Most of us probably have fond memories of lullabies and nursery rhymes from when we were children. From childhood melodies like “Twinkle, Twinkle” or bedtime tales like The Three Bears, these stories and songs provided us a sense of comfort and calm. But did you know that there are real benefits of nursery rhymes and lullabies for child development?

In this article, you’ll learn about the mental health and wellness benefits of nursery rhymes and lullabies.

You’ll learn the science behind why singing to children and telling stories can help them be happy, healthy throughout their life.

1. Nursery rhymes and lullabies help young children relax and sleep.

We all know that sleep is a critical part of childhood development. Nursery rhymes and lullabies help children calm down and relax; in fact, lullabies are scientifically proven to help babies sleep. If a baby is crying, lullabies are a great way to calm and relax them, showing them to express their emotions in a more healthy way.

Lullabies and nursery rhymes can be part of good sleep hygiene, becoming part of consistent bedtime rituals that make going to bed a good part of the day. 

2. Lullabies help introduce babies to music.

Lullabies also help introduce babies to music. This introduction to music shows a baby how to feel pleasure through connection, communication, and movement, in addition to teaching them relaxation, and coordination.

3. Lullabies and nursery rhymes help support language, speech, and cognitive development.

As babies are regularly exposed to lullabies, this helps to stimulate language and cognitive development. New words and different languages may be included in these songs, encouraging strong literacy skills and may encourage them to begin speaking at an early age. 

In nursery rhymes, children hear the sounds that vowels and consonants make. Listening to these stories helps teach them how to put these sounds together and make words. Through rhymes, they also practice the rhythm, pitch, and volume of the spoken word.

4. Lullabies and nursery rhymes can build memory.

Both nursery rhymes and lullabies feature patterns that are fairly easy to remember. This allows children to more easily develop recall and memorization skills. (A variety of children’s games support this, too.)

5. Lullabies and nursery rhymes help expand a child’s vocabulary.

These songs and stories may contain words that children don’t typically use in day-to-day interaction. This introduces them to words they may not otherwise hear, allowing them to seamlessly expand their vocabulary.

6. Some nursery rhymes and lullabies help children develop physical social skills.

Many nursery rhymes call for physical touch, such as clapping. This can help promote a safe and secure bond with parents. (More on that next.) This bond is essential for social development, and allows children to carry this skill over into their friendships as well. A lack of this physical bond with parents may be detrimental to a child’s health, causing them not be as comfortable with touch from their peers. 

7. They can also promote bonding with parents.

In addition to building a safe and secure physical bond between parents and children, lullabies and nursery rhymes also have the power to strengthen the emotional bond between parent and child.

It’s best to customize these lullabies to your child to deepen this relationship even further. By including lyrics that show emotion and a personal touch, regularly repeating this tune to them may help your baby be more close to you.  

Repeating a song while the baby is still in utero can also help to familiarize the child with a melody before birth to help the newborn relax and ease him or her to sleep more quickly.

Lullabies and nursery rhymes can clearly benefit your child’s development. 

If you’re primarily turning to lullabies and nursery rhymes to promote relaxation and ease bedtime, it’s worth mentioning that other tools exist, too. 

Guided meditation, touch, and visualizations are other methods that can help your child calm down and get ready for bed.

Last year, we created a free set of relaxing activities for before bed, in collaboration with Little Renegades. You can get it here.

And if you like those three activities, you’ll really love the Little Renegades’ Bedtime Activities Deck. It’s a great resource of 40 exercises that incorporate visualizations, breathing exercises, and gentle massage to encourage similar “mental hygiene” techniques into kids’ bedtime routines.

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