Music Enhances Parents and Child Bond


Music Facilitates Emotional Connections. Have you noticed how you feel while singing to your child?

These feelings of tenderness and closeness develop the bond between parent and child. Dr. Deepak Chopra, contributing editor of Parenting explains the relationship between a mother and her child: “A single-cell embryo divides only fifty times to become one hundred trillion cells, which is more than all the stars in the Milky Way galaxy.” Once a child is born, all the cells in both bodies act together to create simple but important connections between the two.

Mothers, despite all of the science involved, it’s the power of the your love — pure and simple — that can protect your child from illness, shape her future relationships, and rearrange her genes to her benefit. When you kiss your toddler after getting hurt, sing a lullaby at bedtime, or cuddle while gazing into your baby’s eyes, she’ll think you’re magical. And the truth is, you are.

“Those hugs and kisses are a force of nature,” says Dr. Chopra. Mother-child bonding is a complex physiological process that enlists not just our hearts, but our brains, hormones, nerves, and almost every part of our bodies.

I don’t know about you, but I often ran out of ideas of ways to interact with my babies. If you have found yourself wondering the same thing, consider singing, dancing or playing through music.

I recently saw a photo of a baby with giant headphones on his head. Yes, many studies say that music will make your baby smarter, but by singing the song yourself you are also strengthening the bond between you and your baby. Don’t worry how you sound. Your baby won’t critique you, but will love the sound of YOUR voice and your attention.

What do you sing? Of course, there are the old familiar songs, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “I am a Child of God.” There are many many more songs that you may have forgotten, but can be learned very easily. The lyrics can easily be found on-line. What matters is that you sing. Sing in the car, on your walks, when cuddling, when playing, when putting down to sleep, or any other time. Music doesn’t just enhance life and relationships, it facilitates parent and child bonding. ENJOY!

Here is a very small list of countless songs in this beautiful world:

Lullabies:
Hush, Little Baby
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Brahms’s Lullaby (Lullaby and Good Night)
Rock-a-Bye Baby
Golden Slumbers
Day Is Done
Little Boy Blue
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Toora, Loora, Loora
All the Pretty Horses
Amazing Grace
Are You Sleeping? (Frère Jacques)
Clementine
Lavender’s Blue (Dilly Dilly)*
Sleep, Baby, Sleep
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
All Through the Night

Patriotic Songs:
This Land is Your Land
It’s a Small World
Yankee Doodle
America the Beautiful
The Star Spangled Banner

Pop:
A Dream is the Wish Your Heart Makes
Do-Re-Mi*
I Whistle a Happy Tune
My Favorite Things
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Little Blue Man*

Folk:
I’ve Been Working on the Railroad*
Love Somebody
Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho
She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain
The Muffin Man
The Mulberry Bush
Shoo, Fly, Don’t Bother Me
Au Clair de la Lune
Bicycle Built for Two
Around Her Neck, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon*

Religious:
I am A Child of God*
Miracles
A Child’s Prayer*
Love is Spoken Here*
I’ll Take Him by the Hand*
Let the Sunshine In* (See below)

Kindermusik Action Songs:
Hop, Up My Baby*
I Roll the Ball to You*
I Have a Little Pony*

Links for Children Music:

Music and Me
KidSongs.com
Kindermusik
Kindermusik on Facebook
Children Hymns

Studies about Music and Children:
Scientific Study Shows the Connection between Musical Study and Successful Children

Music Books I Have in My library:
Music in Preschool by Katalin Forrai
Heritage Songster by Leon and Lynn Dallin
The Big Book of Children’s Songs by Hal Leonard
Children’s Songbook by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Baby Massage by Dr. Alan Heath and Nicki Bainbridge

A Song I Have Written:
I Love You Truly* by Kristin Shaeffer – This song may stem from a tune I had heard from somewhere else, but regardless, it was a tune in my head when I wanted to sing to my baby girl. I just sang what came to my head. As you can see, it is super simple. I have sung it over and over again to all my 5 kids. CLICK HERE for a simple video of me singing it! Hahahaha! This is REAL and unfiltered, believe me.

A Few of My Favorite CDs:
G’night Wolfgang by Ric Louchard
G’morning Johann by Ric Louchard
Hey!Ludwig by Ric Louchard

Train Song
(Tune: Yankee Doodle)

I met an engine on a hill
All hot and broken-hearted,
And this is what he said to me
As up the hill he started.

I think I can, I think I can, At any rate, I’ll try.
I think I can, I think I can, At any rate, I’ll try.

He reached the top, and looking back
To where he stood and doubted,
He started on the downward track
And this is what he shouted;

I knew I could, I knew I could,
I never should have doubted.
I knew I could, I knew I could,
I never should have doubted.

Let the Sunshine In*
by Anne Murray
lyrics adjusted by Kristin Shaeffer

Mommy told me something
A little girl should know
It’s all about the devil
And I learned to hate him so
She said he causes trouble when you let him in your room
He’ll never ever leave you if your heart is filled with gloom

Chorus:
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And Frowners never win
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in

When you are discouraged
The devil jumps with glee
And he feels so awful awful
When he sees you on your knees
So if you feel of trouble
And you never seem to win
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in

Chorus:

America (My Country,’ Tis of Thee)
Text: by Samuel F. Smith

1. My country, ‘tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims’ pride,
from every mountainside let freedom ring!
4. Our fathers’ God, to thee,
author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom’s holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King.

* My all-time favorites

Music class for parent and toddlers

YouTube channel that teaches young children good songs