Children’s Music

The world is a loud, noisy, and frenzied place, so it’s important to have a place where we can escape. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our homes were the refuge we desire? Unfortunately, many homes today are as loud and demanding as the outside world… demanding our energy in ways that just drain us to the breaking point: children insist on having their own way, or enjoy poking at their siblings, the water heater breaks, flooding your utility room, a package you were waiting for disappears from your doorstep, you know… real life happens. How can we change the atmosphere in our home if it’s not joyful? How can we create a more nurturing, restful sanctuary full of love, laughter and joy? Children’s music is one key to achieving this, and every parent should learn how to use children’s songs to create a joyful home.

Busy families wake up early, prep for the day ahead, rush out the door, and return home to cook, clean, do schoolwork, and more. Children seldom have a dull moment during the day. Then we rinse and repeat all week long. With such busy lives, how can we minimize the stress and nurture a more joyful atmosphere inside our homes? Is it even possible? I assure you there are ways to nurture a more joyful atmosphere in the home without adding more to your do-to list. Children’s music can simply be added as you go through the day. This blog post gives more detail about 5 Things I Want Parents to Know About This Blog.

What is a Joyful Home?

A home is the place where one lives. Joyful is an adjective which we desire to describe the home: feeling, expressing, or causing great pleasure and happiness. A joyful home is a home where the family living inside finds great happiness enjoying one another. Laughter, giggles, happy moments, hugs, compassion and care are all a part of joyful family life. Of course there are other non-joyful moments, but overall the mood of the home is one of delight.

How does music bring joy?

This article that talks about how music is a pleasure seeking activity that most people engage in. It cites a study that claims listening to the music you love releases more dopamine, a neurotransmitter, in the brain. Because neurotransmitters are important for cognitive development, emotions and behavior, one can link music directly to brain development and happiness.

However, you don’t have to be a scientist to actually see how music brings joy to people. Here are a couple examples:

• I teach an online toddler music class and work with children ages infant-preschool and adults. For 30 minutes, there is an enjoyable experience: singing, bouncing stuffed animals, moving to the beat, dancing, hopping, twirling scarfs, and playing instruments. I see this happiness first hand in my in-person classes.
• Concerts are filled with listeners who are enjoying the music, friends, and family. Smiles are everywhere.
• When I am taking care of my grandkids, I use music to gain cooperation. We sing songs to pick up toys, clear the table and even brush teeth. Music gets the job done with enthusiasm and smiles.

Why Use Children’s Music?

Not only does listening to or creating music bring joy to a child or adult. Music encourages brain, emotional, and behavioral development. Parents learn how to use children’s music to help with everyday life situations. They become equipped to can change whatever kind of moment they happen to be dealing into a more pleasant and joyful experience. Even when parents are tired, upset, or frenzied, listening to music can be a way to decompress. Music is often used in spas? Soothing, tranquil music, can really change how you feel.

How to get started creating a more joyful atmosphere

Here are just a couple ideas of how children’s music can be added to the day to make it more joyful. A parent can sing a “time to get dressed” song or offer a child a choice in something by singing “you get to choose” when they are helping their children. It adds no more time to the day, but the day can be more joyful by simply singing a song. There is wide abundance of children’s music to encourage cooperation, give choices, prepare for bedtime, learn skills, and so much more.

When taking my third child to the doctor for her 6 month old well baby visit, the doctor asked her older brother if he ever got tired of hearing his baby sister cry. He calmly said, “No, she never cries.” The doctor looked doubtingly at my son and I quickly reaffirmed his story. You see, the doctor didn’t know what I knew... music can change your inner spirit and make a home more joyful. My youngest three children rarely ever cried. We spent our days singing when we woke up, singing to get dressed, we sang a song before we ate at the table (you get the idea). My kids still remember many of the songs we sang each day.

Easy Ways to Use Children’s Music

• Pick one time of day where you can incorporate a new song into your routine like using a song for clean up time, or getting dressed in the morning.
• Use music as a distraction. Often when a child is focused on a negative behavior, music will instantly distract the child from the situation and turn the situation around.
• Use music to offer choices. Children like to be offered choices. Singing a little tune to words like “would you like this one? Or would you like that one?” helps eliminate power struggles because the child has a choice and the choice is presented in a delightful way.
• Use music to encourage cooperation. Children want to participate in being helpful and cooperative when it is presented in a fun way. It is much easier to get children to cooperate when they are joyful.
• Use children’s music to build community and reinforce kindness. Sharing toys, caring about feelings, being gentle are examples of interacting with others. Songs that reflect care and concern for others help instill this value in children.

Tips for Success in creating musical routines

• Print the lyrics to songs and hang them up in places that will remind you to add music to your day. For instance, place a song you’d like to sing at diaper time on the wall of your diaper changing station.
• Teach your child some of the easy songs. For example, when it is time to clean up toys, encourage your child to sing with you until the toys are all picked up.
• Use your phone, Google, Alexa, etc. to play a song when you need cooperation. Even if you don’t know the lyrics to a song, having a song playing that you and your child can learn together is helpful.

The Last Thing You Need to Know about Children’s Music

Life isn’t perfect. Life can be difficult. Raising children can be tiring. But maintaining joy in the home helps brings out the best in each person each day. Learning how to use children’s music can be an effective parenting tool to turn difficult situations into an instantly silly or fun experiences. Children are not picky connoisseurs of music. They delight in any kind of music that is shared with them. Don’t be self-conscious, but rather sing, move and be playful! You will see a new kind of joy emerging from your children.