Can Toddlers Build Vocabulary While Singing?

Can Toddlers Build Vocabulary While Singing?

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Singing songs offers many benefits to children (adults, too, but that could be a whole other article!). Singing has a calming effect on children, helping them relax, fall asleep, or settle down after a scare.1 It helps develop their imagination, self-control, memory, self-confidence, and concentration.1 Sharing a song can also help children make transitions and build community in classrooms.2 Singing, through the deep breathing it encourages, increases the flow of oxygen to the brain, and stimulates the production of endorphins, making it a feel good activity!

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In addition, singing plays an important role in language learning!1,2,3 Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music has a list of all the ways in which language learning is enhanced by singing. Singing teaches:1

  • self-expression
  • vocal imitation
  • verbal confidence
  • greater ease and clarity in speech
  • phrasing
  • storytelling and the sequence of events
  • patterning, rhythm, and rhyme
  • listening

Finally, singing teaches grammar and vocabulary. It is a method of “incidental acquisition of vocabulary,”3 letting children pick up new words from repetition as well as the context of the song without even having to think about it. In fact, it can be as important as reading to your child.1 Think about all the songs that have gotten stuck in your head over the years…It’s no wonder singing can be a good method of teaching!

There are so many songs out there, and you probably already know some that you can share with your child to help build her vocabulary. But if you’d like some recommendations, here are some classic favorites:

  • “The Alphabet Song” (the alphabet)
  • “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” (body parts)
  • “The Wheels on the Bus” (vehicle parts)
  • “The Ants Go Marching” (numbers)
  • “Down by the Bay” (rhymes)
  • “Brush Your Teeth” (numbers, brushing teeth)
  • “Five Little Monkeys” (numbers)
  • “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (animals)
  • “The Mulberry Bush” (days of the week)
  • “The Farmer in the Dell” (animals)
  • “This Old Man” (numbers)
  • “Today Is Monday” (days of the week, food)
  • “The Green Grass Grew All Around” (parts of a tree)
  • “Froggie Went A-Courtin'” (animals)
  • “Ten in the Bed” (numbers)
  • “My Mother Is a Baker” (occupations)
  • “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” (weather)
  • “Where is Thumbkin?” (body parts)
  • “Did You Eat Your Food?” (food)

At Songs for Teaching.com,4 you’ll find even more songs that teach vocabulary, as well as some that teach grammar.

In addition to these songs that focus on specific themes, you can sing any other song you like. Just as any book can introduce new vocabulary words, so too can songs. With the countless songs in the world to choose from, you’re sure to find one that you and your child enjoy. So start singing today!

Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your child’s development of these Music Appreciation and Creation and Vocabulary Knowledge skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

  1. Take a familiar song and change some of the words.2 This will not only introduce new vocabulary, but keep things fun and lively. Instead of the “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” it could be a great, big, giant spider! Or instead of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ she could have a happy lamb, or a black lamb, or a little pig, or even a little hamster!
  2. Use a familiar song or tune to help with transitions, clean up time, or other teaching moments.2 For example, change the words in “Mary Had a Little Lamb” at bedtime to “This is how we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, brush our teeth. This is how we brush our teeth, before we go to bed!”

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Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Music Appreciation and Creation and Vocabulary Knowledge developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) she has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

  • Learns vocabulary and word meanings by singing songs.

 

Sources:

1The Shepherd School of Music. Why Singing Is So Important for Your Young Child and You. Rice University: Shepherd School of Music. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://music.rice.edu/ycd/res001.shtml.

2Schiller, Pam. Songs and Rhymes as a Springboard to Literacy. EarlyChildhoodNEWS. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_home.aspx?ArticleID=478.

3Rowell, Lisa (2011). Music Can Build Vocabulary for All Students, Including for English Language Learners. ABC Music & Me: An Early Literacy and Language Program. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://blog.abcmusicandme.com/archives/1040.

4Songs for Teaching. Using Music to Promote Learning. Songs for Teaching. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.songsforteaching.com/esleflesol.htm.

Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee
Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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