Singing songs and listening to music is a great way to develop speech and language skills. Non only are they fun and an opportunity for bonding, they facilitate a range of communication strategies, gaining listening and attention skills, taking turns, understanding rhythm and rhyme.
According to an study published in the National Library of Medicine, “The Association between Music and Language in Children: A State of the Art Review”, shows how music plays an important role in the development of language in children.
Overall, results highlight that music components, such as rhythm and melody perception as well as synchronization and informal experience of music in a domestic environment, play a main role in language development, mainly in terms of phonological awareness, grammar, prosody, and comprehension, since the early stages of life
Communication is more than just the number of words a child can say. It also refers to pragmatic language, which is the child’s ability to use language in a social manner, receptive language, which is how the child understands words and sentences, and expressive language, which is the spoken words and sentences.
A Few Of Our Favorite Songs For Speech Therapy
All Around the Kitchen: Is a great song for speech therapy. It is filled with animal sounds, fun voices, and names of familiar kitchen items. Its uplifting beat will have your child dancing all around the kitchen.
The Wheels on the Bus: Music paired with movement boosts a child’s capability to learn language skills. Associating actions with words, is a fun way to learn specific sounds, words, and basic parts of speech.
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes: This song is repetitive nature is very engaging, accompanied by imitating actions help children develop language skills and the name of body parts.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm: This is a great song to sing anytime. Learning the names of farm animals and the different sounds they make, while developing listening and attention skills.
Speech therapy is used to improve overall communication with techniques and activities that address disorders and delays in articulation, expressive/receptive language, apraxia of speech, oral motor dysfunction, cognitive skills, and social language.
At First Words Speech Therapy we work closely with children of all ages, assess their ability to speak and understand, then create an individualized plan based on their needs.
