Including Vocal Play In Daily Life

Including Vocal Play in Daily Life

Practicing different levels of inflection, trying various types of melodies, and echoing simple sound effects all fall under the umbrella of “Vocal Play.” Vocal play gives infants and young children the opportunity to explore different types of communication, an essential aspect of vocal development. Vocal play can be organized and structured or it can happen spontaneously on the go. Vocal play can really be incorporated into any aspect of daily life. Also, since children love to mimic sounds they hear around them, parents and caregivers can build upon their child’s natural inclination to imitate and make learning fun, while at the same time, explicitly expanding their vocal growth to enhance future skills such as reading ability.

Vocal Play is readily incorporated into Kindermusik lessons. Through the combination of appealing visuals, for example a colorful picture or puppet, and either singing poems like the itsy bitsy spider in a my-turn/your-turn style or imitating animal sound effects listened to over the audio player, vocal play is a tool that educators incorporate into class in order to introduce children to new experiences and concepts. Showing children in class a colorful parrot puppet, listening to a parrot sound and then imitating how a parrot talks by indicating my-turn, your-turn is just one example of a vocal play style activity that is incorporated into class on a regular basis.

It’s easy to do vocal play at home as well! When engaging in vocal play with children, keep things short, simple, and lively with plenty of opportunities for repetition. Some easy examples of vocal play include “My Turn, Your Turn” style singing or chanted poems. You can make hand motions toward yourself when you say/sing a line and then motion toward your child when you’d like them to try echoing you. Reading books with repetitive phrases are great tools when engaging in vocal play. You can start out by simply reading the book together and then progressively work up to you reading part of a phrase, then having your child respond with the next line. Other ways to engage in vocal play can be executed during regular parts of the day as a well, so for example during bath time, while making dinner, or driving in the car.

Here’s a “Try It Tip”: Next time you’re getting ready to drive to or from Kindermusik class, while you’re putting your child in their car/booster seat, engage in some vocal play by imitating the sound a seat belt makes. Say, “We’re getting ready to go for a ride. Let’s click our seat belts. Click click!” See if your child automatically tries to imitate you or ask your child if they can make the sound while you pretend to buckle them up again. If your child is at an age where they’re able to coo and babble, try using a higher inflection on the word UP while saying, “Buckle up!” Your baby may try to imitate with a high babble or wave their arms up in the air! Click the link below to see an example video.

As parents, caregivers, and educators our role in a child’s life is to prepare them for what is necessary to succeed in the real world. Vocal Play teaches children the rules of conversation and dialogue and as with most new skills, children learn best through watching, listening, and trying.