BABY AND TODDLER GROUPS

Do you sing at your baby and toddler group?

The Alliance’s Alison Heseltine offers practical ways groups can use music to boost a child’s confidence and create lasting family bonds

Alison is an early years development manager, specialising in communication and language, wellbeing, and baby and toddler groups.

Many of us see firsthand how singing can bring generations and communities together. Singing is such an important part of a group’s routine, but it can sometimes be a bit of a struggle to get families to join in. So, why do we sing? And how can we show families that singing together has many benefits, both in the group and at home?

Supporting young brains

Music educator and researcher Dr Anita Collins, who specialises in neuroscience and music education at the University of Canberra in Australia, describes the effect of music as being “like fireworks going off in the brain”, arguing that “music is a whole brain workout”.

Listening to music and singing together is a multisensory experience that involves three ways of learning: auditory, visual and kinaesthetic. The brain itself is a multisensory organ, and this can explain the remarkable benefits that music has on brain development: it activates all three cortices of the brain (motor, visual and auditory).

Enhancing speech, language and communication

Songs introduce rhythm, rhyme and repetition, helping young children to tune into patterns of speech. This makes it easier for them to develop the skills they need for language acquisition.

Recent research, published in the Journal of Child Language, has shown that children aged six to 14 months who are exposed to higher levels of singing showed larger receptive vocabularies at 14 months. In other words, singing has the potential to positively reinforce language development, exposing children to new words and supporting their understanding.

Strengthening wellbeing

Songs can provide comfort and security, giving moments of reassurance that help children to co-regulate their feelings and emotions with their parents and carers. Activities such as putting toys away may be unsettling and singing together can help children return to a state of calm.

Similarly, singing can help children to manage transitions such as arriving at or leaving the setting: perhaps you could introduce a welcome or goodbye song, allowing children to prepare for change and develop resilience.

Building bonds

Babies have been listening to their parents’ voices since before they were born and this familiarity can evoke a sense of security and trust in a young child. Singing together gives children reassurance and strengthens bonds of attachment. A favourite song creates a special moment of connection where the adult and child are tuned in with each other.

“ Songs introduce and build understanding of vocabulary, numbers, feelings and knowledge of the world. ”

Improving physical development

Music talks to our bodies and makes us want to dance and move. Even the youngest children at a group can be seen bouncing to the beat or doing the actions to ‘Wind the bobbin up’. Children find immense joy in physical expression and these shared moments provide a meaningful way to communicate and connect with adults and other children.

The more that the grown-ups join in, the more response you will see from the children. There’s nothing better than an energetic rendition of ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ that leaves everyone slightly out of puff and laughing together.

Boosting confidence

Singing a song that children recognise and can join in with, or supporting them to learn a new one, is a great confidence boost for them. In your group, children can experiment with their voices in a safe, supportive environment.

Joining in with a familiar tune and remembering the words and actions can promote a sense of achievement. Singing can also encourage confidence in a social group, and you may see young children demonstrate this by asking for a particular song.

To further enhance independence, you could introduce a ‘song sack’ filled with music sheets and props. Children can pick an item from the bag to choose the next song.

Encouraging inclusion

Music is a multi-sensory and universal language. Even if they don’t know the words, families and children can join in with the tune or dance, building confidence and reducing feelings of isolation. Choosing songs that reflect the different cultures, languages and traditions of your group can promote a feeling of belonging and build on the child’s sense of identity.

For SEND children, singing and music offers an alternative form of expression, developing their motor skills and giving opportunities for social interactions in an enjoyable way.

The predictability of songs embedded into your group’s routine, such as before snack time, also provides a comforting sense of structure.

Learning at home

The songs you sing in your group can travel out into the community, down to the shops, through the park or into families’ homes, giving even more opportunities for learning.

Research has shown that supporting learning at home matters – it’s one of the biggest influences on a child’s later achievements in literacy and numeracy. Songs introduce and build understanding of vocabulary, numbers, feelings and knowledge of the world.

Singing together at home can also bring joy, as well as providing shared moments that connect generations and support family routines.

Integrating songs into group and home routines provides children with a versatile tool for learning, cognitive development and a source of comfort. And remember, you don’t need to be a good singer to encourage singing at your group – it’s about having fun and sharing a moment with others.