Hearing ‘Santa Shark Is Actually Good For Your Kids
One of the best and worst things about the holiday season is the music. Since we only hear it for short time every year, it’s almost bearable. But, most of it is so repetitive that we find ourselves singing it all the time. Interestingly, this is also true of children’s songs. We may find it annoying, but the repetition is actually good for them. One of the most popular children’s songs, “Baby Shark,” has a holiday version, “Santa Shark.” It is just as much of an earworm as the original, which means everyone will be singing it all the time. But according to a speech pathologist, the constant repetition of “Santa Shark” is helping our little ones grow.
On the blog page for Super Simple Songs, the site the produces “Santa Shark,” speech pathologist Andi Putt explains. What we find annoying about the song is everything right with it. Kids learn from routine and doing the same thing over and over. That’s why many kids songs have easy to learn lyrics. Because after you’ve heard them a few times, you will remember them. “Baby Shark” and “Santa Shark” have a very easy to remember chorus (“do do do do do do”) and basic verses. So now only is it easy for kids to retain, it’s also easy for parents. Admit it, as much of a pain in the ass as the song is, it does help pass the time. Humming it while doing the dishes is especially helpful.
But Putt makes points about learning that the average parent would never consider. The simplicity of the song is actually teaching our kiddos so much! “Santa Shark,” being filled with actions, is great for teaching kid vocabulary. According to Putt, “A lot of parents tend to focus on labeling nouns when working on learning vocabulary, but it’s important to remember that we communicate using so much more than just nouns.”
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Hearing a phrase like, “making toys,” and “wrap them up,” teach actions. This then translates to everyday life when you’re something like making dinner. Or if your little one is helping you with your holiday tasks, you can ask them if they want to wrap presents like in the video. They now have the language to make the connection, and understand what the task means.
Sometimes, Putt admits that she’ll use the tune of the song for tasks around the house. By using phrases like ”get-ting dressed do do do do do,” or ”eat your food do do do do do,” she is reinforcing the point and the actions.
You can even turn the actions in the song into games. While you’re wrapping gifts, have your littles pretending to be elf sharks and do the same. Or give them discarded boxes and have them act as Santa Shark and deliver them to others. The song may be totally annoying, but it’s a little less so when you realize the kids are learning something right?
