[LISTEN] There's no better time to sing with your kids

Singing is a sure-fire way to lift your mood during lockdown, and to help your kids have fun as well.

It's also free, points our parenting expert Nikki Bush.

It's one of the things that can raise your mood. It can de-stress you and I think right now we are in serious need of activities that can lower our stress levels, that can raise our energy, can pump oxygen into our systems, give us that endorphin rush and when you're with other people, it creates that sense of togetherness.

Nikki Bush, Parenting expert

She adds that there's also a huge educational benefit to singing.

When children learn songs (and this starts with singing lullabies to your babies)... they are learning the words and the lyrics and it's auditory memory because you've got to get the words in the right order in a song for it to make sense.

Nikki Bush, Parenting expert

So we're building the auditory memory and auditory sequencing... And songs can develop vocabulary not just in your home language, but they're often used to teach second and third languages because it's much easier when there's rhyme and there's rhythm. There's concentration involved when you're learning to sing as well.

Nikki Bush, Parenting expert

Self-expression is another spinoff, along with an enjoyable way to develop good speech habits (use of lips, teeth, cheeks and jaw during singing).

There are so many positives to singing with your children during this particular time.

Nikki Bush, Parenting expert

Bush also details four fun activities to do at home:

• Craft: Eezi Peezi Puzzles

• Science: Bouncy eggs

• Cooking: Stained glass biscuits

• Home-made game: Number rings

All the activities can be downloaded from her website www.toytalk.co.za.

Listen to the conversation with Nikki Bush in the audio below:

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