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Music plays an invaluable role in our family.
We love to experience the world with all of our senses and music helps us do that in so many ways: it's vital in the development of brain pathways; it sets or resets a calm or playful atmosphere; it's also instrumental in laying a foundation of faith (like what I did there?!).
There are countless benefits to having music in the home.
Here are three ways we use music to get our kids connected to the Word:
Sunday School Songs
When I was a brand new mom, wracking my brain for songs to sing and ways to entertain my babies, the songs that came to mind most readily were from Sunday School. As I rocked babes to sleep I realized what a constant gift those time-tested songs have been throughout the years and it became important to me to pass along the gift to my own family.
From their very earliest days, I've sought to surround my kids with simple, kid-friendly songs that will lead their thoughts to Jesus. I've seen blessings from this in several areas:
- Precious conversations with my preschooler are often prompted by questions like
“Who is father Abraham?”
“Why does my light shine?”
“Where is my light?”
“Why did Noah build an ark?”
“What is kumbaya?”
“What does hallelujah mean?” - We work together on hand motions (aka fine-motor skills!), spelling (B-I-B-L-E), and lyrics (the early steps toward scripture memorization); even before their language skills are fully developed, my kids are able to participate.
- It sets a great (or sometimes just a better) mood in the car. We have a favorite CD of Sunday School classics which we play almost constantly at the kids' request. They each have favorite songs and it's a sweet thing to hear them engage with the same songs I remember from my earliest days.
Praise Music Sundays
2nd Chapter of Acts, anyone? One of my clearest childhood memories is Sunday mornings as the family busily prepared for church. My dad would wake the house with praise music on the stereo and it set the tone for the day. I use Pandora to recreate a version of that memory for my family. On Sundays we sing and dance to the “oldies” and hopefully my kids will have a soft spot in their hearts for our own Sunday rituals.
Wordless Piano Hymns
The hymns of our faith are sacred and I'm afraid their influence is fading. I like to have hymns playing, usually just a piano or guitar version, in the background at the end of the day, to set a quiet and calm tone for dinner and bedtime routines. Since we don't attend a church that sings hymns on a regular basis, I want to be sure these treasures of our faith are never unfamiliar to my kids. And what better way is there to set a mood?
We love music in our home. As I compete with so many influences noisily clamoring for my kids' attention and heart space, I'm increasingly grateful for the gift of Christian music that's helping me lay a foundation of faith in my family.
How do you use music in your home?
