When it comes to bonding with her newborn granddaughter, this grandma has a secret weapon – singing.
She starts singing “I’m In The Mood For Love” and the baby girl starts singing along, belting out sounds that impressively mimic the tune coming from her grandmother’s mouth! It’s such a sweet moment.
Grandmothers have always known the power of singing to bond with their grandchildren, and it turns out that there’s more to it than just the joy of music. Research conducted by Sandra Trehub, a researcher at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, has found that singing has many benefits for babies, including calming them down, improving language fluency, and promoting overall health.
According to Trehub, babies recognize their mother’s voice much earlier than they recognize their face, making voice a very powerful stimulus for infants. Singing to babies, even more than talking, can help to create stronger social bonds between parents and children. But singing also has a developmental function that extends beyond bonding. In fact, people around the world are wired to pay attention to singing, and it can have a profound impact on cognitive development.
Trehub’s research found that babies as young as six to eight months old could listen to audio recordings of people singing and match those recordings to videos of people singing with the sound turned off. This suggests that babies are naturally “in tune” with auditory stimuli and singing.
The benefits of singing to babies are not just limited to the early months of life, either. In a study conducted by Trehub and her colleagues, it was found that singing to children as they grew older helped them to develop stronger language skills. Singing also has the power to improve mood and decrease stress levels, which can have a positive impact on overall health and well-being.
So, whether you’re a grandparent looking to bond with your new grandchild or a parent hoping to promote your child’s development, singing is a simple and effective way to connect with your little one. And who knows, you may just discover a new talent for carrying a tune along the way!