Hi Tunester,

 

This week you are going to conduct a science experiment with your baby. Let’s see if they can learn a song in a week.

 

Think it’s possible? I do too.

 

The tools we’re going to use to make this happen are repetition, gestures, and connection.

 

REPETITION:

Your baby is constantly looking out for patterns.  They compute a repetition and remember it. After they see something happen twice they already expect it to happen a third time.  Repetition is a major key in your baby’s learning.

Songs take that a step even further. Because they always repeat the same way (as opposed to speech,) they are much easier for your baby to learn.

 

GESTURES:

Songs alone allow your baby to learn through their auditory sense. Adding gestures to a song allows your baby to learn through visual, tactile and kinesthetic modalities as well. 

 

CONNECTION:

Your baby doesn’t necessarily need connection in order to learn. Little scientists, they are absorbing new information all the time regardless of your presence. However, adding connection, the feeling that you are both having fun together while you sing, will make your baby associate the song with pleasure, and that will increase their memory for it.

 

Sound good?  Here’s what you’re going to do – 

 

1. Pick a song with hand gestures. Even better if there is some touching involved.
   You can use my songs, like Bikeride, Galloping Horse, Flying Hands, Rocking in the Boat, New Words.) Or an old fave like Itsy Bitsy, Open Shut Them, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes.
2. Sing it every day, twice through in the morning and twice through in the afternoon. These songs are literally 15 seconds long so this may sound like a lot but its not. You can even do it first thing in the morning and right before your bedtime routine.
3. Accentuate the words, go big with the hand gesture, let your voice go with the melody, really go for it. This is key. Your baby learns through dynamics. Show them highs and lows in your gestures and with your voice.
4. Look into your baby’s eyes. Let this be a moment of connection. As you are singing, enjoy your moment together. Even if they are little and aren’t smiling yet, know that your baby is watching you and listening to you intently. And if they are on the move, do it during a moment when they are steady, like when they’re in the highchair.

That’s it!

Now – how will you know if you’re baby LEARNED the song?

 

If they are old enough, they may start singing with you and doing the gestures with you. Please do comment below when/if this happens. Even better, post and tag me in a video of your baby singing the song along with you.

 

If they haven’t started gesturring yet, the telltale sign will be what they do right as you start to sing. If they immediately start smiling, kicking, looking into your eyes, then you know they’ve learned the song and are expecting the rest.

 

Sound good? Let’s do this experiment!

Comment below and let me know what song you’ll be doing with your baby this week.

 

Have a friend who just had a baby who might like to join our experiment? Send them this post! And tell them they should sign up to receive more just like it.

 

 

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