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A child playing with musical instruments

Singing Teaches Early Literacy

Singing with your child is a fun way to help your child get ready to read. Music helps children hear the smaller sounds of words and builds vocabulary.

How Can Singing Develop Early Literacy Skills?

  • Children develop listening skills and hear the rhythms and rhymes of language.

  • Children get an understanding of the smaller sounds in words because singing slows down language, and often songs have different notes for each syllable.

  • Clapping or playing instruments along with rhythms improves fine motor skills and also helps children hear syllables.

  • Children learn new words and concepts they wouldn't normally hear in everyday conversation, adding to their general knowledge.

  • Music helps children remember things longer because it activates a different part of the brain than regular spoken language.

What Kind of Singing?

Children learn best by doing activities with you. Make it fun and don't feel self-conscious about your singing voice – your child loves your voice and loves hearing you sing!

  • Sing anything you enjoy and are comfortable with: traditional songs, nursery rhymes, and any song you like, including rock or pop! If you enjoy it, your child will, too.

  • Sing throughout your day: learn or make up songs about routines, like cleaning up or brushing teeth – songs make ordinary tasks more fun!

  • Sing songs with rhyming words, silly words, and long stretched-out words.

  • Use the language you know best. They need to hear you in the language you're most fluent in.

Putting it Into Action

  • Need song ideas? Check out our catalog stream kids' music from Hoopla.

  • Get up and move! Children develop motor skills as they clap, jump, twirl, and play instruments. (You can make simple instruments: a plastic bottle filled with rice becomes a maraca shaker, a round oatmeal container becomes a drum, and a rectangle tissue box wrapped with rubber bands can be a guitar!)

    A child playing a home-made tissue box guitar
  • Sing a book! (Check our Songs and Rhymes section of picture books or make up a simple tune for one of your child’s favorite books.)

  • Sing songs again and again (and again) – repetition reinforces learning!

Examples of using singing to build early literacy skills:

  • Are there any new words in a song? Talking about their meanings afterwards will build vocabulary.

  • Sing songs slowly: songs often break up the syllables of words by assigning a different note to each, as in "Are You Sleeping?/Frère Jacques."

  • Sing songs quickly! Changing up the tempo will help children hear the small sounds of words differently. For example, you can "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" gently, then swiftly down the stream . . .

  • Make up new verses to familiar songs like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" together; this develops narrative (story-telling) skills.

  • Sing a familiar song to a different tune: it will emphasize the smaller sounds even further. For example, sing the Alphabet song to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It breaks up the letters LMNOP so your child can hear them individually.

Sources:

Saroj Ghoting
Every Child Ready to Read 2nd Edition
Storytime Katie: Babies Need Words Every Day
Library Bonanza: Early Literacy Talking Points
Story Time Secrets: Babies Need Words Every Day

Preschool Events
Tue, Apr 02, 10:15am - 10:45am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 02, 10:15am - 11:00am
St. John - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 02, 10:30am - 11:00am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 02, 10:30am - 11:00am
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 02, 10:30am - 11:00am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 02, 11:00am - 11:30am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 02, 11:30am - 12:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 02, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 03, 5:00pm - 5:30pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 04, 10:15am - 10:45am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 04, 10:30am - 11:15am
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 04, 11:00am - 11:30am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 04, 11:15am - 11:45am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 04, 11:30am - 12:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 04, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Munster Branch Library - Children's Area

Sat, Apr 06, 10:00am - 10:45am
St. John - Children's Program Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Dyer-Schererville - Children's Programming Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Munster Branch Library - North Parking Lot

Mon, Apr 08, 5:30pm - 6:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 10:15am - 11:00am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:00am
Dyer-Schererville - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:15am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:00am
Highland - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:15am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 09, 10:30am - 11:30am
Hobart - Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 1:30pm - 2:15pm
Munster - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 09, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Hobart - Programming Room

Tue, Apr 09, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 10, 10:30am - 11:00am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 10, 12:30pm - 8:00pm
St. John Branch Library - Circulation

Wed, Apr 10, 2:30pm - 3:00pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Wed, Apr 10, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Merrillville Library - Children's Department

Thu, Apr 11, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Large Meeting Room

Sat, Apr 13, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Sat, Apr 13, 11:00am - 11:40am
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Mon, Apr 15, 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:15am - 10:45am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:15am - 11:00am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Dyer-Schererville - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 10:30am - 11:00am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 16, 11:00am - 11:30am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 16, 11:30am - 12:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 18, 10:15am - 10:45am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 18, 10:30am - 11:00am
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 18, 10:30am - 11:15am
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 18, 11:00am - 11:30am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 18, 11:15am - 11:45am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 18, 11:30am - 12:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 10:15am - 11:00am
St. John - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:00am
Dyer-Schererville - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:15am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:00am
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:00am
Highland - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Tue, Apr 23, 10:30am - 11:15am
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Tue, Apr 23, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 11:30am - 12:00pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 1:30pm - 2:15pm
Munster - Children's Program Room

Wed, Apr 24, 10:30am - 11:00am
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 24, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Wed, Apr 24, 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 25, 10:30am - 11:00am
Lake Station-New Chicago - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 25, 10:30am - 11:00am
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 25, 2:30pm - 3:00pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Thu, Apr 25, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Fri, Apr 26, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Large Meeting Room

Family Events
Tue, Apr 02, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 03, 5:00pm - 5:30pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Sat, Apr 06, 10:00am - 10:45am
St. John - Children's Program Room

Sat, Apr 06, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Hobart - Large Meeting Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Griffith-Calumet Twp - Children's Programming Room
This event is full

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Munster - Large Meeting Room

Mon, Apr 08, 1:45pm - 2:30pm
St. John - Patio

Mon, Apr 08, 5:30pm - 6:15pm
Cedar Lake - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 10, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 10, 12:30pm - 8:00pm
St. John Branch Library - Circulation

Wed, Apr 10, 2:30pm - 3:00pm
Hobart - Children's Program Room

Sat, Apr 13, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Wed, Apr 17, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Highland - Children's Programming Room

Mon, Apr 22, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Munster - Children's Program Room

Wed, Apr 24, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Thu, Apr 25, 6:30pm - 7:00pm
Merrillville - Children's Programming Room

Sat, Apr 27, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Lake Station-New Chicago - Large Meeting Room

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