Music is part of our everyday lives – let it be part of your newborn baby’s life, too! Playing music, singing, and dancing are all great ways to have fun with your newborn while helping his brain grow.
Your voice and body!
Let’s start the music!
One of the earliest "math experiences" a baby will ever have is through music. That's because beats, rhythms, and melodies are actually considered mathematical concepts. Simply rocking your newborn and patting his back while you sing a song helps your baby experience rhythmic patterns through sound and touch.
When your baby is awake, offer a rattle and shake it along to the beat of a song like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." As you sing faster, shake the rattle quickly, then slow down your singing and shake at a slower pace. This activity introduces the concept of patterns and the difference between slow and fast.
While your newborn is lying down or being held in your arms, sing and dance to music – any music! Let your newborn watch and feel you move to the rhythm of the music and words of the song. You can gently move your newborn’s arms and legs to mimic your movements or make his own dance moves too!
This activity helps your newborn develop listening skills, visual tracking skills, imitation skills, motor skills, comprehension skills, language, and vocabulary.
