Does this sound familiar? We are running about 3 minutes behind, and my kids and I are jumping into the car to get to wherever we are going that day. There might have been a few tears over wardrobe and the decision of who is riding shotgun that day, but if I don’t hit any red lights, we will get to our destination on time. Let’s go, kids! I turn on my podcast, my oldest daughter opens her book, and my seven-year-old daughter stares out the window, occasionally interacting with her baby brother in his little car seat. We are all within an arm’s reach of each other, but we are not together. It was frantic getting out the door, and we are in need of a calming, a centering, a gathering of all the separate pieces of our day.

Feeling a bit regretful that my words had sounded much like a bark, I turn off my podcast, ask my oldest to close her book, and get my seven-year-old’s incredible ear for music tuned to a song we all know: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” I simply start singing, and my daughters join me, one on the melody and the other on the harmony. No instructions were given. We all knew what to do. And in those few moments, we were united and centered, and the hurried morning melted away into a fresh beginning of our day. When we finished singing, we all smiled in relief, and we started a conversation about how beautiful the morning was and all that we had to do that day.

So here are 3 basic reasons we love to car sing in our family:

1.) Joining each other in song in the car gently unifies our family as we get ready to head out for the day. We might each be going to different places and have different challenges weighing on us, but singing together on the way reminds us that we are all in this together and that we are all of the same mind.

2.) Singing a carefully selected song redeems your time spent in traveling. Do you ever feel that you waste time sitting in the car? I know I do! Meditating with my children on songs about Jesus and then talking about the lyrics makes the best use of that time.

3.) Singing together in the car is just plain fun! Sometimes we sing thoughtful songs, but most of the time our car singing is a bit more energetic and maybe even silly as we work out different harmonies or sing in a wild opera style. The point is not to make the car a place of solemnity; the point is to make that time memorable, profitable, and enjoyable, and some days the best way to reach that goal is through laughing out the lyrics.

This togetherness in song has been cultivated over the years, and one of the self-identifying marks of our family is that we are a singing family. The car has become one of our favorite places to sing because we are all kind of bound within a small space with limited distractions. We are making even short trips in the car lasting memories as well as meaningful instruction time in a very unforced, organic way. Instead of remembering how we were usually running a few minutes late to everything, I hope my children will remember that we made the most of our time together by singing worthwhile songs in the car.

What if I told you that you could make lasting memories with your child in just two to three minutes a day with a simple habit? What if these connections would survive the rocky road of the teenage years? What if these memories would even perpetuate through the “finding myself” stage and bolster the fortitude of your child’s adult years? Would you want to put this habit into practice? You bet you would!

This habit with almost magical properties is simply singing together with your children on a daily basis. We all know music is a fantastic mnemonic device. (Just try to say the alphabet without singing it!) The songs we sing build a nearly unmovable home within us, and they have a wonderful way of flooding our minds with memories and ideas and even comfort. We interact with songs during times of celebration as well as during times of sorrow or distress, and we call them up like old friends–friends we would like to introduce to our children. When we carefully curate a repertoire of songs to teach our children, we are giving our children a gift that truly comes from our own hearts, and we begin forging strong connections with our children. Even after a long, hard day of parenting, the act of singing together can soften and repair and give hope before those little eyelids close to rest for the night.

Singing with your children is a way to communicate security and to pass along your faith to them. As a Christian, I love singing “Jesus Loves Me” with my children every night before they go to bed because it allows their minds to linger on one of the most important truths they will ever hear in life–that Jesus loves them now and always. If I spent just a few minutes reviewing the words to many of the songs of our faith, we would see that these songs cover many crucial doctrinal beliefs, and it would be a tragic missed opportunity to neglect singing them with my children.

So are you ready to start? Chances are, you have already been singing here and there with your children their entire lives (read: “Old MacDonald” and “The Wheels on the Bus”). My invitation to you is to be very selective and intentional about the songs you sing and to make singing a daily habit. Music is fun and most children enjoy it, but even reluctant singers can be encouraged to participate.

And if you’re a children’s choir director, I’ll have some posts just for you! Thank you for all you do to pour into the children in your choir. You have such a privileged position which allows you to impact each of those children in a powerful way!

Your children will not remember if you never go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink, but they will remember the songs that you sing with them every day. Let’s start singing!