Positive Relationships: Song times

Singing has traditionally been a key way in which adults have connected with each other and also with children. Today, one might ask the question whether the simple act of singing is disappearing as pre-recorded music is so prevalent and adults have increasingly become conscious of their voices.

There are, however, many benefits when adults sing with children. Understanding these is perhaps the first step in making sure that singing is given priority status both in children's homes and also in early years settings.

EMOTIONAL BENEFITS

Many parents who do not see themselves as singers will often sing to their newborn baby. Whether this is an instinctive response or not, the reality is that babies will often be soothed and respond positively to parents' voices.

It is a form of communication that remains powerful beyond the first months of a child's life. It is a great way of helping children to bond with adults. So, ideally, a child's key person needs to develop a singing relationship as well as a verbal one.

One of the reasons that singing is thought to be so powerful is because 'feel-good' hormones called endorphins are released and this, in turn, can cut down children's stress levels. One might argue, therefore, that singing during transitions would be particularly helpful for children. There are other emotional and social benefits too. Through singing, children are able to feel and express emotions. When children sing with others, they often gain a sense of belonging to the group. This is of course why every culture has traditional songs, as singing is another way of expressing cultural identity.

LINGUISTIC BENEFITS

As well as emotional and social benefits, linguists and speech and language therapists believe that there are also language benefits. Through singing children learn to hear beats, rhythms and also sounds in words.

This at first helps babies and toddlers to tune into a language,which is a precursor to speaking it. Singing also helps children learn to make sounds and encourages early vocalisations. For older children who can speak, singing can help those allimportant auditory discrimination skills, especially when songs rhyme. This can help children when they learn to read and so is considered to be important. Interestingly, singing can help children who are new to English as they often quickly pick up words and gain confidence.

CREATIVITY

Singing is also an outlet for children's creativity. Both parent and practitioners will report that children will make up their own songs if they have had plenty of opportunities to hear and join in singing. This often starts with children using tunes that they already know and adding in their own words, but over time children will also make up their own tunes. There is also a link between mathematics and singing as a result of children hearing patterns in music.

BARRIERS

So, if singing has so many benefits, why do some adults find it hard to regularly initiate singing with children? One explanation is that society has changed over time - partly as a result of technology, and in terms of the way we live. While singing and storytelling were once ways to pass time together when we lived in close-knit groups, now entertainment systems and more isolated living is often the reality.

Recorded music and shows that look out for singing talent may have also played a part. Adults and even older children have over time become increasingly self-conscious meaning that singing for some has become a private activity, often to be done in the shower. For children who may spend their time in group settings, it is important that we reverse this trend.

CREATING SINGING ENVIRONMENTS

In the same way that we audit our provision for areas of the early years curriculum, perhaps it would be a good idea to try out a singing audit. We could think about how many times a key person sings with their key children. We could also reflect on the range of singing that takes place - does it happen spontaneously during activities or only at fixed times?

We also need to think about our own knowledge of songs and if necessary increase the range and types of songs that we know. After all, there is a limit to how often The Wheels on the Bus can be sung before it becomes tedious.

Finally, singing is a habit. The more times that singing takes place in our settings, the easier it becomes.

To reach a stage when all adults in the setting are confident to sing may take a while. As individuals and as a team, we need to accept that our voices may be different.

Some singers will be stronger than others, some will be pitched higher, but none of this matters to children. What really counts is that we take a deep breath and have a go!

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