As some of you might have noticed, I always include a show’s theme song in my Crash Course posts. This is because one of my favorite distraction tools is the theme songs of children’s TV shows. There’s a couple reasons for this: 1) I always have my voice 2) All kids know their favorite show’s theme song and 3) Singing distracts and calms all ages.
1) They are always with me because I can sing whenever and wherever
Sometimes I’m called into a room suddenly and I don’t have time to grab distraction toys. Other times we’re halfway through a procedure and the patient is distractible, but they have a short attention span so I need to keep switching up what I’m doing. And finally there are times when I’m using my distractions toys but they aren’t working. Although I’m not going to be joining any choirs or competing on American Idol, I can sing the Paw Patrol theme song well enough to keep a kid’s attention.
2) It’s something familiar for the kids because they all know the theme song of their favorite shows
The advantage to having a variety of distraction toys is that we often have something the patients haven’t seen before. Unique toys that the child isn’t familiar with or doesn’t have at home can be the best distraction because it keeps the child’s attention. But that doesn’t work for all patients and sometimes the new environment is stressful enough and the child wants things that they are familiar with, like a comfort person or favorite stuffed animal. The theme song of their favorite show can be a familiar thing that also engages them.
3) Singing distracts and calms all ages
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages that media usage be minimal for young children. Because of this, I prefer to use toys to engage my toddlers in play during their procedures instead of playing a favorite show on the iPad. Because many young children do watch TV at home, singing the theme song can be a way to tie in their favorite show without using the iPad.
Check out all our Crash Courses to meet the characters of popular children’s shows and learn their theme songs! My personal favorite songs are Paw Patrol and Daniel Tiger’s theme songs! Comment below and let me know your favorite theme songs!
The Three "Peas" of Child Life 