Music with an active toddler

When my son was younger, it was so easy to sing songs with him. He would lie on his back and listen to me with admiration. But now he’s two… He loves to be outside and always wants to be moving his body, whether that by running, jumping, playing with balls, swinging or sliding. So what do I do? I just add music to what he’s doing! I am so fortunate to have a whole jukebox of songs ready for most occasions in life, so here are some of my favourites for my toddler’s favourite everyday activities:

• Balancing

  It doesn’t matter where we are, my toddler will ALWAYS find something to try to balance on. Here’s one of my favourites to accompany him:

  One grey elephant balancing
  Step by step on a piece of string
  Thought it was such a wonderful stunt
  That he called for another elephant

  You can then follow your little one balancing and sing TWO grey elephants!

• Doing laps around the house

  While he’s running, I’ll start singing a song…

  Run, run, run if you feel you want to
  Run, run, run if you feel you can
  Run, run, run if you feel you want to
  Run, run, run if you feel you can

  The fun comes when my toddler becomes the boss and decides what we do next. (Yes, often he will say ‘clap’, clap twice then just do another lap around the house, but this is OK!)

• Playing with a ball

  I roll the ball to baby, he  rolls is back to me
  I roll the ball to baby, he rolls in back to me
  Roll the ball, roll the ball, roll the ball, roll the ball
  I roll the ball to baby, he rolls it back to me

  *Substitute your child’s name

  Of course, if your little one starts throwing or kicking the ball, you can change the words to match their actions.

  Bron has given some other great ball rolling song ideas in her blog post here

• On the swing

  Swinging, swinging
  Now we go up, now we go down
  Swinging, swinging
  Baby goes up, baby goes down

  *Substitute your child’s name

  Extra points if you can sing the song in time with your pushes on the swing!

• On the trampoline

  Ring around the Rosie
  A pocket full of posies
  A tissue, a tissue
  We all fall down

  Can you match your singing to the beat your child is keeping on the trampoline? This will give your little one a greater sense of beat

• On the slide

  My favourite thing to do on the slide? A slide with my voice going from high to lower! Why? When my toddler starts to copy me, it’s a great way to activate his singing voice in the natural higher pitched register.

I hope you have a great time incorporating some more singing into your busy days. Some important things to remember:

• The play is lead by the child. I am following what my toddler’s body and mind is wanting to do. This is so important for growing independence.

• These aren’t the only songs that fit in these settings, but they give you a good start

• Trust the process. Even if you think ‘I can’t sing’, jump in and give it a go. Your little one isn’t going to judge you, and the more you sing, the more enjoyment you will start to get out of it. Would you recommend an adult who hasn’t mastered reading to just avoid doing it? I didn’t think so!