Teaching Christmas Songs to Your Child
When you hear the familiar notes of "Jingle Bells" or "Frosty the Snowman," you know that Christmastime is finally here. Singing classic carols is one of the best ways to celebrate the holiday season, and it's an activity your whole family can enjoy together. Polk County Catholic schools have some tips for teaching Christmas songs to your child.
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition
When your child first starts learning songs, he'll have an easier time with ones that repeat the same lyrics over and over. Repetition promotes learning and memorization, so a song with a simple chorus will be easier to remember than a song with lots of long verses. You can use YouTube channels to find kid-friendly Christmas songs, including some that will help teach your child the song. The channel Super Simple Songs offers a great "Jingle Bells" video that leaves space between each line for your child to sing the melody. It then plays through the whole song again without pauses so he can sing along. By repeating the song line by line after hearing it, your child will be able to remember it better and have more fun singing along.
Get Moving!
Another great learning strategy is to combine melody and lyrics with repeated movements. Try teaching your child some simple moves he can do as he sings each line of the song. There are several children's Christmas songs that already have movements that go along with them. Again, Super Simple Songs on YouTube is a great resource for simple Christmas songs children will love. For a fresh take that incorporates actions into a classic carol, check out their "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" video. Or, to teach a counting lesson with Christmas cheer, sing and move along with your child to the "10 Little Elves" song.
New Christmas Songs
You and your child can start a brand new tradition with more recent Christmas songs that were written just for children. You can find lots of these songs on YouTube, often made by the same children's music channels your child already watches. So, if he's getting tired of Rudolph and Frosty, your child can instead sing along to "Santa Shark", the new holiday classic from the makers of Baby Shark! Or, he can learn to spell with "S-A-N-T-A," which puts a festive spin on the familiar "B-I-N-G-O" song.
At Polk County Catholic schools, we foster an atmosphere of care and an environment of high expectations and effective discipline. To learn more about what makes us different, contact the Office of Catholic Schools at the Diocese of Orlando by dialing 407-246-4800.