How To Introduce Music and Stories Into Kids’ Routines

Table of contents

Do you remember some songs and stories from your childhood? Chances are, you do (and you’re probably thinking of a few right now). That is because music and storytelling are essential parts of human experience, helping us develop from our early years.

But how can you introduce music and stories into your child's daily routine in a healthy way? How to select good content in this ocean of options? And how can parents manage digital content and non-digital across different age groups? These are just some questions that adults can have. So stay with us to understand the importance of music and stories for children's development, and how to introduce them to your child’s routine!

Why Are Music and Stories Important for Children?

Music and stories are a natural part of human language and artistic development. From the very beginning, humans created stories about their experiences and shared them with their peers. The story of music is similar to that. From the earliest times of humanity, music has been used to mark celebrations, create rituals, and express emotions.

It is not different for kids. As a parent, it is important to know that kids can better understand the world around them when they interact with quality music and stories. And, of course, appropriate for their age.

Music and stories can help children to:

Understand emotions, behaviors, and even social norms.
Express their creativity and imagination.
Share their feelings and emotions more freely.
Empathize with the feelings of others and put themselves in their shoes.
Feel connected with family and friends.
Have a better cultural understanding.
And many other benefits.

What Are the Top Recommended Music and Stories for Kids?

Let’s be real: there are tons of music and stories for kids available nowadays. Not all of them are of great quality. Not all of them are learning content. Also: not all platforms that contain this kind of content have the safety needed for children.

To help you on the mission of presenting the best content for your child, we selected some recommendations for you. All of them are available on PlayKids Learning and Hopster Learning, known for having a team of experts selecting high-quality content made to boost children’s development.

1. Numberblocks

This show features a group of animated blocks of numbers that help children learn about basic math operations with stories and music. Just to give you an example, one popular episode teaches kids to count from 1 to 100 using storytelling.

This show is a great option for kids aged 3 to 6.

2. Alphablocks

Alphablocks are animated letters that interact and form words, teaching children essential things such as the alphabet and phonetics. The show uses a lot of storytelling for kids since the Alphablocks make words come to life when they hold hands for any reason. Music is an essential part of the show too, considering they play a lot with pronunciation and sounds.

3. Junior on the Job

Junior on the Job is an original PlayKids animation. It tells the stories of Junior, a brave pup who leads his friends on amazing adventures to learn about different jobs. Together, they explore their neighborhood learning how things work and how different roles contribute to society.

Storytelling plays an important part in this content, helping kids stay curious about the world around them.

4. I Love to Learn

This content is all about music for kids! With I Love to Learn, they can understand a wide range of topics with music and PlayKids animated characters. From healthy eating to weather, this show achieves what its title promises: it makes kids love to learn about different topics! The music is very engaging and the themes are suitable for different ages, from preschoolers to little older children, depending on the episode.

5. Two Minute Tales

This is a nice option to present classic fairy tales to your child, with a little dose of extra imagination. Two Minute Tales is a show that retells fairy tales in creative ways, always surprising the audience and making the stories even more interesting for our days.

Their storytelling is great for helping children learn key morals without pressure, speaking their language, and instilling critical thinking.

Amazing list, right? If you’re interested, you can find all these shows on main content platforms, such as Roku, Amazon, and Comcast. Just search for PlayKids Learning or Hopster Learning!

How To Fit Music and Stories Into Children’s Routine

Even with the best content for your children, it is still important to establish some rules about it. Too much screen time, for example, can be damaging to kids’ development. So it is always essential to find a balance for how much time your child spends consuming music and stories on screens.

Start by talking to your child about the importance of having limits on watching shows and music videos. If they are too young to have a talk about that with you, feel free to set specific times of the day for them to consume music and stories on digital devices.

Furthermore, balance digital content with offline music and storytelling activities. In addition to screen-based music and stories, set aside time each day to read children’s books together or to learn a new instrument or a new song. If your child is only a baby, don’t worry: studies show that singing for babies positively affects their emotional regulation. There are always good ways to integrate music and stories into your child's routine, no matter their age.

Finally, analyze your family routine to understand which time of the day could be the best to let the kids engage with content. For some families, the night is a great time to explore music and stories together, helping the kids prepare for bedtime. For others, encouraging the kids to consume stories and music during a certain time of the day is a great way to manage the busy routine with a healthy solution.

Now that you know some great options for music and stories for kids and how to insert them into your child’s routine, let us know: what is working for you? What are your kids’ favorite shows and music?

Share your experience with us!

For more information check out these popular topics:

Do you have any parenting questions for our parenting coach and expert, Dr. Ana Aznar? Ask for free today!