How does Singing Songs Support Early Language Skills?
There are so many benefits for singing songs and rhymes in your Early Intervention sessions (and in coaching parents/caregivers to sing songs and rhymes at home) such as:
-Songs and rhymes are naturally repetitive, which is crucial for language learning.
-Singing songs and rhymes is fun and enjoyable for little ones. It provides an opportunity for connecting and bonding, particularly when you sit face-to-face while singing.
-You can embed a variety of language facilitation strategies while singing.
-When you sing songs and rhymes with young children, you help to develop a range of vital skills, such as attention and listening skills, understanding of rhyme and rhythm, turn taking, and language skills.
-Many songs and rhymes are accompanied by actions and gestures, so singing songs and rhymes is a great way to work on imitation skills.
Here are 3 of the best songs to support early language skills:
1. Itsy Bitsy Spider:
This song is great for imitating actions.
Idea: You can sing this song at any time, but during diaper (nappy) changes is good, as the child is laying down and you can make it very interactive.
Use your hand as the spider. If the child likes tickling/light touch, make your hand crawl up their arm/body as if climbing up the drainpipe. For the rain, hold both hands above the child’s head and make them “flutter” down like raindrops, tapping them lightly on their head/arms/legs like the rain washing the spider out. Put your hands together, palms facing outwards, and open away from each other, to show the sunshine coming out again. Turn your hands flat, palms facing upwards and flutter fingers to show the rain drying up. Then, make your hand the spider again and make the spider climb the drainpipe again at the end.
2. Old MacDonald:
This song is perfect for imitating animal sounds and learning farm animal names. It is also a great strategy for parents/caregivers to practice the pausing strategy.
Idea: Put different farm animal toys inside a bag. As you sing each verse let the child take an animal out of the bag; this animal will be the one you sing about in that verse.
3. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes:
This is song is great for imitating actions and learning body parts.
Idea: This song can be sung anytime, but you could try singing this song when getting dressed, or when drying the child after bath time.Did You Know...
Did you know...
1 in 36 children have autism.
1 in 200 children have PANS/PANDAS.
1 in 12 children have food allergies.
1 in 5 children have eczema.
1 in 5 children have a chronic illness.
1 in 40 children have childhood depression.
1 in 5 children have a mental health disorder.
1 in 200 children have OCD.
1 in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday.
20% of children in the US are obese.
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