Sing with your children
Welcome to Day 7 of 30 Days to Waldorf-Inspired Preschool at Home! (To start with the introduction, just click here!)
Today I want you to start singing!
There are so many reasons to sing with your children. Here are a few off the top of my head:
Your child loves your voice
Singing is a basic expression of being human
Singing together is excellent pre-literacy and memory work
Singing inspires movement
Singing brings more warmth, joy, and connection into the home
Singing is an effective but gentle way to lead transitions
You can use songs to strengthen your rhythm and set the mood for different activities
You can use songs to gently get your child’s attention or redirect
You can use songs to calm or soothe your preschooler
Singing is the best music education for the young child
Singing brings energy and cheer to the work of the home
If singing is new or feels foreign to you, just give it a try. Start by learning just one song at a time. See how it feels and how your children respond. If you need more encouragement, try this back post on singing with children.
If you’re already comfortable singing, the preschool years are a wonderful time to build up a repertoire of seasonal songs, songs for working in the home, and songs for your rhythm.
At some point (maybe now and maybe later in the kindergarten years) you might like to have a special time each day to gather for songs, fingerplays, or other movement. This is often called circle time and it can start very simple! Circle time can be a lovely way to start the morning or it can be a nice activity for late winter afternoons when the sun is setting but the kids still have wiggles.
How to sing with your children:
1. Sing any songs you like with your children throughout the day. To learn new songs, you might like to look for CDs at the library (try the children’s or folk music sections).
2. Pick songs to help mark the different activities and transitions of your day. For example, you could have a song for cleaning up and a song to bless your meals.
3. Over time you can learn songs to go with each season. The songs section of this blog is a great place to start, and I also love the songbooks by Mary Thienes-Schunemann!
4. Join the free Lavender’s Blue Sing More Challenge!
What role does singing play in your home? What's your favorite source for songs to sing? Have you tried a little circle time or using songs for transitions?