Dream Pillow Week 3: Lullaby Benefits
I volunteer for the young two year old Sunday School class at my church and this past Sunday was my week to serve. The classes for young children have hired care takers and they looked really tired as I came into my class which this past Sunday was combined with the other two year old class. Some of the children were very fussy while the others were quite active, as most toddlers tend to be. So, a little snack was served, followed by 15 minutes of play time in the designated playroom. The fussy children were still very fussy and the active toddlers were now on overload. Shortly after the minute Bible story, the lights were dimed and quiet Christmas music began playing. I held a little girl in my lap, already knowing she had had a difficult night and morning. She just wanted to cradle in my arms. I began rocking back and forth humming the songs as they quietly played. Her little head grew so heavy as her eyes fell fast asleep. I wasn't her mommy, but she found enough peace and comfort in the midst of her little world to calm into a sleep.
Every Kindermusik class includes a quiet time and a time for rocking while listening and singing to a lullaby. The benefits include:
Bonding ...
The most obvious benefit emotionally is that you and your child have an opportunity to focus on one another on an intimate level. While singing you are given the chance to express your love to your child in a peaceful context.
Cognitive Development ...
There has been a fair amount of interest recently in the fact that children are, from birth, 'wired for sound' - or, more specifically wired for music. There are specific neural connections which are made when a child listens to music of any kind, instrumental or vocal. These connections are, apparently, not made in any other way and can only be made in the early years. Once made, some researchers believe this neural 'wiring' may be used to support some other sense, such as visual or verbal. The more connections that are made, the more capacity in the brain is opened up for use. The conclusion has been drawn that the earlier music is introduced, the greater the potential for learning.
Speech and Language ...
Lullabies feature repetition, rhyme, assonance and alliteration. Repeating the same patterns again, by singing the same lullabies on other occasions, reinforces the sound recognition. Speaking to children is, of course, of tremendous value in speech and language development, but the value of singing is often overlooked. Lullabies, like nursery rhymes, provide children with the chance to hear sounds in predictable patterns, to recognize and understand those patterns in a way that speech alone does not. Further down the line these familiar patterns can be used by the children to practise their sounds without even realizing they are doing so.
Motor Development ...
When you sing a lullaby, to an infant especially, it is often when there is some sort of movement involved. We often think of rocking the child in our arms or with their heads on our chest. All actions while singing give the child the sensation of movement directly related to the rhythm of the song. Stroking or patting the child can have the same effect. This connection between hearing and feeling is thought by some researchers to lead on to age appropriate physical co-ordination, such as the ability to learn to dance.
