Make song time a child-directed activity

Everyone knows that children with Down syndrome are loving and musical (hee hee - sorry, couldn’t resist.)  Seriously, most children rate music and singing amongst their favourite activities.  It is an enjoyable experience with no right or wrong answer or demands to demonstrate knowledge.  Any child can “get it right” and perform well.  Singing with your child is also a great way to introduce receptive vocabulary and signing.  With the launch of the long-awaited' Lámh' sign-along DVD (www.lámh.org for Irish families), I thought it would be a good time to augment the signed songs with other ways to assist your child’s development and enjoyment.

1. Help your child to become an active choice maker by collecting items to be associated with songs you sing.  For example, a plastic cow for Old McDonald, a plastic star for Twinkle, Twinkle, etc.  Put these into a box and keep them separate from items that your child would play with.  When it’s song time, get the box and sing a song while showing the associated object.  When she has seen the objects in context a few times, offer the open box to her so that she can choose the song she wants.  Some children need to start with just a few choices until they get used to making choices more quickly.  Watch your child and respond to her needs.  If the box is overcrowded, she may be intimidated to make a choice.  If you have a lot of songs you sing, maybe just offer half of the song items at one session and the other half at the next. Make sure, however, that you always include a favourite song or you may disappoint her. 

2. Sit opposite your child so that she can see your face, mouth and signs.  Sitting at her eye level is optimum.

3. For infants keep your singing lively to keep them entertained and attending.  For the older infant and toddler you want to remain lively but slow down your rate of singing on familiar songs so that your child can join in.   You do not want your singing sessions to sound like a funeral march, but if you slow it down to your child’s pace then he has a better chance of joining in. 

4. Leave out the last word in the line of a familiar song.  Just give a bit of a pause to give your child time to fill in the missing word.  Praise any attempt.

5. Repeat, repeat, repeat.  Children love the same old songs over and over.  Introduce new songs to the collection once in a while but keep the old favorite familiar songs.

6. Take turns choosing a song to sing.  Let your child choose a song and then insist “my turn” and you choose a song.

7. Act out songs.  For example, get farm animals to show when singing Old McDonald.  You can also pause when singing and allow your child to choose which farm animal to sing about.  When you have done this a number of times it is easier for your child to “think” of an animal to sing about without seeing the plastic animals as reminders.

8. Sometimes “get it wrong” when singing a familiar song.  Sing “with a moo moo here” when singing about the pig on Old McDonald’s farm and see if your child spots the mistake.  If he doesn’t, you pause and make a face as though you have just realised your mistake.  Point out what was wrong and then sing the song correctly.

9. Enjoy!

© Ann Haig Wheeler, DSC 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this work can be reproduced in any form, or by any means without the express permission of the author or by Down Syndrome Centre info@downsyndromecentre.ie

Download or view document: singin_child.jpg

Got a question for Ann Wheeler? If so, drop her an email here.