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Australian music therapist and mother, Allison Davies, has breathed new life into a 1980s children's song, Every little cell by musician Karl Anthony.
Davies says the tune is the best thing for anxious children, especially at a stressful time like this, and millions of parents around the world couldn't agree more.
Since posting a video of herself singing the catchy Anthony song, Davies has gone viral with more 3 million views and counting.
"I have received thousands of videos from all over the world of parents and kids singing the song together. And in languages including Greek, Spanish and Hebrew," Davies shared in an interview.
Why music and singing is therapeutic for children
The beauty of the song, Davies says, is that parents don't have to teach it to their kids directly or even ask them to sing along because children have an innate need to be musical.
"Basically, children need music... expressing in this way brings them joy and creative fulfilment."
Explaining the brain mechanics behind why the catchy song works so well, Davies says that "Melody activates the limbic system which allows us to feel, experience and move our emotions through us. An essential process for anyone experiencing uncertainly, anxiety, grief or fear."
"A sense of predictability"
In addition to its calming and mood-lifting ability, Davies says repetitive tunes also helps create "a sense of predictability."
"The repetition of this song creates a sense of predictability within the environment which the brain perceives as safety. A brain that can predict what's coming next feels more in control and a brain in control is not a brain in survival mode."
Here are a few other ways Davies says singing is beneficial for worried children:
- Singing out loud is a fab controlled breathing exercise - every phrase we sing is a nice long out-breath!
- Singing activates the parasympathetic nervous system which reduces the heart rate, reduces our respiratory rate and brings out anxiety experiences.
- Music stimulates the prefrontal cortex, which will help them to think more clearly, focus, make sense of and cognitively process their current state of events.
Watch the video below (or on YouTube) to hear Davies sing Every little cell (starts at 1:16) and explain why singing it to your child is so beneficial:
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