I just read a great article in the Huffington Post Parents section called Parents As Researchers: Musical Lessons From Our Children. Written by Lori Custodero, the article talks about why music making for children is SO important, and so natural to them. “Music is important to children because it is a way they come to make sense of the world.” She says in the article. She goes on to say that children “match sound to action, layering a vocal pattern to their walking, swinging or communicating.” You can see this at the playground when kids sing “Naa naa, naa naa, you can’t catch me!” in that familiar up and down vocal pattern we associate with kids’ teasing.
This article rang so true to me, not just because I’m a strong believer of the importance of music making for kids, but my daughter is now at the age where she is starting to display this exact musical behavior. She is almost 15 months now, and on any given day she might hum, sing, or vocalize a number of different things while she is playing or walking or getting dressed. She has two particular songs that we hear her sing every day, the Elmo’s World song (“that’s Elmo’s World…”) and her nap song, which I have been singing to her since birth. Now when she’s ready for a nap she comes to me with her blanket and pacifier, takes me into the bedroom, closes the door and hands me her blanket, which is cue for me to place it on my shoulder and pick her up – all while humming that sweet little nap nap song. Music has become a way for her to order her day. She knows the clean up song, the nap nap song, the night night song, and the Elmo’s World song (when she sings it she’s letting us know that she would really love to watch Elmo now, please).
Have you noticed your little ones (or not-so little ones) humming and singing themselves through the day as well?
You can read the full article here. It’s definitely worth the read 
