Radio Stations Kids Will Love And Parents Won’t Hate
I am constantly shocked by how many songs my toddler knows that she didn’t learn from me. Where does she get it from? How the heck does she know “Mary Had A Little Lamb” when I barely remembered the words 2 years ago? And then I don’t know half—make that all—of these French songs she sings. (Well I do know a few lines from Le Petit Poisson Dans L’eau). So now it dawned on me that she learned a lot of these songs from the iPod that I have played in her room a few hours a day since she was born.
We all have read studies about the benefits of children learning to play an instrument but what about listening to music? According to a study from the University of Georgia listening to music from a young age is constructive for a child’s brain development, social skills, emotional development, memory, and literacy. Soft music in the morning and around nap times is helpful to soothe or set a calming tone. Songs with words during playtime help familiarize a baby or toddler with language and the meanings of words. As they get older this helps with memory as well. They hear the same songs over and over and over and soon start to memorize the lyrics. They sing-a-long to the music or sing with friends or when playing alone. And living in France with a bilingual child (or trilingual in our family) music is great for language skills.
Most parents would rather eat rocks than listen to kiddie songs all day and I get that. There are days I have to distract my daughter while I fast forward some of her songs. Kids love repetition! So I put up with the Toothbrush Song and If You’re Happy and You Know It for the benefit of my child. The results have been wonderful. As I said she knows the lyrics to so many songs and loves to make up her own to the tunes of others. If there is music, Noomi will be there shaking her booty and putting on a show. Lately I have been cutting back on her movie time and replacing it with the soundtracks of her shows, which she seems to be perfectly fine with.
Since our hospital days in the NICU, I have rotated classical music, nursery rhymes, French songs, and jazz. I started out with Spotify playlists and iTunes but around the time she was a year old I discovered Radio Doudou. Then after researching it, I learned there are many wonderful French internet radio stations specially created for children. You can choose one or two you like and play them in the living room or your child’s bedroom during play or wind-down time. You might even learn a few songs yourself.
Radio Doudou
Launched in 2014 by Julien Bocher, a father and avid music lover, Radio Doudou claims to be the first station devoted entirely to babies and toddlers. You will find music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with programming that changes to match the time and rhythm of the day. For example soft tunes for sleepy times and playful music during late morning and afternoon. The music is a healthy mix of classical, children’s, and contemporary songs in French and English. You can also find curated playlists to stream such as Matin Calin or Doudou Day, in case your schedule is not in sync with the radio program. I actually learned the Petit Poisson song after hearing it repeated ad nauseam on this radio station. They played different versions so it was not as miserable to hear repeated as you might think.
Listen to Radio Doudou online or purchase the app on iTunes or Google Play.
Radio Ouistiti
I still cannot pronounce the name of this station but Radio Ouistiti is for children 0-8 years. A bit different from other stations, they mix music with poems and stories for children in French. The stories are fun because the reader uses special voices and sound effects to keep the little ones entertained. I enjoy listening too and it’s useful French comprehension practice for me.
Listen to Radio Ouistiti online and if you have a German or Swiss German speaker at home—as I do—check out their Swiss partner Radio Lino.
Radio Pom d’Api
Pomme d’Api is a successful magazine created in 1966 specifically for children ages 3-7. Popular French comic strips such as Petit Ours Brun, SamSam, and Mimi Cracra were born and continue to entertain little readers in this monthly. The webradio seems to follow this emphasis on stories. In addition to daily programming of music, poetry, Aesop’s fables, nursery rhymes, and little stories, every evening a 8:15 a long story is told, which sounds like just the prime time treat before bedtime!
Tune in to Radio Pom d’Api online or download the app on iTunes or Google Play.
Radio Barbouillots
Radio Barbouillots provides less information on their website about the age range or its history. However after listening for awhile like the other stations there is a mix of kiddie and adult music in French and English. I didn’t hear many stories but the website says they feature special program series at select times. [add link] You can also call in and dedicate a song to someone, which reminds me of my childhood huddled with the radio in the 80s wishing some playground hottie would dedicate a song to me!
Listen to Radio Barbouillots online, via iTunes app, Google Play, Blackberry (does any one have a Blackberry any more?), on Freebox Revolution, on Orange Live, and Radioways.
