The Ready Child

Music is a powerful strategy for engaging your child with important content.

Songs can teach concepts to children through simple repetition—and provide memory aids and cues that will enable them to store and access personal information such as their home address.

So let's get started!

Pick a catchy tune such as "Happy Birthday," "If You're Happy and You Know It" or another song that your child knows and loves. Or get your creative juices flowing and pick something like "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People, "Happy" by Pharell Williams or the Bruno Mars hit, "Uptown Funk."

Ready? Here's how to set your address to music:

Try adding your address to the song, "Mary Had a Little Lamb," like this:

Maria lives on Poppy Street, Poppy Street, Poppy Street. Maria lives on Poppy Street in Chicago, Illinois.

She lives at 1234 Poppy Street, Poppy Street, Poppy Street. She lives at 1234 Poppy Street in Chicago, Illinois.

Or try adding your address to the song, "B-I-N-G-O," like this:

There was a boy from Chicago

And this is where he lived—O!

One, Two, Three, Four, Five

One, Two, Three, Four, Five

One, Two, Three, Four, Five

On Michigan Avenue

Can't get a song to work with your address? Try making up a rhyme.

Reciting your address as a chant or a rhyme—and pairing the words with movements, clapping patterns or beats—will help your child store that information.

Movement also helps with memorization. Repeat your home address as your child jumps up and down, bounces a ball, marches up the stairs or skips down the sidewalk.

Keep it fun and practice whenever you can! The more you practice, the easier it will be for your child to memorize and recall your home address when it matters most.