We’ve all reached that limit—the one where we just can’t sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” one more time, but our preschoolers still persist until we give in. Each time we oblige, we have made the right decision! Even if we, as parents or teachers, feel the weight of the monotony of a repeated song, the benefits of that repetition are as good as gold for young singers. The thousandth time through a song yields vastly different rewards than the first time, and while variety might be the spice of an adult’s life, repetition is the meat and potatoes of a child’s life.
It is no secret that children learn through repetition, but the actual connections from several run-throughs of a favorite song run deeper than we think. Language development is huge during childhood. Even preteens are still figuring out conversational flow and vocabulary. Young children gain mastery of poetic language, word associations, and syllabic rhythms on top of vocabulary development and sentence structure from a song. This is no simple or obvious feat.
Imagine hearing a song in Portuguese for the first time. You might have the slightest awareness of Latin-based words to glean a loose sketch of the song, but only through focused repetition of the same song would you place the correct pronunciations with the correct rhythm in the correct order to the corresponding note. And you would still be struggling through the exact meaning. In fact, you might assign two syllables together that might otherwise be part of two different words, depending on how they fall in the structure of the melody. Toddlers and preschoolers are building their own awareness of language, and repetition of a song will help them gain the proper context for correct word usage and flow.
If you have ever heard a young child sing the “ABC Song,” you might notice a new word you have never heard before–ELEMINOPY. This word is rooted in the ancient Phoenician for “middle of the alphabet.” Just kidding! Actually, it is the letters in the middle of the alphabet L, M, N, O, and P. Does a 2-year-old understand these phonetic symbols and their order? Not yet, but one day these rote-memorized lyrics will become attached to their proper meaning. This metamorphosis takes much repetition!
Another strength of repetitive singing lies within the conceptual realm. Words are tricky! Many words have multiple meanings or sound like other words, and it takes practice to decode the meaning of a specific word in any given context. As children sing and sing and sing, they start to understand more and more what a song is about and can then use the words within the lyrics properly and fluently. Language learning can be challenging, but when it is paired with a mnemonic approach like music, deeper understanding and memory can be achieved.
Yes, not every song your child sings will be on your personal top 40 chart, but let the singing go on! Repetition and encouragement are all kids need to make their own beginner connections, and we want to build life-long singers and learners. If you feel like your own voice needs a break, find a great Spotify playlist for your toddler, but don’t let Spotify do all the work for you. Every time you sing WITH your child, you are building your relationship, and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come. Go ahead–put that song on for the fifty-first time! You won’t regret it.
Come Sing Together 