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The Connection Between Music and Literacy

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Music lessons are a good way for kids to learn to hear, think and connect sounds together like little building blocks.

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Music and Movement for Preschoolers and Toddlers

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Find out how preschool music and movement activities help promote physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.

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The simple and enjoyable act of making music with your child naturally fosters important social and emotional skills, such as self-regulation, self-confidence, leadership skills, social skills, and socio-emotional intelligence.

Making music with your child can be so much fun for both of you, whether you're singing along to the radio in the car, jamming on plastic bowl "drums," or dancing to songs on your iPod. Plus, music-making helps your child's development in many important ways. The best part? You don't have to have a great singing voice or play a musical instrument to have an impact. The simple and enjoyable act of making music with your child naturally fosters important social and emotional skills, such as self-regulation, self-confidence, leadership skills, social skills, and socio-emotional intelligence.

In fact, recent research[i] has found that preschoolers who engaged in participatory group music and movement activities showed greater group cohesion, cooperation, and prosocial behavior when compared to children who did not engage in the same music activities. Singing and dancing together led to increased empathy (the ability to understand and even share in the feelings of others) for the children with whom they were making music. Even in infancy[ii], adult-child music and movement interactions can lead to better communication and increased emotional and social coordination and connection, both rhythmically and emotionally, between the adult and the child. Researchers propose this might support infants' earliest abilities to engage in positive social interactions with others.

So, you can have fun making music with your whole family and know that you are also supporting your child's social and emotional growth. Here are some ideas for music activities you can try at home to specifically support several areas of socio-emotional learning.

Self-control and Self-regulation

Singing a song like "A Ram Sam Sam" (from the Fiddle Song Collection), where you are challenged to incrementally leave out a phrase in the song, is a fun way for children to practice the crucial skill of impulse control in daily life. You can try this technique with any song you and your children know. As you sing a familiar tune, ask your child to leave out one of the words in the next lyric/phrase. During this game, children exercise self-control and self-regulation and experience what it feels like to resist doing something. It's the same concept at work in the popular backyard game "Red Light, Green Light!"

Self-confidence and Leadership Skills

Ask your child to lead YOU in a favorite song, maybe one she learned at school or from your Music Together class. Just follow your child's lead whether she gets the lyrics or melody "right" or not. This simple activity gives her a chance to be the leader-and supports her self-confidence as she experiences that her way of interpreting the song is accepted and embraced by you. Similarly, songs that ask children to come up with their own word or sound also support self-confidence and leadership skills. For example, in "One Little Owl" (from the Tambourine Song Collection), children can choose an animal to sing about and imitate its sound in their own way.

Social Skills and Socio-emotional Intelligence

Whether making music with just you or with the whole family, group music-making challenges children to work with others as an "ensemble." They learn the importance of respecting others' space and how they express themselves. They also get to practice working together towards a common goal (e.g., when holding hands while dancing). Respect, collaboration, and working as a team are all important social skills for your child to develop.

Empathy Development

Making music in a group also challenges children to watch the people around them for subtle cues to timing, volume, and expressiveness-the same cues that we use for reading expressions and moods on people's faces. Being able to perceive and understand people's feelings is a basis for empathy and moral development.

Actively making music with your child is a fun and easy way to support your child's socio-emotional learning, helping them to develop self-regulation, self-confidence, leadership skills, social skills, and much more! So, the next time you sing with your child, try some of the activities suggested here. And remember, it doesn't matter whether you consider yourself "musical." Your joyful participation and enjoyment is what is most important!
Originally published at parenttoolkit.com.
[i] Kirschner, S. & Tomasello, M. (2010). Joint music-making promotes prosocial behavior in 4-year-old children. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31, 354-364.

[ii] Gerry, D., Unrau, A., & Trainor, L. J. (2012). Active music classes in infancy enhance musical, communicative and social development. Developmental Science, 15(3), 398-407.

Cirelli, Jurewicz, Trehub (2018). Musical rhythms in infancy: social and emotional effects. Cognitive Neuroscience Society, 25 Annual Mtg, March 24-27, Boston

Cirelli, L.K., K. M. Einarson., L.J. Trainor (2014). Interpersonal synchrony increases prosocial behavior in infants. Developmental Science. 17:6, pp. 1003-1011.

Kirschner, S., M. Tomasello (2009). Joint drumming: Social context facilitates synchronization in preschool children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 102, pp. 299-314.

Williams. K. E., M.S. Barrett, G.F. Welch, V. Abad, M. Broughton. (2015). Associations between early shared music activities in the home and later child outcomes: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 31, pp. 113-124.

Winsler, A., A. Koury. (2011) Singing one's way to self-regulation: the role of early music and movement curricula and private speech. Early Education and Development, 22: 2, pp. 274-304.

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Creating Harmony: How Music Can Support Social Emotional Development

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Making music with your child can be so much fun for both of you, whether you're singing along to the radio in the car, jamming on plastic bowl "drums," or dancing to songs on your iPod. Plus, music-making helps your child's development in many important ways. The best part?

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Kids are never the problem. They are born scientists. The problem is always the adults. They beat the curiosity out of kids. They outnumber kids. They vote. They wield resources….

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This is the Privacy Policy for the Midnight Music website located at www.midnightmusic.com ("Site").

The Site is operated by Midnight Music Pty Ltd ABN 87 619 652 603 ("Midnight Music" or "Company" or "we" or "us").

Midnight Music understands the importance of protecting your personal information and undertakes to adhere to this privacy policy at all times to ensure your personal information is effectively safeguarded.

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The Site provides various places for users to provide information. We collect information that users provide by filling out forms on the Site, communicating with us via contact forms, responding to surveys, search queries on our search feature, providing comments or other feedback, providing information when ordering a product or service via the Site, and other circumstances where collecting personal information is reasonable and permitted by the Laws of the State of Victoria, Australia.

We use information you provide to us to deliver the requested product and/or service, to improve our overall performance, and to provide you with offers, promotions, and information.

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As you navigate through the Site, we may use automatic data collection technologies including Google Analytics to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. This will generally include information about your location, your traffic pattern through our Site, and any communications between your computer and our Site. Among other things, we will collect data about the type of computer you use, your Internet connection, your IP address, your operating system, and your browser type.

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STEAM Resources and Activities for the Music Classroom

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This is the Privacy Policy for the Midnight Music website located at www.midnightmusic.com ("Site"). The Site is operated by Midnight Music Pty Ltd ABN 87 619 652 603 ("Midnight Music" or "Company" or "we" or "us").

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26 MINUTES of SCIENCE SONGS | Jack Hartmann

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The Counting Song | Count to 50 | Gracie’s Corner | Kids Songs + Nursery Rhymes

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Music has long been recognized as highly beneficial to students, not only because children enjoy it, but also due to its proven positive impact on academic […]

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Rodocodo - Code Hour is a free coding game for kids (aged 4-11) that makes learning to code fun and easy. Neither you or your class need to know anything

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Do your kids love to listen to music while playing and working? Are you growing a little weary of the same music selection you are listening to over and over? I've created a new playlist for you to jam along with and learn at the same time!

Music is a great way to build phonological awareness with young children. And, it's a great example of using technology with kids. This playlist is filled with great preschool songs that would also appeal to toddlers and young elementary children.

Here are our favorite kids'songs that build literacy skills.

Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

If you click each of the links, you can listen to a snippet of each song on Amazon. And, if you have Amazon Prime you can download most of them for free!

And, I have two whole albums that I have to share. Storytime Singalong Vol 1 and Storytime Singalong Vol 2 by Emily Arrow are FANTASTIC. All the songs are based on children's books. Check out this video of The Dot Song.

Join Amazon Prime Music - The Only Music Streaming Service with Free 2-day Shipping - 30-day Free Trial
Would you love to have some more songs to sing with the kids? Check out our Circle Time Songs and Chants to Build Literacy Skills!

Are you ready for some new songs to build literacy skills? Which one are you most excited to try first? Let me know in the comments below.

*This post first appeared on Growing Book by Book on 3/6/15.

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12+ Favorite Songs to Build Literacy Skills

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Do your kids love to listen to music while playing and working? Are you growing a little weary of the same music selection you are listening to over and over? I've created a new playlist for you to jam along with and learn at the same time!

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READING and WRITING Songs! | 30 Minutes of LITERACY Songs for Kids! | Jack Hartmann

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Phonics Song | Alphabet Song | Letter Sounds | Signing for babies | ASL | Patty Shukla

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A soundtrack for World Book Day and Children’s Book Week. A selection of book and reading themed music videos.

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4 Activities for Music and Reading Integration

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An interdisciplinary approach can help elementary students deepen their appreciation for music while developing their literacy skills.

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How to Boost Early Literacy with Music | Learning and Development | Teach Early Years

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Teach Early Years magazine is the leading B2B title for early years teachers, practitioners and providers, offering expert advice on educating the 0–5s and operating a sustainable childcare business.

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The Singing Walrus - English Songs For Kids

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Action Songs for kids | The Singing Walrus

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Music in Child Development | HeadStart.gov

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Not only is music enjoyable for infants and toddlers, but it can also provide a connection to home, opportunities to learn, and a way to connect with caring adults. Explore this useful information for teachers, home visitors, and parents about how music supports development across domains.

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Gross Motor Freeze Dance | Freeze Dance for Kids | Follow Along Activities for Kids

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Fine Motor Freeze Dance | Fine Motor Activities for Kids

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20 Awesome movement songs for kids — Growing Little Brains

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Sometimes it’s difficult to keep young children engaged for OT teletherapy (or face-to-face) sessions. Young children have short attention spans and they NEED to learn through play. Having a variety of “go-to” sensory motor songs that get them moving can be a lifesaver. Read on to add these 20 movem

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Building Fine Motor Skills Through Music

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Wondering about the relationship between music and the development of fine motor skills? Click here to find out more.

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When children sing along with different songs, they are engaging in foundational social-emotional skills like listening, patience, and coordinating with others.

Songs that use a "repeat-after-me" format, in which children listen and then repeat back what they've heard, invite children to pay close attention and practice turn-taking. Some musical games, such as freeze dance, also encourage children to listen and be still while they wait.

An article about musical play posted on NAEYC's website points to the benefits of enjoying a variety of styles of music with children. Noticing and talking about the different beats and instruments featured in various styles of music like "classical, salsa, jazz, and folk," encourages children to listen and engage.

Cooperating and Connecting with Peers

Singing and making music in group settings demonstrates the joy of cooperating and working alongside others.

Music also provides children an opportunity to celebrate their own heritage and culture while discovering and enjoying music from other cultures. Parents can be invited to share the names of songs their families listen to at home so that you and the children in your early learning program can listen to them together.

Musical Activity Ideas for Social and Emotional Learning

Incorporate Emotional Vocabulary

In a recent webinar, Pam Gittleman, educator and creator of the early learning organization, For Kinder Times, explained how the song Five Little Ducks can be used to promote emotional awareness, labeling feelings, expression, and regulation. She encourages educators to pause throughout the song and talk with children about what the ducks in the song might be feeling. For example, how might Mama Duck feel when she quacks and none of her ducks come back? And, how might the baby ducks feel when they see their mom again, at the end of the song?

This technique can be used with a variety of different songs. For example, how might the Itsy Bitsy spider feel when he gets knocked down by the rain, or when the sun comes out and he can climb again?

Use Music to Promote Mindful Awareness

In an article for Edutopia, Laura Petillo, a violinist and pre-k educator, and Kerry Carley Rizzuto, an associate professor of early childhood education at Monmouth University, share a mindfulness exercise using the jazz/bossa nova song " Águas de Março " ("The Waters of March"), by Brazilian songwriter Antônio Carlos Jobim. They offer the following instructions:

Start by encouraging children to find a relaxed position to listen to the song. They might want to lie down or sit in a cozy place. Before the song starts, have children take deep breaths and explain how the music can help them to relax their bodies: "When we feel calm, our bodies are relaxed. And when we're relaxed, we can notice things we didn't notice before. Let's listen to this song and take deep breaths to become more mindful of our surroundings."

After the song, encourage children to use their newly heightened focus to explore the classroom. Explain how their heightened awareness and relaxation will help them: "Now that we have calm and relaxed bodies, we can see things even better than we did before. Let's go on a scavenger hunt to find the objects from the song in our room." Students can go around the room to find objects mentioned in the song, such as a stick, a stone, a hairpin, and a flower.

This activity can be repeated with a variety of different songs that promote calm and relaxation.

Additional Resources

Nursery Rhymes for Kinder Times: a collection of updated Nursery Rhymes that nurture kindness and gratitude to support educators in facilitating conversations with young children about how to be kind, compassionate, and grateful.

Webinar with HiMama: A recent webinar that explores how music can be used in early learning classrooms to promote social-emotional learning.

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Enhancing Social-Emotional Skill Development with Music

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When children sing along with different songs, they are engaging in foundational social-emotional skills like listening, patience, and coordinating with others. Songs that use a "repeat-after-me" format, in which children listen and then repeat back what they've heard, invite children to pay close attention and practice turn-taking.

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Integrating Music into Socioemotional Learning

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Integrating Music into Socioemotional Learning

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

A strategy for guiding preschoolers to identify and manage their emotions with a little help from Muddy Waters, Beethoven, and the Beatles.

Maskot / Alamy Stock Photo

Many educators embrace social and emotional learning (SEL) for teaching coping skills. Like visual art activities, music education can play a role in healing, particularly when it's paired with deep breathing exercises. Music is readily available from sources like YouTube, Spotify, and Pandora, which makes it easy to integrate into the classroom, and research shows that general music program activities like improvisation and identifying emotion through music are effective as a form of social and emotional learning.

Studies show that children as young as 3 can notice emotions in music and can even recognize "happy" and "sad" in musical excerpts that are just 0.5 second long. These findings are the backbone of practical applications for using music to support SEL in the classroom-and of the following activities that help preschool children learn how to name and regulate their emotions.

Muddy Waters's 'Louisiana Blues' and Feeling Sad

Known as the father of Chicago blues, Muddy Waters was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician. His piece " Louisiana Blues " is a classic in the genre, reflecting sadness and hardship.

How to use it: Using color cards or colorful objects, ask students to recognize the colors. With the color blue, stop and say, "Some people say they feel this color. They say they feel blue or they have 'the blues.' What do you think they mean by that?"

After the students answer, explain that the blues is a type of music created by African Americans in the southern United States to express sadness and hardship. Explain that sometimes life is hard, it's OK to feel upset by that, and music can help people get through hard times. As the students listen to "Louisiana Blues," have them tap a drum or rhythm sticks to keep the beat. Then they can reflect on a time when they felt the blues after putting their instruments away.

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and Feeling Strong Emotions

With its iconic fate knocking motif, Beethoven's Fifth can prompt awareness of strong emotions.

How to use it: Tell your students to give themselves a big, tight hug. Say, "Hugs are nice. But tight feelings are also a sign that you have a strong feeling. Let's listen to the music together. If you hear a strong emotion, squeeze the ball." Pass out squishy objects, like stress balls or stuffed animals. As students listen to the first two minutes of the symphony, have them squeeze the object when they hear a strong emotion. When the music stops, take two minutes to reflect on how to alleviate sensations of tightness brought on by strong feelings: "We just listened to the Fifth Symphony by Ludwig Van Beethoven, which was written for an orchestra-a group of musicians playing together. I could tell you felt the strong emotions in it when you squeezed the ball. Did your hands feel better after letting go of the ball?"

Tell students that just as their hands felt better when they let go of the ball, they can let go of the strong feeling inside when it happens: They can let go of their strong feelings by taking belly breaths and using words to get help. Since loud crying and angry screaming (temper tantrums) are common in communication among young children, teaching them how to self-soothe and use expressive language prompts growth toward self-regulation.

'Jambo Bwana' and Greetings

Research shows that for autistic children and those who have special needs or language delays, dancing to music without explicit instructions can improve their overall gross motor development and mobility. The Swahili traditional song " Jambo Bwana," a piece about saying hello and sharing joy and happiness, works well in this context.

How to use it: Tell students that the song is about saying hello and is from the country of Kenya. Explain that world music includes music in different languages and from different cultures. Ask, "Can you say 'hello' in Swahili? Try saying 'JamboBwana'" ("Hello, Sir"). After the students answer, pass out props like colorful scarves (for easier self-expression with smaller motor movements), or forgo props while the students dance to the song. They can then share reflections about how saying hello and seeing people they love can bring happiness.

'Yesterday' and Feeling Disappointment

The Beatles song " Yesterday" can prompt students to reflect on a time when something went wrong or they made a mistake. When children recall this experience with you, it becomes a powerful interaction -a moment when you deliberately connect with a child while guiding their learning.

How to use it: Begin by telling children about a made-up recent event where there was disappointment; it could be based on an event in the classroom. For example, "Bella was looking forward to the class field trip to the zoo, but it was canceled when it rained. How do you think she felt? Let's listen to this piece of music at the art table and draw a picture of the feeling. Do any of you like rock-and-roll music? This is the genre of music that rock bands play-groups of musicians that have a guitarist, drummer, bass player, and singer. Usually the music is upbeat and makes you feel excited. But this song by the Beatles is about feeling melancholy and remembering a time when you made a mistake or did something wrong." Play "Yesterday" and prompt children to illustrate a time when they experienced disappointment or things didn't work out as planned.

'Águas de Março' and Mindfulness

The jazz/bossa nova song " Águas de Março" ("The Waters of March"), by the Brazilian songwriter Antônio Carlos Jobim, works well when teaching students that being calm can improve their ability to focus on their surroundings, as well as how to embrace mindfulness.

How to use it: Ask students to take a deep belly breath, perhaps while ringing a singing bowl. Tell students, "When we feel calm, our bodies are relaxed. And when we're relaxed, we can notice things we didn't notice before. Let's listen to this song and take deep breaths to become more mindful of our surroundings. This style of music is a form of Brazilian jazz called bossa nova, and it has a smooth, sophisticated sound that people can dance or relax to while listening to it."

When the song is done, move on to an activity to test students' new and improved awareness. Tell the students, "Now that we have calm and relaxed bodies, we can see things even better than we did before. Let's go on a scavenger hunt to find the objects from the song in our room." Students can go around the room to find objects mentioned in the song (a stick, stone, a hair pin, and a flower).

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Integrating Music Into Social and Emotional Learning

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) A strategy for guiding preschoolers to identify and manage their emotions with a little help from Muddy Waters, Beethoven, and the Beatles. Maskot / Alamy Stock Photo Many educators embrace social and emotional learning (SEL) for teaching coping skills.

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The Social & Emotional Learning Song | Scratch Garden

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Relaxing Music For Children - Be Calm and Focused (cute animals) | 3 Hours Extended Mix

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As parents, we all want the best for our children. One way you can support your child's development is through music. Research has shown that music can have a significant impact on a child's motor and cognitive skills, as well as their social-emotional development. The latter is particularly important for helping children understand and manage emotions, build confidence, and form meaningful relationships.

By making music with your child, you not only bond with them but also provide them with a powerful foundation for a healthy, happy, and successful life. As March is Music in Our Schools Month, join Celebree School as we explore five ways music can foster children's social and emotional competence as part of a holistic early childhood education approach.

Self-awareness

Listening to music, singing songs, playing instruments, and moving to the rhythm are excellent ways for young children to develop self-awareness. Music can provide them with a creative outlet to express their feelings and emotions, while allowing them to explore their identity and make sense of their experiences. Through engaging in musical activities, children can learn to trust their own abilities and build their own unique sense of self. Additionally, they can explore and learn about their physical and mental capabilities as they experiment with different musical styles and genres.

To encourage self-awareness, play a variety of songs for your child and ask them to identify how each tune makes them feel. You might be surprised by how sensitive your child is to the emotional nuances of music. As you sing along to different tunes, encourage your child to move to the beat to better understand and express how they feel.

Self-regulation

Taking self-awareness one step further, music can also help children learn self-regulation, an important aspect of the Conscious Discipline philosophy. Being able to recognize and understand different emotions helps children react appropriately, maintain composure, and control their behavior. They'll learn adaptability and resilience in the face of difficult situations. When children can manage their emotions, they are better equipped to stay calm when overwhelmed, solve problems, and cope with stress.

An engaging way to exercise self-regulation skills is by playing musical chairs with your child. This classic game requires children to follow rules, control their impulses, and stay focused to remain in the game.

Social awareness

Exposing children to diverse musical styles helps them understand and appreciate different cultures, traditions, and perspectives, promoting social awareness as well as empathy and cooperation.

To facilitate social awareness, listen to music from different cultures and countries with your child. You can also sing songs that celebrate diversity and inclusion, such as "We are the World" by USA for Africa, "Colors of the Wind" from the Disney movie Pocahontas, and "Brave" by Sara Bareilles.

Relationship skills

Relationship skills are crucial for building healthy and positive connections with others. By participating in musical activities, children learn to develop trust, communicate effectively, cooperate with peers, and resolve conflicts.

A fun way to promote relationship skills is to sing a song where each person sings a different part and must listen to coordinate with others, highlighting each other's unique contributions. Another activity to try is "Follow the Leader" where one person leads a musical activity and the others must follow and respond, allowing children to take turns leading and following. Through activities like these, children can learn take turns, practice patience, and follow directions.

Responsible decision-making

Learning to make responsible decisions is an essential part of growing up. Through musical experiences, children learn how to assess their options, make choices, and take responsibility for their actions.

To help your child develop their decision-making ability, why not create a musical storybook with them? Together, you can create a story and make choices about the characters and events, including the music that goes along with each scene. You can also plan a musical performance with your child, where they select the music and other aspects of the routine like costumes and props. These delightful activities will encourage your child's proactive decision-making skills while making memories.

From singing and playing instruments to creating musical stories, there are many creative ways parents and caregivers can use music to support their child's social-emotional development. With a little fun and creativity, you can help your young one develop the skills they need to succeed and thrive in life. For additional ideas on how to nurture social-emotional growth in your child, browse our mindfulness resources for children, blogs, and other child care and learning materials.

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From Notes to Nurturing: The Role of Music in Social-Emotional Development | Celebree School

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As parents, we all want the best for our children. One way you can support your child's development is through music. Research has shown that music can have a significant impact on a child's motor and cognitive skills, as well as their social-emotional development.

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I Need A Break | A song for social-emotional learning & self-expression for kids | Music For Kiddos

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Breathe | A Children's Song for Self-Regulation | Songs For Social-Emotional Learning