continued from part 4

When I was a child many moons ago, one of my favorite songs was written by Joe Raposo, but sung and made famous by the Carpenters. Part of it went like this:



Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud
Sing out strong
Sing of good things, not bad
Sing of happy, not sad.

Sing, sing a song
Make it simple
To last your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
for anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song.


One of the funnest ways to overcome language barriers with your child is through music. It has been said that music is the universal language, and singing is one of the best ways for a child to start to pick up and remember a new language. How often do you hear a song on the radio that you haven't heard for 10 or 20 years, but once it starts you can sing along with every word? I haven't had formal Spanish lessons in 25 years, yet I can still sing every word to the songs I learned in Spanish classes.

Music affects your soul, and even the grumpiest child has a hard time frowning when Mom starts singing, "If you're happy and you know it..."
Let's face it, learning a new language can be tiresome and difficult work, but singing is just plain fun. Even if you can't carry a tune, you probably still love music.

We have started teaching Caleb parts of the body in English through singing "Head, shoulders, knees and toes", and the "Hokey Pokey". The more senses you use, the more you retain what you learned, so adding the movements to these songs is not only fun, it is helping your child remember the words.

Songs that are repetitive are excellent as they give the child a chance to hear the same phrases over and over. For Alyssa's birthday, we sang "Happy Birthday" in English, and then Caleb taught it to me in Mandarin. For all of the miserable failings I have with that tonal language, I was able to master "Happy Birthday" quite easily due to the familiar tune and the repetition.

A list of other songs that use repetition and are fun for children is:

• The Farmer in the Dell--teaches animal names
  


• London Bridge
  


• This Old Man-- numbers and body parts
  


• If You're Happy and You Know It- body parts and verbs
  


• Row, Row, Row your Boat
  


• Old McDonald Had a Farm-animal names and sounds
  


• She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain
  


• Five Little Ducks-counting backwards
  


• He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
  


• Sing a Rainbow-teaches colors
  


• Ten in a Bed--counting backwards from 10 to 1
  


• Wheels on the Bus-parts of vehicles

The lyrics to most of these and hundreds more can be found here.

Just as Karen Carpenter used to sing, "Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a song."
You and your child will both be glad you did.

Continued...





















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