Twinkle, twinkle, little star

I like when my mom or dad sing to me. Especially before they put me to bed. It makes me feel safe, and loved... But I also like to listen to music during the day, when I am awake.



My parents often wander what songs are best for me, or what music I like most. A recent survey, conducted in Great Britain, revealed that today’s parents are more likely to sing pop songs to their children, in hopes of calming them, than classic lullabies.

My mom, for instance, usually sings the following songs to me: “Twinkle, twinkle…”, “I love you, you love me…”, “The wheels on the bus”, “Елко, елко”, “Авионче бело крило”, “Како ли јас да пораснам”, and the funniest song “Pempico, Pempico kad cemo u Mexico….”! She claims that she couldn’t remember any other nursery rhymes. But she also likes to play me some music from her laptop, especially some classical pieces (Debussy is my favorite so far). My dad, on the other hand, prefers hmmmmhmmhm-ing rather than singing a particular song.



Here is my advice to parents (mine and other babies): let us listen to whatever we show you that we like! Try out our favorites, or classical music (the old standby), or spice things up with Brazilian or African tunes! Anything with a good melody will do, although slow songs may work best for bedtime and fast ones for play. In the morning, play classical music (choose something pleasant and happy, such as a tinkly piano concerto from Chopin or Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons") so we’ll wake up in a light and upbeat mood.

Music helps you bond with your child, too. When it comes to playing tunes for your kids, think cheerful and simple and stay away from head-banging rock, grunge music, or rap.

If you have trouble to remember some lullabies, you may want to check Babycentre or Parenting at iVillage for lullaby lyrics. A good basis of lullabies (with music) may be found on KIDiddles and on 1stNurseryRhymes.com.

For nursery rhymes in Macedonian, the best sources are Super Production YouTube channel (around 300 songs from Супер Ѕвезда Festival of children songs) or Златно Славејче playlist.

Good luck!