Repetition
Many preschool songs like Wheels on the Bus and Itsy Bitsy Spider help your child learn simple concepts through repetition. Singing along in a melody doesn’t seem too hard and familiar tunes make them learn new words unknowingly. Many of the students have heard preschool songs even before they started preschool; either in some television program, Gymboree kind of class or from their older brothers and sisters.
In a preschool song like Wheels on the Bus, children know that they have to repeat most of the same words time and time again usually with one differentiation at end. They learn sounds that animals make, their numbers, parts of the body, days of the week and colors without really having to ‘learn’.
Preschool songs do not have a particular category of their own. Any song can become a preschool song if it is sung time and time again in the same fashion and following the same tune. So, if there’s a particular holiday song that appeals to you, you can sing it to the tune of the popular Rudolph the Red Nose Rein Deer or Jingle Bells and be sure to have an audience follow along pretty soon.
Unity
Preschool songs can also make some kids feel less shy as they come together and sing as opposed to being asked a question at circle time and being put on the spot. Songs bring on a casual atmosphere and children do not feel they are put in a hot seat and pressured to answer in any way. They just go with the flow, follow funny gestures and actions and are happy to be part of a group.
When your preschooler returns home, you often ask him what he did in class that day. The answer usually is the same; nothing. However, a little while later when you hear them humming This Old Man … or There are Seven Days while playing in his room, it makes you feel better that ht did pick up something in class today.
Confidence
Preschool songs also make your child more confident especially when they sing in a group in front of parents or other classes. Children, especially the shyer ones or who hail from a different background feel more part of the group when they are singing in unison. Even if they make a mistake in some of the words to a preschool song, it is not a major slip up and they feel on top of the world when their moms and dads take pictures, make videos and clap after their star performance.
