Music, Songs and Nursery Rhymes for Babies and Toddlers

Children’s songs and rhymes are a fantastic way for your child to learn new words

and I’m yet to meet a child who isn’t enthralled by adults who sing with them.

Songs and rhymes are fantastic because they:

tell kids about what is happening in the ‘here and now’
engage your child’s attention
usually pair actions with words to help your child understand
repeat key words over and over
use words that are functional for your child

It’s all about interaction

not entertainment.

Songs and Nursery Rhymes for Babies

The power of children’s songs and rhymes is through your interaction with your child. Children won’t learn from songs and rhymes if they sit passively while watching cartoons sing at them.

This interaction’s so important because it means you can:

slow the song down if they need time to copy actions
ask your child to make choices during songs (‘should we stamp or clap?’ )
repeat favourite parts of the song over and over
wait for your child to sing the next word
wait for your child to ask for more
demonstrate actions and help your child copy

And finally, it doesn’t matter how well you can sing – your little one will love to hear your voice and to play with you through song.

Music and Rhymes for Your Baby

Music and rhymes are a fantastic way to engage your child and teach them a variety of new words and sounds. Music and rhymes also encourage children to watch, listen, imitate and make requests. They’re also a great way to introduce the way words sound and enable children to explore the concept of rhyme.

Music and rhymes are powerful as they immediately engage children and are repetitive in nature. This allows children the chance to hear key-words over and over again.

Tips

Use songs and rhymes with your child from birth.
Follow your child’s lead. Sing the songs and rhymes that your child loves the most!
Use actions that match what you’re singing or saying.
Go slow so that your child has a chance to copy you.
Give your child plenty of praise for imitating actions or words even if they’re not perfect.
Think of songs and rhymes that match the activity you’re doing.
Make up your own songs and rhymes. Try to include your child’s name to make them even more exciting.