Singing Lullabies Can Help Your Child’s Emotional Development

Did you know that singing lullabies to your child does more than just lulling them to sleep?

It has been long known singing lullabies to babies can help them sleep easily, but new research has revealed that singing lullabies to your child can do more than just that and can actually help the child’s emotional development.

Scientists from the US found that the power of song can also help to promote a positive emotional connection between parent and child. It can regulate the child’s stress levels and help them develop feelings of empathy when they grow older, while it lessens the symptoms of postnatal depression among mothers.

In the research, scientists measured the heart rate and brain activity of both baby and parent to determine the physiological effect singing lullabies had on both participants. With both mother and child connected up via wireless detectors to identify changes in body heat, respiration and heartbeat, results showed a spike in synchronicity directly linked to musical stimulation.

Dr Anita Collins, an Australian researcher into the impact of music education on cognitive development, was privy to the experiment:

“Just after the mother started singing a well-known lullaby to her son it was incredible all of these seemingly unrelated physiological factors suddenly aligned on screen and began moving in exactly the same direction” she says.

“This physical synchronicity instils a deeper emotional connection between parent and child, regulating babies’ stress levels and inducing feelings of empathy that make children more likely to exhibit helping behaviours in the future. And the benefits don’t stop there, as the experience has also been found to lessen the symptoms of postnatal depression.”

You don’t need a good singing voice or know the songs’ words by heart to make it work. Dr Collins recommends simply following these four tips to achieve a successful lullaby:

Short and sweet four lines of lyrics is usually enough to build repetition and rhythm
Musical bursts the best lullabies are a balance of lilting lyrics and short musical intervals
Keep it catchy a memorable melody and predictable structure will provide your child with a sense of familiarity
Slow and steady a slow tempo works best for getting children off to sleep

Kinderling, Australia’s most popular kids’ radio station, will let you experience this by listening to the podcast series, ‘The Lullaby Effect’ via the Kinderling app, or wherever you get your podcasts or visit www.kinderling.com.au/lullaby for more information on the array of lullaby content available on Kinderling Kids Radio throughout July.

Starting today, July 3, there will be lullaby specials each evening during Settle Petal, which you can also download on the app.

Each Kinderling show provides a blend of family-friendly music, children’s stories, and parenting advice and insights, all cleverly designed to complement the daily family routine, from Start Your Engines’ motivating, wake-up tunes to Settle Petal’s gentler playlists for a relaxing wind down to bedtime.