Introduction
There’s nothing worse than seeing your child upset. While you may be tempted to give them a time-out or let them cry it out, there are other ways to help them. In this blog post, I’ll explain how music can calm an overwhelmed kid by providing examples of what works in our home and why those things work.
How to calm an upset child with music
Music can help soothe an upset child.
There’s no denying that kids love music and it has many benefits. It can be used to calm a child, relax them, focus their energy and attention, exercise their bodies and minds, and express emotions in a healthy way.
find an appropriate song
- Find a song with a steady beat.
- Find a song that has a happy tone.
- Find a song that has a catchy rhythm.
- Find a song that is short, preferably around 2 minutes in length if possible (because young children’s attention spans are short). There are many ways to find suitable songs for your child—you can look online or ask other parents for recommendations, or use baby/toddler music apps on your phone as long as they have songs that are appropriate for this age range—but it’s important to choose only one at first because you’ll be using it over and over again throughout the day and need it to be familiar enough for your child so he doesn’t feel like there’s something new happening every time you turn on the music!
Make sure they like the music
- Make sure they like the music. If a child does not like the song, it will be hard for them to calm down.
- They should be able to identify with the lyrics. The lyrics need to be something that you know your child understands and relates to in some way. For example, if your child is afraid of monsters at night and you have just found out that there’s an escaped convict on the loose in your neighborhood, “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett may not be a good choice for calming down during this situation (unless they’re very wacky).
- They should be able to sing along or dance along with others who are singing/dancing right alongside them as well as themselves. This lets children know how much fun everyone else is having while also distracting them from whatever upset them initially (i.e., being scared of something).
Keep it consistent
While it’s important to be consistent with the music you play, it’s equally important not to use music as a reward or punishment.
In other words, don’t turn on the ‘good’ song when your child is doing well and then turn it off when he or she starts misbehaving. In the same vein, don’t let your child pick out the music for you if they’re acting up. Kids will try to manipulate their parents by using this tactic so that they get what they want (or at least less time in trouble).
Also, avoid using music as a distraction from whatever unpleasant task might be at hand—like cleaning up after meals or getting ready for bedtime. While some kids might welcome an opportunity for distraction from these tasks that aren’t exactly fun for them either, others may feel like this is unfair treatment just because those tasks aren’t their favorite thing either.
Finally, try not using any type of “special” song as part of an attempt at bribery so that your child will behave better during car rides or trips through busy stores; these kinds of tactics can backfire quickly and lead down paths you didn’t anticipate!
use repetition in the songs
Music can be a wonderful tool for calming a child, but you need to pick the songs carefully. The most effective songs are ones that have lots of repetition in them. Singing “Twinkle, Twinkle” over and over again until your child falls asleep will help him or her calm down much faster than if you started singing an unfamiliar song.
Allow them to express their emotions through song and dance.
Music is a powerful way for kids to express their emotions. It can help them process their feelings and learn how to handle them. Playing music can also be a great outlet when they need an emotional release.
When your child is upset, give them the opportunity to express themselves through song and dance:
- Play some music that you know they enjoy listening to or singing along with.
- Let them choose what kind of music they’d like: pop, rap, rock, etc.
- Encourage them to move around as they’re listening or singing along with the song (if they’re old enough)
Understand your child will have bad days.
As a parent, you are probably well aware of the fact that kids have bad days just like adults do. This can be frustrating at times because they seem to get upset over nothing. However, it is important to remember that children sometimes need time and space to process their emotions in their own way. With some music playing in the background, your child will feel more relaxed and less stressed out about whatever happened during the day.
It’s also important for parents to understand that consistency is key when using this technique because repetition in songs and dance will help your child calm down faster than if you were using one song once every week or two weeks. If you’re not sure what kind of music makes them happy then try asking them about their favorite artists/songs/dance moves before picking some up from whichever medium you prefer (CDs/mp3 players).
Music is a great way to calm an overwhelmed child.
Music is a great way to calm an overwhelmed child.
- It can help them feel better, by expressing their emotions through music.
- Music can help them focus on something other than their problems.
- Music can make them feel less lonely, less alone, and less isolated.
Conclusion
Music is a great way to calm an overwhelmed child. It can help them express their feelings, express their emotions and even dance away those bad feelings. Music has been shown to be beneficial in helping children deal with trauma, anxiety, and depression so why not give it a try?