Singing to children could help their language development

According to author Sally Goddard Blythe and her new book The Genius of Natural Childhood, parents who sing to their children everyday help them to avoid the development of language problems later in life, reports the Guardian.

Blythe is a consultant in neuro-development education and is also director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology. In her new book Blythe says that singing lullabies and nursery rhymes to children before they begin learning to speak can actually help their educational success and emotional well-being in the future.

“Song is a special type of speech. Lullabies, songs and rhymes of every culture carry the ‘signature’ melodies and inflections of a mother tongue, preparing a child’s ear, voice and brain for language.” She said.

In addition, Blythe is of the belief that singing traditional songs helps children to start thinking in words and stimulates development in both sides of the brain. “Neuro-imaging has shown that music involves more than just centralised hotspots in the brain, occupying large swathes on both sides,” she added.

Former children’s minister, Beverly Hughes has agreed that nursery rhymes could indeed boost development in children and cited research which showed that music and rhyme enhances spatial reasoning in children, which in turn can contribute to an increased ability in maths and science.

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