Now there’s solid evidence that hamming it up and dancing with your babies is valuable to their development! This new study shared by the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B demonstrates that when a baby is actively engaged with an adult in music they are more helpful to the adult later.

“What that means is that (the babies) are really learning something about the person that they’re engaging with … this is a social relationship that’s being formed between them and that person. They’re thinking, this is someone I can affiliate with, this is someone who I can approach,” says Laura Cirelli, the study’s lead author.

So turn on the tunes and start dancing, singing and swaying to the music with your little one. The holiday season and merry music on the radio makes this a perfect time to start this practice!

Read more here:
Bouncing to music can help babies bond, become more cooperative

Fourteen-month-old infants use interpersonal synchrony as a cue to direct helpfulness