What is it with that song? … You know the one…
Clean Up Clean Up Everybody Everywhere…
Clean Up Clean Up…
Everybody do your share…
That song haunts me sometimes when I least expect it. Yes, my kids (especially my older kids) loved that Purple Dinosaur and his songs stuck with them and much to my dismay they stuck in my head too. In fact if Evy or Mick Mattson were to walk in here right now, they could probably sing through any of those wretched songs word for word. There is something to be said about having a catchy tune to transition a child from a pleasant event (like: playing with their toys) and move them towards a not so pleasant event (like: cleaning up those toys). The song becomes a cue and the change in pitch of their mother’s voice redirects their brains to fall in line and do that job in a more joyful way.
So, the lesson learned is when you feel like your kids are tuning you out, tune into a catchy song to get them to listen. It doesn’t have to be one from a popular kids tv show (although if it is a show they are into it won’t hurt). It could simply be any words put to a common tune. You could sing about eating vegetables to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. You could sing about making good choices to the tune of Do You Know the Muffin Man? You could even sing about their emotions or temper tantrums and how to calm down by coming up with a song that goes to the tune of This Little Light of Mine. Maybe you could even get your kids on board to help you come up with a song. Whatever works, it is worth a shot to add singing to your parenting toolbox.
The one thing that is sure to happen is that singing might make you steer clear of the heightened emotions that often make behaviors go from bad to worse. It may calm your own emotions down, keep you from talking and describing too much and singing will most certainly make you in a less serious and more playful mood. If you are using less words, less emotion, having more fun, smiling more, and more calm you are way more likely to get your child’s attention in positive ways. So if singing can help you do these things let’s put singing to use more often in our day to day parenting.