Singing to young children is a very widespread habit all over the world and creates moments of tenderness between parents and children: a study published on Child Development investigated how this practice affects the mood and sleep of children, discovering that the Music improves not only the health of children, but also that of parents.
Benefits for everyone. The study involved 110 parents, most of the US and New Zealanders, and their children, with an average age of 4 months. To the parents, who received online material with suitable songs and explanatory videos, it was asked to sing more often to their children and complete daily polls in which they reported the levels of stress and the quality of their sleep and children.
The results clearly highlight the benefits of this practice, economic and within everyone’s reach: the surprising thing is that To feel better would not only be children, but also the parents. “Since the child’s mood is closely connected to its future socio-emotional development, the stress of parents and the parents-child bond, such a simple intervention could have significant long-term benefits”, explain the authors.
Some limits. The study, according to the researchers themselves, presents several limits: first of all the fact that the people involved were mainly white mothers, with a higher education and economically benefited; The results are then based on what is reported by the parents, with answers therefore subject to bias; In the end The test lasted only four weeks, and many parents already sang their children before starting The study, so the results may not reflect the real benefits of the practice.
Two new studies on the topic. The authors are already at work to deepen the theme and are conducting two new studies: the first is a replica of the original, but provides for the use of materials developed by professionals designed to help parents sing more often to their children; The second instead will follow families for eight months and compare the effects of three different activities – sing, listen to music and read their children.
