🎶 Boosting Early Language Skills with Music 🎶

Hey there, Way to Grow families! 🌟 

My name is Lauren - I am one of the speech-language therapists on the team here at Way to Grow Pediatric Therapy, and I love ALL things MUSIC and VOICE! I mean, don’t most of us?! Music is such a gift - it can pump us up or slow us down to match the tone of a movie score, and is just so fun and beautiful. But did you know that music can do so much more than get you singing, moving, and grooving? Music has an amazing power to help kids build strong language skills! My heart’s passion is to help kids find their voice - and, it’s true - those catchy melodies and sing-alongs can help them literally do just that!  

So, let’s leap in together to discover the INCREDIBLE ways that music can help boost language development!  

1. Songs boost vocabulary! Kids soak up new words like little sponges, and featuring them in favorite songs is the best way to model a variety of words for them! Whether it’s “Old McDonald’s” farm animals, the body parts in “Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes”, foods in “Apples and Bananas”, or the action words in “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, songs introduce exciting, fun vocabulary that kids will remember and use in everyday conversations. 🎸🎤

2. Speaking of memory… The melodic tunes and repetition in these simple songs help make words easier to remember later on! When we set words to music, it supports the brain’s ability to develop pathways that are more easily accessed throughout daily routines and across contexts. Repeating simple tunes for daily actions and activities, (“Put it in, put it in, put it…. IN!” or “It’s time to take a bath, it’s time to take a bath, hi ho the dario, it’s time to take a bath”) set our daily routines to words + tunes in a way that enables a kiddo to bring it up later on! 

3. Let’s talk about tunes… If you hear a someone hum a familiar song, you still know what it is even if you don’t hear every word, right?! This is a great way to learn communication with our little ones. As they pick up on the melodies of songs - even if they don’t have all the words - they can jump in on the conversation. Maybe your little one will hum EIEIO to tell you that she wants to play with animals! Or maybe your toddler will hum the “Itsy Bitty Spider” to alert you that he sees a bug! What an incredible way to open up the lines of communication - in a way that enables you to model the words clearly once you know your little one’s line of thought!

4. We covered thoughts… but what about feelings?… Kids have LOTS of big feelings - and don’t we all?! Singing songs about feelings helps kids to identify and communicate their emotions in a way that helps them to feel seen and heard (and know that there is a word for what they’re feeling) - and it can help make your daily routine a bit smoother too. Try changing up the words to “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. What do you recommend your child do if you’re mad and you know it? Or sad? Excited? Scared? And why not sing these songs throughout the day when you feel your emotions? Suddenly you can relate to your child on a deeper level through those emotion actions, sounds, and words.  

5. Music also gets us moving our bodies! Kids LOVE to move and groove once we turn the music on - and movement helps with learning! Whether it’s jumping, spinning, clapping, or stomping, these motions help kiddos connect actions to words, making language feel like a full-body experience. Plus, it’s a great way to burn off all the extra energy! 🕺💃 

6. Last, but certainly not least, music is just SO MUCH FUN! Group sing-alongs and dance parties encourage social relationships, and having a blast expressing yourself builds confidence. Here at Way to Grow, we are all about playfulness and let’s be honest - when kids are at play, they are more engaged, and learning is unlocked! Bring on the joy, laughing, connection, and GROWTH! 

Here are a few tips to get your little ones

singing, moving, and growing: 

🎶 Sing while you play… and play all day!

Try bringing up your favorite songs outside of your designated “play sessions”. Sing “Wheels on the Bus” while you’re running errands, when you see a picture of a truck, or when you want to model actions such as “open and shut”. 

🎶 Get improvising throughout your daily routines! 

Make up your own songs for snack time, brushing teeth, going to sleep, or getting in the car. It adds a little zest to the “boring” routines, and keeps us connected! 

🎶 Make dance parties a family favorite! 

Turn up the volume, get your bodies moving, and just enjoy one another. 

🎶 Incorporate lines from songs that you enjoy too!

Think of all the phrases you know from beloved songs that could promote functional language in an upbeat and enjoyable way: Help! I need somebody!... Shake it off!... Let it go!... Sing the lines you enjoy in order to model functional and timely language for your kids! 

🎶 Believe in your own voice! 

As a vocalist myself, I know that many of us struggle with insecurity about our voices. But there is nothing quite as powerful as YOUR voice in your child’s life. Know that your voice matters, and modeling your own words, songs, dance moves, and emotions will work wonders in your child’s life. Your little one wants to hear and know your voice - as you give them the courage and skills to use their voice too!  

At Way to Grow Pediatrics, we just love connection, playfulness, and self-expression! So let’s turn up the music, and get singing and dancing - as we all build and enhance language together! 🎵✨ 

Keep sharing your voice, 

Lauren E. Deppe, MA, CCC-SLP 

The Way to Grow Pediatric Therapy Team 🌟

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About our featured writer:

Meet Lauren - she joined the Way to Grow team in August 2022, and is one of our beloved speech language pathologists! Lauren received her Master of Arts in Speech and Hearing Science from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has an extensive background in all things music + voice. In addition to supporting the pediatric population with communication skills, Lauren is also a vocal instructor and a local theatrical performing artist. With a deep love for helping people of all ages find their voice, Lauren believes that every individual has something important to share, and she’s here to make sure they know it too. Her gentle guidance and expertise create a safe space where kids can grow in confidence and communication skills, learning that their voice truly matters.