Singing with your children is an easy, productive way to facilitate new language skills.  Singing encourages smooth clear speech by changing the way the brain and mouth work together, making it easier to string words together and by offering your child clues to what words are coming next.

Singing uses areas of your brain that talking typically doesn't use.  When you use rhythm and melody along with words, more of your brain works together to make smooth and clear speech easier. Songs allow you to slow down your words, stretch out the sounds and speak louder. Using both sides of your brain together is helpful when learning new words, too.

When you sing the same song each day during the same routine, your child can predict when you will sing and come to expect it.  You can then encourage him to join in the song by moving to the music.  Pause at the end of each line to allow him to "fill in the blank" with the correct word. Try bath time, bed time or riding in the car. Gradually, your child will start to sing more of the words until he is singing, too.

Singing and talking are both motor skills that occur  when your mouth and brain are working together.  If your child is working to smoothly form words or struggling to put words into sentences, singing is a helpful tool.  To make words fit into music, you slow down and let the rhythm carry the words.  In longer words and sentences, you let the words sit on the sentence.  Both rely on rhythm and timing.

I hope you will start to add some songs to your day with you family.  I'd love to hear what songs you and your children choose!