Our tips for sharing songs and rhymes

As well as being fun and an activity that your child will love to participate in, singing rhymes and songs has a variety of long term benefits including supporting brain development, communication and well-being. Have a look at our tips for sharing rhymes below!

How you sing

Don't be worried about your voice! Don’t think you have to be an amazing singer to sing songs and rhymes with your child. They won’t mind what you sound like as long as you are joining in with them and having fun. Try singing much slower than you would usually, this helps your child’s ability to understand the rhythm, the words and be able to join in. Singing also actually helps your child’s ability to think in words. Sharing songs regularly can really help your child’s literacy development; children who can recite rhymes with rhythm are more likely to be fluent readers. If you are not sure of the words of your child’s favourite song you’ll find over 150 songs, rhymes and poems on our UP app to get you started

Use actions

Using actions while singing supports gross and fine motor development as well as hand eye coordination. It also enhances your child’s ability to follow directions. If you are not sure of specific actions to go with songs, make up your own. You might want to add props into songs sometimes, for example if you were singing ‘The wheels on the bus’ have your child’s toy vehicles to hand

Sing in routines

Singing with children does not just have to be about singing traditional and favourite songs and rhymes. You can sing to children during their daily routines such as "we're going to change your nappy, nappy, nappy, we're going to change your nappy, right away!" Or "Now it’s time to wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands, now it’s time to wash your hands, ready for your lunch!" Simply saying instructions in a sing-song voice is more likely to engage your child than if they were spoken. Sharing songs can also help your child to calm down if they are anxious or upset.

Make up songs!

As well as making up songs about routine activities, you can also change the lyrics of songs to suit your child’s interests, for example "5 dinosaurs went stomping one day……." (to the tune of 5 little ducks) or "drive, drive, drive your car" (to the tune of row, row, row your boat). Change the lyrics of songs to capture your child’s attention, for example singing "London Bridge is falling up" and seeing if they can spot your mistake! This will help your child’s listening and attention

Number rhymes

Music also supports memory; often the easiest way for young children to recall a long list of unfamiliar words (such as numbers!) is through song. Counting songs are historically one way that parents introduce their children to mathematical language. Try sharing rhymes that count backwards (such as 5 aliens in a flying saucer) and forwards, (like 1,2,3,4,5 once I caught a fish alive), that explore the concept of ‘none’ (such as 5 little ducks) and count in pairs (like 10 fat sausages) All of these number rhymes and more are available on UP. Again, using props while sharing these rhymes will help your child’s understanding of the value of numbers, for example you might want to use some empty cupcake cases and some pennies when you sing the song ‘5 currant buns’

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