Why Use Songs for Early Language?
Songs and rhymes are a useful and engaging way to help a parent/caregiver practice a strategy and for a child to practice a skill. For example, you can use songs and rhymes to help a parent/caregiver to practice pausing or to practice imitating their child. You can also use songs and rhymes to help a child practice imitating actions or sounds, make requests, or use certain words. Singing them regularly and in the same situations means that they become verbal routines too, which supports language skills. The focus is on how you can use a song/rhyme/fingerplay to support the practice of a goal, rather than the song itself!
I love encouraging caregivers to sing songs and rhymes because they’re free, require no preparation, can encourage lots of skills, and can be done anywhere, at any time.
What Strategies can I Use When Singing Songs and Rhymes?
There are many language facilitation strategies you can coach caregivers to use when singing songs and rhymes with their child. Some of my go-to strategies include…
Pausing- after you have sung the song a few times, pause before the “good bits” to see if the child fills in the gap. For example, in the ‘Wash Your Hands’ song, pause before the final “wash” in the line “wash, wash, [pause] wash… wash your hands”.
Be Animated- while singing, be sure to use exaggerated actions and voices to support the child’s attention and engagement.
Gestures/Simple Sign- these songs can all be used with simple actions and gestures (examples are given in the freebie, remember to sign up for it using the sign-up form at the end of this post). Gestures/signing supports the child’s understanding of words, and they may begin using signs/gestures before they begin using words.
Using Songs and Rhymes During Play
Many of the songs I sing are to the tune of Frère Jacques. The lyrics may vary, depending on the activity and child’s ability. The songs repeat the target words and are often accompanied by actions, which makes them ideal for early language learners.
Here’s an example of the song I sing each and every time we build a tower. This works whether you’re using blocks, LEGO or stacking cups!
Using Songs and Rhymes During Daily Routines
Another great way you can use songs to target language skills is during daily routines. By their very nature, they happen multiple times a day, every day; so they are a great way to target early language.
Here’s an example of a song you can sing every time you wash hands:
Want More Songs and Rhymes to use in your Early Intervention Sessions?
If you’re looking for more ideas and songs to sing in your Early Intervention sessions, check out the Early Intervention Handbook. It is a comprehensive guide for all things Early Intervention and Caregiver coaching, and there’s a section all about using songs and rhymes in your EI sessions.
I hope this post has given you some ideas for how you can use songs to support early language skills.
I’d love to know if you use these songs in your sessions, be sure to tag me in your posts on Instagram so I can see them!
For more ideas and resources to help you target early language skills during play and routines, check out our Early Intervention Activities section, and our EI materials in our store here.