Giving Space

So I have been working with a child who is not the most confident in speaking or singing on his own. He enjoys singing and would sing along with me our greeting songs and other familiar tunes. The past few weeks, I began to leave a little space within the music for him to do it on his own. Whenever I paused, he would pause, too, smiling at me, as if waiting for me to continue. I would gesture that he continued while I played on my guitar.

It was difficult to resist singing along with him.  It felt just like someone reaching out spontaneously to catch another who might be a little wobbly in his steps. With each session, I left more spaces and finally, I left him to it, supporting him with my guitar.

He smiled as he sang the lines, halting at some parts. Wherever necessary, I would prompt him with a word, or give him a musical cue on the guitar. His voice was still rather quiet, reflecting his level of confidence in holding out the tune on his own.

Today, I left him to it again. He sounded stronger than the first few times he tried singing alone. There were also fewer hesitations. He did sing a line twice instead of thrice. However, the progress made in his confidence were of far more importance than correcting him in the moment. So with a tweak of chords I supported his singing.

He beamed after the song and proceeded to do so for the rest of the session and I have a hunch that his solo opening number had something to do with it.   

Note to self

Giving time and space for a child to do a task independently is essential. This is when they tap on previous experiences and consolidate their learning. This also builds up their confidence and self-concept. It is, however, necessary to be sensitive to their level of attainment in the moment. Instead of throwing them into the deep pool immediately, provide a scaffold, and remove it at their pace of growth and development.