The early years of one’s life are times for playing, singing, and having lots of fun. Children are much more able to let go and do this than adults, who occasionally take life a little too seriously or worry about how others would see them. All children are drawn to singing, which is one of the best hobbies for young children, coupled with their innate desire to create, learn, and play.
However, singing is not merely for entertainment. Music is crucial in the early years, because singing aids a child’s growth in many ways. For this reason, music is incorporated into all preschool lesson plans and is promoted from infancy. At MS Dhoni Global School, expert professionals from Furtados School of Music impart music lessons to our students.
But, how exactly does singing help children learn? Well, here are a few benefits of singing for children.
Vocabulary
Young children can increase their vocabulary by singing songs. Through songs, children are introduced to a wide variety of terminology and subjects, many of which they might not encounter in regular social interactions. The benefits of listening to songs extend to infants who do not yet grasp the words since they gradually learn the sounds that make up their native dialect and ultimately develop the ability to discern between words and phrases.
A child who hears stories read aloud and sings rhymes and songs will have a much better vocabulary than someone who doesn’t.
Language
Children learn the complete language structure by singing, not just the words. They are exposed to a language’s grammar, sentence structure, and word order through songs. They also develop an understanding of the many components of speech, such as adjectives and verbs.
Teaching Concepts
Teaching children songs is a wonderful approach to teach new ideas or subjects. For example, counting songs can help kids grasp the idea of numbers and how they increase and decrease following a certain order. You can utilise songs, such as holiday rhyme songs or animal songs, to teach lessons and concepts that are included in your preschool themes.
Health and Wellbeing
Both the physical and emotional development of a youngster might benefit from songs. According to research, singing has physiological advantages for kids. Singing improves breathing and is helpful for the respiratory muscles. It gives you energy and a physical workout. Additionally, it affects hormones, regulating oxytocin, immunoglobulin A, and endorphins, which strengthens the immune system and elevates children’s happiness levels.
Gross and Fine Motor Coordination
Children can develop their gross motor skills by using their huge muscles through activity songs and action rhymes. On the other hand, fingerplays are excellent for strengthening the motor coordination in the fingers.
Listening Skills
Song learning is a fantastic listening activity. Children must listen for the actions during an action song like “If you’re happy and you know it” in order to perform them.
Additionally, they pay attention to the song’s lyrics or anticipate the chorus so they can participate. All of them contribute to the improvement of listening abilities, which are crucial for succeeding in school and improving reading abilities. Additionally, it increases their ability to focus.
Auditory Memory
A child’s auditory memory is improved by singing and hearing the words of songs. While young toddlers initially have trouble recalling simple phrases like “twinkle, twinkle, little star,” they eventually learn to memorise lengthier, more intricate verses with time and practise. Songs, rhymes, listening exercises, and memory games make it simple to develop memory, a talent that is essential for learning to read.
Sequencing
Children need to develop their ability to recall information in order in addition to learning to retain what they hear. Learning to read includes doing this as well. Children are introduced to sequences through song-singing, such as numbers rising or falling in a counting song or singing about a series of events.
Here are a few tunes that depict a series of happenings:
- Five little ducklings
- This young pig
- The ants begin to march.
They frequently have to learn a series of acts that aren’t always performed in a logical order, like in the songs “If you’re happy and you know it” or “We’re going on a bear hunt.” Thus, sequential memory is strengthened.
Sound Patterns and Rhyming
Understanding sound and being able to listen to sounds in words are the cornerstones of learning how to read and spell. A child’s aural perception includes this. A young baby’s ears are gradually trained to recognise the sounds that make up his language. When he is older, he will be able to combine sound with the written and spoken words that serve as visual representations of sound, decoding them to read and spell.
As a result, teaching your children songs while singing to them is a wonderful pre-reading practice since it helps them develop their sense of hearing. Songs with repetitious, nonsensical, and rhyming words are especially effective for this. One approach to teach toddlers to hear patterns—a skill they will need when reading—is to introduce them to rhyming words.
Confidence
Kids gain confidence via singing, which is a happy activity. Since it is challenging to “get it wrong,” kids view the exercise as successful. Young children require affirmation and a sense of competence. A child’s self-confidence is boosted by every endeavour in which she feels she has excelled. Additionally, singing teaches children how to utilise their voice, be heard, and express themselves—all skills that increase confidence. It is appreciated and heard when a child sings.