Making music is an important part of education.

In fact, music education at an early age has been shown to help children in all areas of development. The more music, the better it seems.

In saying that, the process of teaching kids music in their early years isn’t always easy. Most children are often too young to read sheet music and don’t have the patience or attention span for long sessions.

However, there are many ways for them to learn basic skills while still getting them interested in playing an instrument! In this blog post, we’ll discuss 10 clever ways your kids can learn music.

Formal lessons not suitable for the very young, from the age of 4 you can start getting into instruments like Piano.

1. Sing Songs Together

One easy way to teach kids music is by singing songs together. Kids love the sound of their parents’ voices, and will enjoy singing and joining in on familiar tunes no matter what instrument they’re accompanying you with!

As long as your toddler can speak, it’s safe to say they know to sing their favorite songs. Singing nursery rhymes like “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and “Old Macdonald” are great for teaching your toddler basic music skills – they’ll learn to keep a steady beat and by sing in time with you.

You can also add in percussion instruments if they enjoy banging on pots and pans or shaking shakers.

It is also worth noting that learning how to sing has been proven to have a positive effect on your child’s social skills, their ability to communicate, and even the quality of their vocabulary. So not only will singing be an enjoyable experience for both you and your toddler to sing; it can help them learn socially as well!

If you don’t want to sing children’s songs, try playing a few different musical instruments with your toddler, which brings us to our next strategy…

2. Playing an Instrument Yourself Around Your Toddler

This may seem obvious but focus on playing a musical instrument yourself around your toddler, even if you don’t have any musical training. This will introduce them to the idea of music and give them a chance to hear and explore with their own instruments.

Alternatively, you can easily turn any instrument into a musical toy by attaching bells or ribbons to it. This will keep your toddler entertained while you’re playing, and teach them music skills at the same time.

If you’re not confident about your own musical abilities, you can play child music videos online. YouTube is a great source for these, and will teach your toddler about the different aspects of musical composition in a fun way!

3. Buy Your Child a (Toy) Instrument

All kids love playing instruments, and it’s a great way for them to get started on the path of music. That said, you don’t want your child swinging at their piano with drumsticks!

It can take some time researching what instruments are best suited for children in terms of size (and cost), but these days there are amazing options out there that will fit any budget. There are many toy instruments on the market suitable for kids, and they are a great way to get your children started on the path of music.

If you don’t have space or budget for buying an instrument, there’s always improvising with household items to create different sounds like buckets and blankets that turn into drums or bowls of water that make sounds when you gently tap on the side. It’ll never sound professional but it gets their creative juices flowing without breaking the bank!

4. Form a Family Band 

Encourage your child to start a band with friends or family. It’s such a fulfilling experience for kids of all ages when they get the chance to feel like their creative input is actually being valued in this group setting. This is also a great way to do some bonding with your toddler and have at least one more thing in common.

Performing in front of family and friends is a great way to build up that confidence before kids perform on their own for the general public. There are so many benefits to starting your toddler off with this type of experience, which will then carry over into other areas later down the line! Guess who’s going to be at all those concerts? You guys!

It’s also a really effective way to get your toddler interested in the instrument that they’re playing. They’ll have such fun performing and practicing with their peers!

5. Create a Music Playlist for Your Toddler

Create a playlist of recorded music on your phone for the car, at home, or in their bedroom of songs they can listen to.

Include your favorite song if you like too. Play the music and sing along with them, or have them listen to it when they go to sleep. It can be a good idea to include songs that are popular with children of the same age group as your toddler- this way they can stay on trend with what their friends are listening to, and it will be more enjoyable. This could include songs from trending shows/films like Frozen, Happy Feet, or Cars.

Try and ensure they are listening to music that is age-appropriate, and not something that is geared towards older children or adults.

6. Making Music Through Musical Apps

Your first option for teaching your toddler a musical instrument is by downloading apps to their digital devices. Young kids these days are so tech-savvy that they’ll be excited about the opportunity to play new music games on their tablets or smartphones, plus it’ll buy yourself an hour or two to get some time to yourself.

You can download a variety of apps that are designed for young kids, and some might even include virtual instruments like drums or guitars. The apps can also help with their dexterity as they tap on the notes or strum the strings of a virtual instrument. It’s an excellent way for them to learn how to read music and feel accomplished while doing something fun at a very small expense!

Be sure that when downloading a music app, you select something appropriate for their age group and skill level.

See this article here for the best music apps for kids!

7. Give Your Toddler a Singing Voice Using Solfège

Solfège is an easy way for children to learn how to sing.

Solfege is a system of teaching music where you use the syllables ‘Do’, ‘Re’ and so on for your child to memorise notes. Play a song and then say the note names for each of the notes that are played. This will help your toddler learn which syllable goes with what note, so they know ‘Do’ is when you hold down a long note on C, or ‘Re’ is when you make your voice go up in pitch after singing low D. One-syllable sounds will keep the emphasis on music rather than words.

The Solfege technique is an easy way for toddlers to learn how to memorise songs quickly, as well as giving them a good foundation of music theory that will serve them later in life.

To learn more about Solfège, you can read more here.

8. Turn Daily Activities Into Musical Ones

It is not only important to teach music but also how it fits in the world. One way you can do this is by turning daily activities into musical ones. For example, a fun way to use music while brushing teeth is having your toddler hum the tune of their favorite song as they are scrubbing.

As a parent myself, this is one of my favorite things to do with my children because it really gets them excited about brushing their teeth. I’ll hum the tune and the kids will try to follow along, usually without success but always having a great time!

The same thing can be done while washing dishes or making dinner too! This way your child learns not only how music works in their life but also that they have an active role in keeping up good hygiene practices as well. Music can be used for so many occasions outside of its intended purpose, just take some time to think outside the box and see if anything else springs to mind.

9. Teaching Rhythm Through Dance

One of the most important lessons rhythm can teach children is that it’s not just there to listen to but to also participate in. Dance and music are fantastic ways for your toddler to learn about tempo, timing, and how they fit into their environment through movement!

If you’re struggling with finding a good song or two then try taking them by surprise and changing up what you play on Spotify at home; this will keep things fresh while introducing new rhythms as well. Dancing will help them learn about tempo and timing, whilst getting their little heart pumping too! It’s a great way to get their blood flowing, work on gross motor skills, and even build up your toddler’s social skills. Just watch their facial expressions!

10. Sign Them Up For Music Lessons in Their Early Childhood

If all else fails, let the pros handle it!

Signing your toddler up for music lessons is the best way to get them started on a musical path. A music teacher can introduce them to both the basics of studying music and an instrument, which will give them a head start when it comes time for the school band, whether kids need piano lessons.

It’s not too early to sign up your toddler- some children can learn as young as three years old! A good music teacher is worth their weight in gold because they’ll be able to show you how best to engage with your child while teaching them about musical instruments like the violin or guitar.

Music teachers will encourage students at any age to pay attention and focus by generating a fun experience through an engaging musical activity and/or through the development of a lesson plan.

Look for a music teacher that specialises in working with young children like Learn2Play Music. For about the same price as an after-school activity or movie night out, you can sign them up for weekly classes where they’ll get their first taste of musical knowledge from some of the most passionate music teachers in this field.

You won’t regret music lessons when your little musician wows all of his/her friends with their latest tune!

Bonus Tip: Have Fun!

Have fun! Children are naturally drawn to music and will be more receptive when they enjoy what you’re teaching.

I hope these tips are helpful to everyone out there looking for ways to bring music into their little one’s lives and help children discover the world of music.

We’ve barely scratched the surface of all that’s possible and I’m sure there are more than a few other tricks out there to be discovered to boost your child’s musicality. The key is to experiment and find what works best for you, your child, and their personality.

The takeaway here? There’s no wrong way to reach a musical milestone!

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