Singing for Children

The Voice, posture, the teeth, the bones of the face and skull and the brain, all develop and undergo major changes in the first five years of life. They do not develop separately but need to influence each other if the ten year old child is to be healthy, intelligent, and coordinated, with increasing skills in language and communication.

Angela Caine recommends that the best way to bring this about is for parents to sing and tell stories to their children from birth, so that children have a variety of different aural stimuli. Toddlers should be encouraged to sing every day. Singing exercises all the muscles of the head and neck and helps to keep children free from glue ear. Rhythm is a vital ingredient in the development of voice and posture, so rote reciting of tables and poems is an excellent exercise. Young children also need to climb, balance on walls and play skipping and singing games. Early speech is acquired most easily by the repetition of poems and rhymes, especially when accompanied by strong rhythmic movement like jumping, bending to touch the floor or shaking ‘rattlers’. Lots of laughter helps in learning everything (see VoiceGym Book and Early VoiceGym).

Early VoiceGym

Early Voice Gym is a new publication from Voice Gym for children from 5-10 years old, for parents and children to take part in together. It exercises body, brain and voice together and makes it fun while including all the connections children should have made in early developmental stages that are so important for the achievement of potential in the adult. The voice is evolution's natural tool to bring this about. Using the voice while rhythmically moving also exercises those muscles that give us clear and precise articulation. When the child then grows and learns new skills he or she can talk about them fluently and clearly, while having a positive and confident face and posture. It needs the participation of parents and teachers at several levels to bring this about. The most important contribution you can make to this wonderful process is that you take part in Early Voice Gym with your children.