Shakespeare once wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.” Centuries ago, mothers discovered that crooning to babies while in the womb as well as after they are born can actually help in bonding. Babies love music and enjoy the warmth that goes with it.
I am sure that all of us have experienced this as children when our mothers used to sing to us. Most communities have special songs for different occasions. If you are a first time mother, then there is always that question of what to sing to your child.
Most mothers love to repeat the oft-heard songs from their own childhood. For example, mothers can sing their own version of the Ride A Rickshaw, Naik Beca Song or even the traditional Singapura oh Singapura Song, which is something that all children are likely to love. The key to bonding with your child or playing with him or her using music is to use catchy tunes with simple words.
My three year old is also very fond of songs, just as I am of singing to her. In fact, I started singing to my baby right from the time she was in the womb. Not that I am a great singer or anything but I love music and wanted to share it with her.
I used to sing all kinds of songs earlier but now that she understands and can repeat, she has her own favorites that she loves me to deliver. These include nursery rhymes like: ABCD; Jack and Jill; Baa Baa Black Sheep; Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Three Blind Mice; Ding Dong Bell; Old Macdonald Had A Farm; Row, Row, Row Your Boat; I Am A Little Teapot and many such rhymes.
I sing even while putting her to sleep, after our little reading routine, and this includes old rhymes like Rockabye Baby On The Treetop and Good Night Sleep Tight.
However, having said that, I must add that she loves it best when I sing songs from my childhood which teach about the different body parts or numbers or even the food that she eats every day. All languages have such special songs and these are something that children love. They relate to it immediately and imitate, ensuring two things simultaneously: learning as well as enjoyment.
Words do not really matter when you sing to your baby. In fact, you can use a popular tune with your own words and teach the child new words. This is something I do very often and am quite successful in both teaching as well as having great fun with my daughter.