Loving Language Arts: Using Songs to Encourage Cooperation In Young Children At Home

My monkeys love music! But, so does their mama so I guess that isn't that surprising.  Our house is typically filled with music and songs, which I don't think is that uncommon.  However, a lot of the songs are ones that are made up by myself and my kids.

I have always believed that getting kids excited about everyday and unpleasant tasks was key in getting their cooperation without a fight.  Though it doesn't work with everything, I have had so much success with using songs and jingles with my little monkeys that I thought it was worth sharing. Also, I really feel that by incorporating songs in our day to day lives it has made a big difference in my children's language development.  A lot of first words that both children learned were words that were in our little songs.  Words like potty, sweep, broom, salve, socks, shoes, green beans, peas, etc.

My preschooler singing and dancing with rhythm sticks.

It probably seems a little odd to some people to have a song about eating peas, putting on Vicks salve, going potty, taking medications, reminding little ones how to put on shirts and socks, etc. However, if you think about the most successful tactics in teaching young children, using music is at the top of the list.  Teachers, especially those who teach young children, use music daily.  So, why not use some of these tactics in the home?

Parents are the first, and I believe the most important, teacher that a child will ever have.  So why shouldn't we make learning fun? I think sometimes as parents we get so caught up in trying to get everything done that we don't take the time to see things from a child's perspective.  Though it isn't easy, I feel like it is definitely worth the time and effort to try to make things fun, even the little things.  I have seen the benefits in not having to fight with my kids to do stuff like eat vegetables, get dressed, take medications, etc.  The applications are endless, you are only limited by your imagination and willingness to act silly.

Our "songs" are usually really short little jingles that incorporate whatever task we are trying to accomplish and usually set to whatever tune pops in my head.  I try to think up something catchy in words that are easy for my little monkeys to repeat. For instance, I caught my one year old singing our "Sweep Sweep Sweep" song in tune.  Though he couldn't say all the words, he got the jest of it and was singing while sweeping with his play broom.

Some examples of our songs (I am not a songwriter by any means, they are just meant to be catchy and easily repeatable):

• "Eat those peas, eat those peas, eat those yummy peas"
• "Socks go on your feet, put your socks on your feet, your socks you on your feet"
• "The tag goes in the back, tags go in the back, put the tag in the back" - Used for helping to remind my preschooler which way to put on her shirt.  I have heard her singing this to herself while she is putting on her clothes.
• "If you like it that you've got to put some (Vick's) salve on it, If you like it that you've got to put some (Vick's) salve on it, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh"  - We also use this one when putting ointments on ouchies and rashes.  We sometimes switch out salve for the word cream when the kids have a bad diaper rash.  This one is sung to the tune of "All the Single Ladies" by Beyonce.  My one year old loves this one.  He sings the salve part and the oh oh oh's, while pretending to rub Vick's salve on his chest.  It's actually pretty cute.

These are just some examples. They are very silly yet simple and I think that is why they have worked so well for us. One of the things that I want to teach my children is that work can be fun. Singing songs about our day to day tasks is one way this mama and her little monkeys are trying to accomplish that!