Tips and Strategies for Instilling a Love of Singing in Your Kids

A love of music is not only fun, but it can help kids learn important life skills and foster a sense of community. Here are a few tips and strategies for helping your kids develop a strong love of music.

Babies can start to sing at three months and imitate pitch as early as 12 months. Teaching babies to identify and match pitches can help them develop a more sophisticated ear for music.

1. Make it Fun

Whether they're in choir, band or a music appreciation course, kids can benefit from extracurriculars that involve singing. These classes give them the opportunity to practice their voice and get feedback from others in a fun, social setting.

Many kids enjoy learning to sing with a group, and they feel the confidence boost that comes from performing on stage for an audience. This experience also gives them an appreciation of how to properly perform and how to be proud of their work.

Creating singing opportunities that are fun, challenging and rewarding is key to making sure children stay interested in their singing lessons. Below are some tips and strategies you can use to make singing fun for your kids. Hopefully, you'll be able to instill a love of singing in them for years to come!

2. Make it a Family Activity

Singing is an important way to build a strong connection with your children. It’s also a great way to help them develop language skills.

Sing songs during everyday routines like bath time or bedtime, or when you’re driving. Singing together creates an opportunity for your child to hear the lyrics over and over again, which can help them learn vocabulary and improve their language skills.

Don’t worry if your kids aren’t comfortable singing at first; it’s important to make sure they’re having fun and developing their skills in a safe environment. They’ll feel more confident if they’re not being judged for their performance, and that can help them become more willing to try new things in the future.

3. Make it a Routine

During daily routines, such as bath time, diaper change and dinner time, it's a good idea to incorporate songs into your child's life. These songs can be simple tunes that help kids get in the mood for their activities and are also an opportunity to practice their singing skills.

Singing with children is a great way to introduce them to new vocabulary and develop listening skills. Rhyming and repetition are great ways to teach new words, as is the use of actions.

Singing with your children is a fun and rewarding activity for both of you, as well as a way to strengthen the bond between you. Make singing a regular part of your child's daily routine, as it will do wonders for their development!

4. Make it a Challenge

Challenge is a great word to use when talking about singing because it encourages kids to test their abilities and try something new. It also gives them a sense of accomplishment.

If you want to make your child’s singing experience more challenging, try playing a game with them that requires them to sing along with an instrument. You can even get creative by adding a few instruments to the mix and giving them different challenges like matching the pitch.

Another challenge to try is incorporating movement into their singing. For example, have them raise their arms to sing a high note and lower them when they need to go low. This will help them get more air into their voice and help them develop a better ear for pitch.

5. Make it a Game

Music is a powerful tool for teaching children and it can be used to instill a love of singing. It can help your child to feel calm and happy, especially in times of stress.

A great way to instill a love of singing is by making it a game for your kids. By playing games that involve singing they will enjoy the experience more and will want to continue singing in school and at home.

You can make singing a game by using instruments or objects to match the sound of the song. You can use things such as shaker eggs, scarves and small stuffed toys or figurines.

Singing is a great way to build a love of music in your kids. It can boost their confidence, enhance their social skills, and help them develop better listening and learning abilities. But how do you teach your kids to sing well?

Sing - As adults, we all know how much fun singing is! Try to make it a regular part of your children's routine, even if just for five to ten minutes each day.

Get them involved in musical groups or classes - You can start them at a young age with toddler music or pre-school music programs. Once they're old enough, they can also learn to play an instrument or take music appreciation courses at school.

Give them freedom to be creative with music and movement - It's important that children are given the freedom to be creative in their everyday lives, which can include singing. For example, you can play musical games with them or sing nursery rhymes together as a family.

Practice - You can also teach your children to sing by practicing it with them regularly. For example, you can play a game where they listen to the songs on the radio while you sing along. If they can match the tune, you can give them a sticker.

Breathe - When teaching your child to sing, don't just tell them to "sing louder". Instead, teach them to breathe deep and control the amount of air they use. You can do this by asking them to place their hands on their stomachs or diaphragms and direct their air that way, rather than in their chests.

Sing - Singing is an amazing skill that many people are born with but need to learn and nurture. It's a very technical skill, so professional coaching is usually needed.

Expose them to music - Babies and infants naturally recognize and respond to music, even from the womb (Haroutounian 2002). It can be very rewarding to help them explore their vocal capabilities and build a lifetime relationship with their voices.

Teach them to sing - As mentioned above, you can help them to develop their singing abilities by singing with them often and letting them experiment with their own voice. You can also engage in 'call and response' singing, where you imitate their natural vocal sounds, adding short bits of singing to the mix, then allowing them to respond, and then repeating this process.

Vocal exploration - This can be done in a classroom or at home, by creating a series of vocal sound effects. You can use sirens, slides, animal sounds, etc.

Rhythm exercises - Getting children to clap and dance with songs and rhymes helps them develop their sense of rhythm and develops their language processing skills. You can also use silly lyrics in the songs to promote imagination and creativity.

Singing in a group - Join a singing class or join a pre-school choir. It's important to let your child have a say in the type of music they want to learn and the kind of group they want to be part of, so that they can build their confidence and feel like they're a part of something special.