Music and Kids with Special Needs
Developmental Delays and Alternate Activities in the Hot Summer
Jun 20, 2009
Use the hot summer months to create music fun times. The familiarity and enjoyment will cause kids to seek out those music times throughout the year. Check with teachers or the local teacher supply store to find CDs that are a perfect match developmentally. Do not discount general, just-for-fun music that is on the market for kids.
Music is Calming
Many kids with special needs find music to be calming. For some, it is because they enjoy the melodies of music. Others enjoy the repetition and predictability that a CD played again and again offers.
Music is Fun
Often the music lyrics are playful and fun. Kids love to hear the silly words and to do the actions that go along with songs. Music can be a wonderful stress reliever for parents and kids alike.They love it even more when parents or caregivers are involved. Anticipating the words and actions help kids with special needs in prediction and memory skills.
Although music feels fun and freeing, parents can create a music schedule that reaps other benefits. Consider the child who is keenly set on a routine. (This is the case with many kids on the autism spectrum and those with ADHD. A routine helps these kids understand what is going to happen next.) Music can offer all of the above advantages while assisting with routine. For example, a soothing CD played every night at bedtime can help with the transition to bed and yet reinforce sequence as the child hears the songs and verses in order as he falls asleep.
Parents can use a musical CD schedule to teach new or troublesome concepts. Lots of information can be taught through the use of music. Because kids enjoy it and because it offers repetition, many parents and teachers use it to teach. Many kids have learned math facts, the alphabet, and even the states and capitals through music. Consider having certain “teaching” musical CDs that are only played when driving. Sing along with the CD that teaches the months of the year. Soon everyone will be singing, and everyone will know those tricky names as well as the order that they appear on the calendar.
Having a musical schedule can make the transition to inside activities so much easier on hot summer days. It will become what the child expects and looks forward to doing. The hot days of summer can be a time of learning, fun, and family memories using a few well-chosen CDs.
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