These days, I find myself sifting through music for songs to help my 4-year-old feel more relaxed. There's something about this time of year (new school year, new routine?) that tends to trigger stress. This fall transition has been particularly hard on my daughter (a sensitive little soul), so we're attempting to maintain as much normalcy as possible to help her cope with all of the changes.
We've also been using a lot of music. I know music is my "thing", but as a parent, I'm so incredibly grateful for it. It can halt escalating emotions and take them in a completely different direction.
Some kids respond best to songs they already know for relaxing, but many kids need new songs, because that newness is the key to capturing their attention. You'll need to experiment to see what works best for your child. (More tips on implementing music for a specific purpose HERE.)
My daughter falls asleep to this lullaby playlist every night, so if I turn it on to help her relax in the middle of the day, she won't have it. "That's sleeping music!" BUT, hearing it out of context grabs her attention. So sometimes, I intentionally put it on, only to say, "Yeah, you're right! Let's find something else!" and that interaction is enough to draw her attention to the other music I have ready for her.
(And, P.S.... Encouraging kids to voice their opinion about whether or not they like music can be a very valuable tool, especially as emotions are escalating. Cue them: "Do you like this music? Or is it TERRIBLE??!" It's a safe place for them to say, "No... I don't like that!" without consequences. Just accept and validate their response (even if you know they love the song), and then change the song until they find one they like. If they reject ALL of them... GREAT!... that exercise was SO needed! The idea is to give them an opportunity to control the outcome. You just might see their stress reduce on the spot.)
Here's my list! 10 relaxing songs for kids (that parents like, too):
by The Wailin' Jennys
by Elizabeth Mitchell
by Eva Cassidy
by Elizabeth Mitchell
by Kesang Marstrand
by Elizabeth Mitchell
by The Wailin' Jennys
by Alison Krauss
by Sarah McLachlan
by Kesang Marstrand
You may also want to check out these related blog posts:
10 Songs About Friendship For Kids
10 Songs About Community & Friendship
