Music!
There is a reason for the saying “music calms the savage beast”. Music has a way of connecting with our emotions and easing our anxiety. With the right beat you can find energy you didn’t realise you had or calm down and be soothed by it. Music can simply change how you feel or it can share your emotions and help you feel less alone. Music is simply a very powerful tool, so how can you use it?
One thing that we do is try every genre of music available. This is not about finding music to suit my taste, it is about finding what works for your child. What do they enjoy? Luckily with the internet we can find every type of music imaginable!
Some things I learned about my children? In the mornings a relaxing jazz, without lyrics, is a key to keeping the morning calm. When I turn on jazz (again without lyrics) they don’t get hyped up, and appear more able to focus.
When I want the children to move along and have a bit more energy I play a song to make them smile, something to dance to, even a bit silly so that they will laugh (Weird Al is good for this).
One child in our home loves anything with a strong beat, something that you can march to. Whether it is actual brass band music or a funky rock song, if they can march to it with the beat they are happy. If they struggle I will play a good song to march to.
Another child loves all those songs that repeat lyrics. So the songs that have the same words over and over and over again (these drive me nuts lol) are the ones that they most enjoy. They like the repetition of the lyrics as they can learn them by heart and sing them with the song. These songs for this child work as a great distraction.
We all have likes and dislikes. We all have different reasons for enjoying things. Music is one of those things that is personal, and the expression of it can simply make our lives better. If you take the time to expose your children to different genres of music, then you may find a tool you can use when your words and routine aren’t quite helping like you were hoping.
Find what relaxes them and play it before bed. Seek out what makes the jiggle, wiggle and dance, use it to help pick up their mood and get them to move. Find the songs that they connect emotionally to, and play them when you think they need a hug. Music is powerful and it can connect with your children in a way that our words never will…
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