What instruments and songs do you play to your children?

[D24]

I've just started playing my ukulele to my DS (3 months old) who seems to enjoy the songs I've made up for her (only a few lines long and very repetitive!) and a few that I knew by the Ramones.

I'm planning on learning some nursery rhymes and disney classics like Bare Necessities and I Want To Be Like You (had a go at these last night and DW joined in for a sing song which was a lovely experience :o) but was wondering what songs other people play to their children and what instruments they play?

I was also wondering what effect this has on children as they develop, are they more likely to pick up instruments for example?

So I'm starting this thread to hopefully have people post their experiences in this area (even if only just for some inspiration for song choices that hadn't crossed my mind at all!)

We have a piano, a guitar, a ukulele (which I can't play), a recorder, a glockenspiel (this one's great - tuned and a bright lovely sound), and various rattly things.

Not sure it has any effect on them. Probably has an effect on sales of ear plugs in the neighbourhood ... Both DSs are starting to learn to play the piano, but that's probably because I'm more comfortable teaching them the piano than the other instruments. As for how likely they are going to stick with it I don't know yet ...

Songs we sing: mainly nursery rhymes, and Chinese songs... and songs from all those kids' movies!

I sing to and with my dd every day (I am a trained singer).

Dd (aged 5) now sings constantly. She has an excellent sense of pitch and her range of notes is widening.

I sing anything and everything -

Songs from the shows (currently Calamity Jane, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Sound of Music)
Nursery rhymes
Nonsense songs
Pop songs
Arias
20th Century songs
Oratorio

Dd's current favourite bedtime songs:

Summertime
I can sing a rainbow
The worm song
Somewhere over the rainbow
Evergreen (Barbara Streisand)
Various songs about trains
Bright eyes
I bought me a cat
I get a kick out of you

Dd has recently asked to start piano lessons and join a choir.

I am completely tone deaf and my husband is not much better. We have always had play musical instruments available and have played a lot of different types of music at home and in the car.

Both children (aged 6 and 8) are now exceptionally musical and play piano well and sing pitch perfect (according to music teacher at school - both soundfairly average to me!)....so not sure how much musical ability is nature or nuture.

If you and your child enjoy making music together then that is a great thing to have.

Errrr....nothing! Neither DH or I are musical....

We sing(sang) nursery rhymes etc & went to music classes.

DS (nearly 8) has burning ambition to learn bagpipes....................!!

Raffi has some great singalong songs with nonsense words you can adapt for your own family. Kids love songs with themselves in the words, I find (or mine do, and their friends do)

www.kids-tunes.com/raffi-singable-songs-for-the-very-young/

I sang constantly to my DD who is now 3. For some reason I'm not sure, she is now a hilariously entertaining singer. She specialises in singing the words of one song to the tune of another; and funky syncopated versions of nursery rhymes like Twinkle twinkle and See saw marjorie daw.

i sing loads but neither dh or i can hold a tune and even ds (2) stays "no singing mummy" {grin].

dd(7) seem to have got a bit more musical ability than us (can sing a bit, and is learning piano) but i am sad to say that i don't think any of us will set the world on fire with music. Which is a shame as one big regret of mine is not being able to play anything.

i have a deep admiration of those who can and do!

DS is 4, and we sing lots of different things. Currently he likes singing Proud Mary, Route 66, Hotel California, and Thunderstruck , but also has a repetoire of (clean) rugby songs like Cwm Rhondda. He seems to sing quite well

My dad is a car boot addict, so in addition to my flute and recorders, we have drums, guitars, a violin, penny whistles, and panpipes. DS enjoys making a lot of noise with these, some of which is tuneful !

I can sing and play very basic guitar. But DS doesn't like most of the songs that I like. He loves nursery rhymes and I admit I looked up the guitar chords for Peppa Pig's Bing Bong Song on the internet for him. DS is 2 and has really good pitch for toddler. Either that or my judgement is blinded by being his mother.

Great thread
I'm a singer,songwriter, piano and guitar and perform to my captive audience of DS1 7months! He loves it, shakes his rattle in time and everything.

I was brought up with my Dad singing and guitaring in the house and can't imagine it not being that way for my kids.

I sing my own stuff, anything that comes into my head be it beatles, Johnny Cash, anything at all. Route 66, Yayyy! Love it, takes me back to my childhood. All over now is another one.
Can't wait to get him his own wee tambourine and instruments to play along too

D24 I'd start a band in a second, but you're too far away Have you been googling the Uke orchestra of great britain? Great stuff

Kalimba and tibetan singing bowls when DD was a baby.
Djembe drum, ukele, penny whistle, harmonica, guitar. Lots of just mucking about singing Beatles, rhymes, made up stuff, anything really.
She'll pick up anything and have a go.

DS1 grew up around me playing the organ, and I played the organ throughout both DS2 and 3's pregnancies.

DS3 as a result would howl and try to leg it out of the creche on a Sunday morning, when he was much younger, as soon as he heasrd the organ playing as he wanted to be next to me at it