Many parents worry about kids’ screen time. There’s one easy way to give children a chance to use their ears, not just their eyes – and it may also improve family relationships and overall mood. Listening to music is a simple way to relax and share thoughts and ideas. It’s even a chance to exercise, if you dance, too!

A recent research study found that listening to music during COVID-19 was used by parents to help soothe stressful emotions (parents and children), and create enjoyable time together.

More than 80% of parents said they used music to socially connect with their child. More than 76% said they played music to help their child calm down when they were upset.

And the more parents and children engaged together with music, the greater the level of parent-child attachment.

The positive relationship between parent-child musical activities and attachment doesn’t mean one ‘caused’ the other, but it’s likely that these joint musical experiences were related to parents forming stronger connections with their children – even during a difficult time.

Listening and cooperating are key skills for school and life

Helping your child learn to develop skills such as listening, communicating, and following instructions helps them do well at school, and in life. Creating a positive learning environment and making time to enjoy activities with your children are just a couple of ways you can encourage these skills and help children reach their full potential.

Like to use positive parenting strategies to support listening skills? Triple P can help.