Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Jack and Jill, and This Little Piggy bring back floods of memories for the adults of today, but the next generation might not have such fond memories as nearly six in ten dads avoid singing nursery rhymes to their kids.
Parenting on Female First
It’s a key part of childhood yet 57 per cent of dads have said that they will avoid singing nursery rhymes to their little ones.
The number one reason behind dads ditching the nursery rhymes was because they felt they couldn’t sing – hardly the number one requirement for reciting nursery rhymes!
Singing out of tune or feeling embarrassed by singing were some of the other popular reasons for dads refusing to warm up their vocal cords.
Another excuse that dads were likely to use was that there is simply no need for them to do it as there are plenty of toys on the market that will do the same job.
General Manager Caroline Crabbe at Jo Jingles, who conducted the research, said, “We really want to encourage more dads to sing to their children because it will help with their self-expression and confidence in later life.
“Most of us instinctively understand that babies and toddlers react positively to us when we sing songs to them, but what we may not fully appreciate is how those endless repetitions of 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' are a fundamental part of our baby’s mental, physical and social development, helping to “wire up” their brains ready for speech development.
Most of the reasons cited in our research suggest a real lack of confidence in dads to express themselves through this kind of singing with most of the excuses linked to feelings of embarrassment and awkwardness.
“The revelation that you can’t sing like a professional is, in reality, the case for most of us but it doesn’t matter. There is nothing your little one loves more than the sound of their mum/dad singing to them and if you sing a bit out of tune, trust me, they won’t mind at all!”
Another reason for dads refusing to sing to their little ones is because it isn’t a mainly trait, so they preferred to leave it to their partners instead.
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