Play it again, Mom

Often, on a long car ride, I hear a polite voice from the backseat of the car, asking, "Mom, can you turn on my music now, please?"

So, I switch on my son's music, and I am missing out on a great opportunity.

This fun study indicates that parents can easily turn family car rides into a musical education experience for their children. Although the sample size isn't that large, the study opens up a world of possibilities for parents.

Think about it: You are stuck in an enclosed space, so you might as well use it. With a little planning ahead (preparing playlists of different musical genres or having a wide variety of music stations to choose from), you can expose your children to lots of different music styles.

Musical experience is all about exploration. So give your children the freedom to explore. And take that freedom for yourself, too:

• Sing. Even if it is off-key or you don't know all the words, express yourself.
• Car dance. But, you know, do it safely. Soon, when you glance in the rear-view mirror, you may see your little ones getting their groove on, too.
• Play musical games, like making up your own lyrics and having your children echo them.
• Let your children pick the genre occasionally. Sometimes it's nice to let your children take the (figurative) wheel.

Just be sure to stay safe while you are rockin' down the road.

What games do you like to play in the car with your children?

It is distraction-free from home activities, such as cooking, cleaning and phone calls.

Minimal eye contact by parents gave the children a sense of freedom to experiment.

Confined space in the car helped parents focus on their children, play games and reflect about what music the child listened to or composed on his or her own.

The divided front and back seats provided a close space where siblings could interact with each other through music making.

Families also found siblings interacted in singing and playing musical games together.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-03-family-taxi-ideal-child-music.html#jCp

It is distraction-free from home activities, such as cooking, cleaning and phone calls.

Minimal eye contact by parents gave the children a sense of freedom to experiment.

Confined space in the car helped parents focus on their children, play games and reflect about what music the child listened to or composed on his or her own.

The divided front and back seats provided a close space where siblings could interact with each other through music making.

Families also found siblings interacted in singing and playing musical games together.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-03-family-taxi-ideal-child-music.html#jCp