Earlier this week I wrote an article about how music actually increases language development in children for Beaumont’s Parenting Blog. I made suggestions for fun children’s music to pull together for your family on a cd to listen to in the car. I’m talking about children’s music that isn’t stuck in your head all day, driving you up a wall hearing the cows mooing and chickens clucking! As a teacher, I played music first thing in the morning in my classroom. It’s how we started and ended our day. It really added a happy energy to our environment.
I’ve been thinking about tv commercials and how researchers say that certain commercials are made to make us hungry and make us want to buy their food products. Kind of like subliminal messages! What about music? We rock out to kids tunes in the car but I also like to listen to Top 40 with my girls. You have to be so careful. As much as you hope that the messages in pop music will go over our children’s heads (enter childhood memory of my sister and I singing “Like A Virgin” at the top of our lungs driving in my dad’s convertible at the young ages of 5 and 8. We had no clue what we were singing about) does it?
Here’s a compromise for all of you out there who can’t bear to drive around listening to songs about cats and dogs and would prefer pop music. How about 10 songs from the radio that can inspire and give your child some great character building messages? Songs that, once they figure out what the words mean, they will matter to them!
After my list of each song, I’ve included a few lines from the song that really speak to me! Enjoy and feel free to comment with additional songs to add to this list.
**Disclaimer** I do not think these links to music videos are all appropriate to show to children but I’ve added them for adults to hear the songs.
Or you can start speaking up
Nothing’s gonna hurt you the way that words do
And they settle ˜neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you
Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave
2. Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is, where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Pretty, pretty please
Don’t you ever, ever feel
Like your less than, less than perfect.
There’s nothin’ wrong with lovin’ who you are
She said, “cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up girl and you’ll go far,
Listen to me when I say
I’m beautiful in my way
‘Cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track baby
I was born this way
Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
And although this wave is stringing us along
Just know you’re not alone
6. What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction
Being the way that you are is enough
Everyone else in the room can see it
Everyone else but you
You don’t have to feel like a waste of space
You’re original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
8. Beautiful by Christina Aguerlla
I am beautiful no matter what they say.
Words can’t bring me down.
I am beautiful in every single way.
9. We’re All in This Together by High School Musical
Everyone is special in their own way
We make each other strong (we make each other strong)
Were not the same
Were different in a good way
Together’s where we belong
You, have pointed out my flaws again as if I don’t already see them. I’ll walk with my head down trying to block you out ’cause I’ll never impress you. I just wanna feel okay again. I’ll bet you got pushed around, somebody made you cold. But the cycle ends right now ’cause you can’t lead me down that road. And you don’t know what you don’t know.
**I don’t like how Taylor uses words to “name call ” in her song at one point. I agree with freedom of speech but that one part in the song is not my favorite!