Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: it's more than just a nursery song - includes list of lullaby song books and tapes, and classical music to use as lullabies

Children Today, July-August, 1989 by Mary Jeanette Howle

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: It's More Than Just A Nursery Song

The house is still and dark. A stray moonbeam sneaks through a gap in the curtains. The rocking chair cradling parent and child creaks rhythmically, as a soft voice gently sings a soothing lullaby. The restless child relaxes and settles into sleep.

Research suggests that this is more than just a quiet moment in the late hours. During this time together, both parent and child are reaping concrete and intangible benefits that include the formation of listening skills, parent-child bonding, and language facility.

Cultures around the world provide opportunities for children's growth and development through lullabies, for these songs are an integral part of each musical heritage. Some nightsongs are familiar to us - "All Through the Night" from Wales, for example - while others are largely unknown. Japan's "Wind in the Willows," Russia's "Sleep Now and Rest," and the gentle Chilean song, "Sleep, Sweet Babe," show the international origins of lullabies and speak of worldwide parental love for small children.

A child who hears words she cannot comprehend - such as those in stories and songs - has the foundation laid for future language growth. Very few 3-year-olds, for example, understand the concept of "wife" in "Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater, Had a and couldn't keep her." "Fleece" in the old nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is another word that no child - and not many urban adults - understands. Often, children under age three who are denied these unfamiliar words tend to have restricted language ability and rarely reach their full potential in language and vocabulary development.

In the same way, the infant exposed to music that she does not understand is later able to listen to music with greater appreciation and comprehension.[1] Knowledgeable adults can converse at length on the form, tonality, ornaments and performance of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, 2nd Movement. While a sleepy child will neither know nor care about any of this scholarly information, he will respond to the gentleness of the music and will soon be asleep. After many hearings as the infant matures, he may begin to hear the repetition of theme, the different ornamentations of each repetition, and the variation in performances.

Because the child's environment can have its most profound impact before age four when intelligence is growing most rapidly, parents wishing to instill a love for music within their child should lay the groundwork within the first years of life.[2] Parents who create a home where music is a normal, natural part of the environment teach their children to accept many styles of music, to be curious about how music is constructed and performed, and to listen attentively to music.

Rocking frequently accompanies the singing of lullabies, as does touching, rubbing, smiling, warmth, and cuddling. The combination of these sensory stimuli aids in mental development, promotes a loving relationship between parent and child, and prepares for later development in music, speech and movement.[3]

Mutual pleasure between parent and child also occurs during these intimate moments. It is almost impossible not to find pleasure in a small child damp and warm from the bathtub, dressed in fresh night-clothes and smelling of powder

and soap, nodding sleepily against the parent's shoulder. We assume that the child also enjoys these lullaby-story sessions, since toddlers come willingly to them, and infants smile and coo during them.

Another benefit of singing a lullaby is communication. Babies frequently coo, babble and gurgle during the parent's singing. The infant sometimes seems to be responding directly to the singer, and this sign of attention can prompt the parent to begin talking to the baby. Anyone who has sung or spoken to an infant nestled in his arms has experienced the almost cross-eyed scrutiny the child focuses on the singer's face and mouth. This encourages speech development and good listening skills, such as the formation of sounds and the ability to hear rhyming words.[4]

In addition to stimulating mental growth, lullabies can also foster the infant's gradual attainment of physical mastery over the body. As a child responds to musical rhythms with spontaneous movements, he or she acquires strength and the practice necessary in controlling muscles.[5] Parents help to exercise the child's muscles when they dance, sway, or move the child's body to music.

The parent's soft singing also provides a cue for the child, telling him that bedtime is approaching. If lullabies - along with a bath and clean pajamas - are part of the normal household routine, the child soon learns that this routine signals the quiet part of the day. His body and mind begin to relax and sleep is more easily achieved.[6]

If the child is agitated and unable to sleep, the parent can suit the mood of the lullaby to the mood of the child. A brief session of "Pat-A-Cake" followed by several verses of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" - with each verse sung more gently than the preceding one - and concluding with "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" should help the child slip into sleep.[7]