Why Singing Through Daily Routines Helps Children

How familiar songs can bring more ease, predictability and connection to the everyday moments we share with young children.

When we sing with children while we undertake simple daily routines and tasks, everyone relaxes. Melody can transform these ordinary moments into something fun rather than mundane or menial. But perhaps the most wonderful thing is that sharing a song opens an avenue for human connection.

On a day when I had children aged two to six in my Family Day Care service, I asked them whether they thought singing helped while we were tidying up, washing our hands or getting ready for the garden — and how they thought it helped.

“It just gives you more ‘get up and go’!” a six-year-old replied immediately.

“And it kind of helps you learn,” added a five-year-old.

I asked, “Do you mean learn what to do because of the words in the song?”

“Yeah,” she replied, “and also learn how to sing.”

Then another child added, “And it makes it more fun!”

I thought their answers were wonderfully insightful, and I wanted to share some of their experience here with you.

How a Familiar Little Song Can Make an Ordinary Transition Predictable

Some of the children I mentioned above have been in my care for years, so the songs are very familiar to them. But even the two-year-old who is new to my service has quickly become familiar with the melodies that signal different activities and transitions.

She enthusiastically joins in with the group when she hears me begin singing our Tidy-Up Teamwork song. She knows what to expect when she hears it. She knows the actions that go with the words, and this is comforting for her.

She doesn't join in singing that particular song yet — perhaps because it's a busy time of thinking about where all the different toys belong — but she keenly tries to sing along when I'm singing Getting Dressed as I help her put on her puddle suit and hat in preparation for the garden.

At the same time, she eagerly puts her arm into the sleeve as I offer it to her, or her foot into her shoe.

The song makes everything predictable and comfortable.

Why Children Begin Joining In

Children naturally want to join in with their peers, as most humans do, and when they feel emotionally supported, it becomes easier for them to do so. Some children may be shyer than others, but in a group setting, even a child who is shy or new will often begin by joining in with the actions.

As they become familiar with the environment and feel secure within the relationships around them, their confidence grows. In time, they usually begin singing along too.

How Repetition Becomes Reassuring Rather Than Boring

Repetition is one of the keys to learning, and through repetition comes familiarity. When we're familiar with something, we know what to expect, and that naturally feels more comfortable than the unfamiliar. When children feel comfortable and secure, they're more able to relax — and when they're relaxed, learning comes more easily.

Children have an enormous appetite for learning. So the repetition that might eventually feel boring to an adult can actually be comforting to a young child. Singing the same song each time we undertake the same routine or transition brings familiarity, reassurance and an understanding of what comes next.

In fact, one of the children I mentioned earlier said it herself: “It helps you learn.”

How Singing Can Replace Some of the Repeated Verbal Prompting Adults Fall Into

It's delightful for everyone when adults make the decision and the effort to replace some of our repeated verbal prompting with a song that signals the same thing.

Sometimes the verbal prompts we use to move children from one activity to another seem to go unheard. A child may be so deeply engrossed in the dreamy world of play that they either don't hear us, or simply don't want to leave that lovely world just yet.

A gentle song can meet a child in that dreamy world in a way a verbal prompt sometimes can't, offering them a softer transition out of one activity and into the next. And when that next activity comes with a song and perhaps some actions of its own — whether it's putting on a coat, getting ready for bath time or something else — it can become a much more inviting proposition for a child.

How These Tiny Rituals Build Relationships

Singing our way through Tidy-Up Time or another everyday routine is simply a lovely thing to do together. Humans have long enjoyed the special experience of singing together, and children are no different.

Sometimes it's a group experience — everyone singing and packing away together. At other times it's something much more intimate, such as singing a soft, sweet song to one child at bedtime or while helping them get dressed.

Either way, there's a heart connection in that shared moment, and we all benefit from the bond that is created and strengthened. Singing our way through the day somehow makes us all feel happier.

“My happy”

Recently, at the end of a day of singing through our many routines and transitions, everyone else had been picked up from Family Day Care and only one two-year-old remained in my care.

She looked up at me from her play, smiled and said, “My happy.”

It was the sweetest confirmation of what I hope I'm bringing to the children. In her own newfound, imperfect language, this little two-year-old was simply telling me she was happy. And it made me very happy too.

That little moment touched my heart and completely affirmed the reason I do what I do — singing children through their day and helping others to do the same.

Because underneath all the routines, transitions, learning and practicalities, what I really hope to bring to children and the adults caring for them is a little more connection and a little more happiness.

And sometimes, a little song can help us get there.

Happy singing,

Marla

Try singing through one little moment today

You don't need to sing beautifully or learn lots of songs. Choose one everyday moment — tidying up, getting dressed, washing hands or preparing for bed — and begin with one simple song. Use the same song each time and give your child time to become familiar with it.