Will My Children Enjoy Singing when they get Older

There’s lots to love about singing. Young children especially take a lot of pleasure in learning familiar songs and rhymes, and belting out tunes to their hearts’ content. As children get older, though, they often become more self-aware, which can understandably lead to them becoming self-conscious, especially with expressing themselves. Whether your child will love singing as they get older will much depend on their personality and experiences. Your child might enjoy singing now and dislike it when they grow up. Or, they might dislike it now and come to love it later in life. They could go through life not wanting to sing, or it could be a passion of theirs for a long time. 

Young children love to sing

Singing comes naturally to very young children. At an early age, they’re naturally creative and inquisitive, so love exploring what they can do with their bodies and voices. At this age, children also use songs to understand and connect with the world. They learn things about how the world works through what happens in song and often learn new and exciting vocabulary.

They also love to sing with others. Most children will happily sing loudly along to a song or entertain their relatives with an impromptu recital. This, though, is what many children come to dislike about singing. As they reach adolescence, the idea of someone hearing them sing begins to fill them with dread. There are also physical changes to consider. Children’s voices change as they get older, as does their perception of themselves. This, interestingly, is what causes many teenagers to turn their back on singing. They don’t lose interest in the art, but instead begin to perceive themselves as not being good singers.

Encouraging singing

You can do a lot to encourage your child to sing. If the idea of going along to a singing group makes them anxious, you could provide a safe place at home for them to sing without being heard, such as in a garage or spare room. You could arrange for them to have the house to themselves for a while, or look into booking them in for one-to-one sessions with a teacher. This can also be a great opportunity to find a role model for them; someone who shares their interest and they can look up to.

Your child might be open to joining a singing group, but not like the idea of being singled out to sing. Community choirs are great for this as they rarely ask members to audition and there are so many people singing that a one person can come and go without too much focus being put upon them. Then, when your child is feeling confident again, they can always volunteer for a solo.

If your child really doesn’t enjoy singing, then it's not a good idea to force it on them at any age. If you want to promote a love for the art of singing, the best you can do is to expose them to your own favourite singers and try to share your passion with them. It shouldn’t be forced though. At the end of the day, some people like to sing and others don’t. Our passions change as we go through life and an interest in singing is no different.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk