Psychological Effect of Lullabies in Child Development

Song is a special type of speech and response to sound is one of the most highly developed abilities in the newborn infant, children thus need to be musically nurtured from birth. Lullabies and child directed songs make up some of the earliest performances of music and cultural knowledge to which a child is exposed. Children show preferences for music from their mothers' culture, and thus, their acculturation begins before birth (Custodero & Jonson-Green, 2003). These lullabies can have a unique influence on a developing child's mind and understanding of their ethnic, religious, familial or even personal identity. With advent of technology and changes coming in the family system the practice of lullaby singing is also changing, yet its importance can't be overlooked.