Part 7

Interactive musical connections for a baby will start around their third month and extend throughout early childhood and beyond. A baby in their first year begins to express their musical connections by producing sounds or movements in multiple ways.

It’s exciting to know that learning about music helps a baby to understand about rhythm, rhyme, patterns and MORE! Music time is a positive way to enhance a baby’s communication skills. It’s an important link to language learning and their literacy success.

A young baby does change significantly during the last nine months of their first year. How and when they’ll become actively involved with music depends on each baby’s own developmental growth. Body movements, vocal sounds, facial expressions, and instrumental music- making (sounds/noises) are all part of music time. The box below presents suggested timelines for some milestones/skills that a baby may use when interacting with music.

Babies certainly do develop these skills/milestones at their own rate. Each baby will learn and grow at a different pace. They will require loving support to guide them towards everyday successes. Individuality is the spice of life!

Familiar Songs & Nursery Rhymes & Lullabies
There are an abundance of songs to choose from for a baby’s listening enjoyment and participation. Many nursery rhymes, songs and poems that have repetitive verses and/or actions are well received by the baby. An all-time favorite is the tune, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

This familiar nursery rhyme may be sung as a lullaby, softly and at a slow pace without the hand motions before nap or bedtime. Or just declare it to be the perfect song for the moment and belt it out. The song goes quickly, remember that repetition of any song helps the brain acquire language faster— SO give it another go! Sing it again and again, – the baby brain says, “Yippee!”.

Sharing this song with or without the hand movements is an interactive experience for the baby and parent. In the beginning the baby starts off as a watcher and listener. Once the baby is older, and their finger/hand coordination has improved – clapping might appear. Later-on, they’ll try doing a few of the motions. Oh, and happy baby babbling sounds could start any time, too!