Four Reasons

 

1. Singing helps children remember God’s word

 

Singing is a great way to store God’s truth in our hearts (Col 3:16). In fact, singing activates almost every part of the brain and can evoke memories that are powerful enough to overcome dementia! (Levitin, 2011)

 

2. Singing helps children to express and name their emotions

 

Emotional intelligence is super important for kids and music is a great way to engage with emotions. Even young children with limited language can learn to praise and thank God through song.

 

​3. Singing brings families together

 

Singing unites. Singing with your spouse in the presence of your children is an extremely powerful way to invite your kids into your faith. It would be weird to read a Christian book in unison, but singing is best done together.

 

4. Singing kids' songs will enrich your faith too

 

(Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak, but he is strong" You show me a deeper song and I'll show you why you're wrong. Mature Christians never move on from the basics. I am regularly encouraged by the songs we sing with our kids. Plus, if you find bible reading hard, just sing a memory verse and think about it throughout the day.

 

Four Tips

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1. Make it a part of your everyday routine.

 

You could sing in the car during school drop off and pick up, at dinner, during bath time, while packing away, brushing your teeth, or before bed. Kids love routines and if you forget, they'll let you know about it!

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2. Only sing songs you enjoy

 

Let’s be honest, there are plenty of irritating melodies sung by irritating voices in the children's music space. They might be bearable for 2 minutes but there’s no need to suffer through New City Catechisms (my apologies if you love it) when Dana Dirksen is better!

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3. Make a family playlist

 

Choose a range of songs for all ages. Songs for younger children use a simple melody and repeated lyrics for ease of memory. Emu Kids, Josh Goscombe, and Dana Dirksen have a good range of songs for pre-schoolers. Colin Buchanan and Sovereign Grace Kids have some great albums for older children. And feel free to throw in songs that you love to sing too. Honourable mentions go to: Slugs and Bugs, Awesome Cutlery, Ben Pakula, Hillsong Kids, Rend Co. Kids, Go Fish and Vineyard Kids.

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To get you started, check out the Port Kids Playlist

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4. Talk about the song

 

Explaining or asking questions about the meaning of the song is an excellent teaching opportunity. For example, after ‘My God Is So Big’ you could ask: “Can God only do some things?” and they might say: “No, there’s nothing God can not do! Silly!” Limit to a few key questions and read the room.

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Four Objections

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1. I can’t sing.

 

Who cares, neither can your kids, they won’t mind.

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2. They don't sing, they just want to dance around.

 

Great, throw in tickling and tossing too! If you're singing and having fun they'll join in when they're ready. For more focused singing, like learning memory verses through som, try some simple songs in the car (Dana flippin Dirksen!)

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3. I don’t have the time for this.

 

REALLY!?

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4. It feels unnatural.

 

Fake it till you make it.