It has been shown that one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to help children learn English in a bilingual setting is through songs and at My Child, we use songs, poems and music on a daily basis.
Music is a powerful educational tool that offers benefits far beyond vocabulary building. Songs are a cornerstone for language learning in bilingual classrooms and they support a child’s journey towards becoming confident English speakers.
Songs make it easy for children to remember new words and phrases because they naturally repeat vocabulary in catchy and memorable ways. Through choruses and verses, children encounter the same words again and again, solidifying them in their minds. Nursery rhymes and children’s songs are especially effective because they often focus on simple, everyday vocabulary and include themes that resonate with young children.
When children learn a song, they’re not just remembering individual words, they’re absorbing sentences and language structures they’ll recognize and then use in the future.
Listening to and singing along with songs allows children to pick up on English sounds and rhythms in a fun, relaxed environment. Singing helps them practice pronunciation naturally as they imitate the sounds they hear. The musical element of language also helps children learn intonation, stress, and pitch, which are crucial for sounding natural in a new language.
By exposing our young learners to these features of spoken English, songs build a strong foundation in listening skills that supports their overall language development.
The songs that we regularly use at My Child often include actions, clapping, or dancing, making them an engaging, multi-sensory learning experience. When children can connect language with movement, it strengthens their understanding and memory of the vocabulary and phrases. Known as “total physical response,” this technique has proven to be highly effective, as it connects language to physical actions, helping children recall new words more easily.
In our classrooms at My Child, we strive to create a fun and supportive environment for language learning, using songs that engage our children emotionally, socially and cognitively, encouraging the development of foundational skills in English that can be carried forward on their bilingual journey.
