power. Create a simple “wish melody” to sing over and over to soothe an infant who is distressed.

SING AND DANCE TO SOOTHE
Hum wordlessly as you dance slowly with a babe in your arms. Jiggling a cranky baby against your tummy as you dance may even soothe colic while you reassure him/her.

SING FOR SELF-ESTEEM
Compose simple words to well-known melodies to personalize songs and make babies feel that they are unique and treasured members of the group. Such lines as, “Ofira is smiling a happy smile, a happy smile, a happy smile” to the tune of “This is the way we wash our clothes” conveys to Ofira the pleasure that you feel as you look at her beautiful smile.

USE RHYMES AND SOUNDS
As you sing richly rhyming words, you are providing aesthetic pleasures for babies. Babies love when words start with the same sound. They will giggle if you chant alliterative sounds in a made-up song.

BOOST EARLY LEARNING
Songs help babies learn about fingers and other delightful and personally important subjects. Even the youngest babies grin while a caregiver sings “This little piggy goes to market” and wiggles each precious toe.

PLAY SINGING GAMES
Babies bounce naturally and rhythmically to music. Finger-play songs, such as “Pat-a- Cake, Baker’s Man,” promote dexterity in hand motions.

Toddlers

Singing can be a powerful tool for letting toddlers know that you understand them. Make up songs that include a toddler’s name. Chant a song about how you are changing Edward’s diaper and how he wants to wiggle away. Or make up a song to reassure a cranky toddler that you are ready to comfort him with your personalized song.

Hearing their own name substituted into a familiar song makes young children feel very special. Try spelling out a toddler’s name in the song about a dog named “Bingo”:

There was a class that had a child
And Harold was his name-O
H-A-R-O-L-D, H-A-R-O-L-D, H-A-R-O-L-D,
Harold was his name-O

SING SONGS AGAIN AND AGAIN
Toddlers differ immensely in their ability to carry a tune or learn song words. After you have sung the song for months, notice how some of your toddlers join in to sing “Ba Ba black sheep/ have you any wool?” Others cannot carry a tune yet, but they bounce, march, and dance to the rhythms.

SING SONGS FOR DAILY ROUTINES
When it is time for toddlers to put away blocks or get ready for lunchtime, use melodies and singsong chants with made-up words to prepare them for transition times. To get a cheerful toddler’s cooperation after lunch, sing “This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, brush our teeth.”

STRETCH TODDLERS’ MEMORIES WITH MUSIC
Long rhyming couplet songs, such as “Hush little baby/don’t say a word,” stretch your toddler’s powers of organizing and remembering long sequences of words. Singing boosts your toddlers’ learning! To develop early thinking skills, try singing “The bear went over the mountain/to see what he could see.” Watch when your toddlers begin to grin as they realize each time that the bear sees another mountain, and another, and ANOTHER.

ENCOURAGE BODY COORDINATION
Toddler singing games with actions, such as “Ring Around the Rosie” and “The wheels on the Bus Go ‘Round and ’Round,” encourage organized movements and body gracefulness. “Row, Row, Row your Boat” galvanizes vigorous toddler rowing arm motions. “Sally go round the sun/Sally go round the moon/Sally go round the chimney tops/every afternoon/BOOM!” is a simple group song particularly beloved of younger toddlers who love to fall down giggling at the word “BOOM.”

To boost eye-hand coordination when singing at group time, give each child instruments, such as blocks to click together or wrist bells to shake.

Try singing as often as you can. You will increase the group feeling of enjoying an activity together and increase the children’s sense of pleasure as they learn words and melodies. Singing spreads happiness throughout the day!

Alice Sterling Honig, Ph.D., a professor emerita of child development at Syracuse University, is the author of many books on infants and toddlers, including “Behavior Guidance for Infants and Toddlers” and, with H. Brophy, “Talking With Your Baby: Family as the First School”.