How to Teach Children to Sing

Teaching the Basics

Warm up with yawning. Before you start practicing singing, have the children take a deep breath and then yawn. This will open the throat to prevent strain when singing.

Practice breathing. Children need to learn how to breathe properly when singing. Do some breathing exercises so they can understand how to regulate breath while they sing. Have the kids breathe in through their noses and out through their mouths. Encourage the kids to direct air into their stomachs and diaphragms instead of their chests. Have them place their hands on their stomachs and tell them to direct air so their stomachs rise. Have the kids count when they breathe. Have them inhale for 4 counts and then exhale for 4 counts.

Find a note that comes naturally. Have the child sing something like "la" or "ah" and figure out what their natural pitch is. Use a pitch gauge to measure their pitch. You can also play a few notes on a piano or other instrument to find a note near the child's range.

Use the note as a base to explore scales. Once each child has their starting point, you can use this as a basis to explore common beginning scales. Walk them through a basic A/B/C scale, using a recording of scales to help. Start near the child's natural range and have them move up and down the scale as needed. Don't worry if the child does not hit notes perfectly right away. The point is to get a rough feel of their pitch. You can work on accuracy later.

Illustrate scales and pitch with visuals. Children respond to visual cues. Raise your hand up and down to instruct a child to raise and lower their pitch. You can also try using body parts to teach the do-re-mi scale. For example, place your hands on your knees for "do," move your hands to your thighs for "re" and so on.

Teaching with Games and Routines

Illustrate tone and pitch through singing. If you have a good singing voice, sing to illustrate tone and pitch. If you're teaching children, you can sing songs you're teaching first. If you're a parent, make singing a daily part of your routine. Sing throughout the day and sing your child lullabies each night. If you're not a singer yourself, you can always play the child songs by talented vocalists. If you're a teacher, encourage parents to sing to their kids at home.

Start with simple songs. You can look up age-appropriate songs online and even purchase song books for various age groups at a local bookstore. Children can benefit from learning simple classics, like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Mary Had A Little Lamb." These songs have simple words and melodies that teach the basics. If you're a parent, download recordings of such songs online. Play them in the background while the kids are playing or doing chores to bring music into their lives.

Play pitch matching games. Sing a note like "la" and have the children repeat the note to you. Keep singing back and forth until they begin hitting the note. Sing a variety of notes across basic scales. This kind of imitation game helps children learn how to recognize tone and maneuver their voices to match it. It can help to use a pitch gauge to make sure everyone is in tune. To keep children invested, offer small rewards during the game. You can hand out stickers when the kids match the pitch, for instance.

Use call and echo songs. Call and echo songs are songs that involve children responding to prompts from a song's leader. The speaker may repeat the words back exactly or add an embellishment like "La-dee-da." These can be great songs to teach children to sing in tune. Many songbooks for young children contain these types of songs. Examples include things like "Camp Town Races," "I Met a Bear," and "The Green Grass Grew All Around."

Have the kids make up songs. Get a little silly and fun by telling your singing pupils to make up songs themselves. Kids can sing songs about magic worlds, tiresome chores, fantastic eating, and more. You can have them use familiar tunes from classic childhood favorites or make up their own tunes. This is another way to expose children to music regularly, letting them learn about singing naturally throughout their day to day lives. If you're teaching a class, try asking the kids to make up their own songs in teams.

Enrolling Children in Classes and Extracurriculars

Enroll the child in extracurriculars involving singing. Many schools offer extracurriculars for free, so take advantage of this. If the child's school has a choir, encourage the child to enroll. If a child can pick optional classes for a given semester, encourage them to take classes that involve singing. Extracurriculars don't always have to be directly related to singing. Things like band and even a music appreciate course can help develop the child's singing skills.

Hire a voice teacher. If it's within your budget, search online for local voice teachers. It can be hard to teach children the technical aspects of singing if you're not professionally trained. A personal voice teacher can be invaluable when it comes to teaching children to sing. Look for a voice teacher with experience working with children. Children respond to different teaching methods than adults, so they'll benefit from a teacher who knows how to talk to kids.

Look for online lessons. Online lessons are often cheaper than professional voice teachers. You can buy access to an online course that will provide with materials you can teach. Online courses sometimes also include occasional evaluations from a real instructor via things like Skype.

Have the child join a choir. Look for children's choirs in your area and consider having the child sign up. If the child's church has a children's choir, for example, have them enroll. Singing with other children, under the direction of a professional, can really help the child hone their singing skills.