About Us
How you can help
Lullabies are the first songs that infants experience.
Expectant women sing them to their unborn child in the womb.
Mothers, fathers, and others sing them to lull their baby to sleep and sometimes drift off themselves.
Lullabies are fraught with a cultural language of emotion, bonding, melody, and a few words. They get passed effortlessly from one generation to the next.
The warmth of a caregiver’s voice also soothes a child, builds trust, and fosters a deep sense of safety and love. Don’t we sometimes instinctively sing to a child to soothe them when in distress?
To a child, singing is a comforting hug through sound.
Every time a caregiver sings, speaks, or responds to a child, they are actively wiring the child’s brain for learning.
Learning Language through Lullabies
Prof Usha Goswami, a neuroscientist at the University of Cambridge, studies the developing relationship between brain and speech rhythms and language acquisition over the first 2.5 years of life.
Her research indicates how singing to children is central to their language learning. In these early years, children learn words through rhythm and tone rather than individual sounds.
This is unlike earlier beliefs that children learn words by putting together individual sounds.
First Songs Project
First Songs aims to leverage lullabies for foundational literacy. Lullabies are the first songs infants experience, inspiring the project’s name.
Lullabies, with their simple, repetitive lyrics, support language development by introducing children to the rhythm of their native language.
This project aligns with two key policies: India’s National Education Policy (NEP 2020), which recommends mother-tongue instruction until age eight, and NIPUN Bharat, a national mission ensuring foundational skills by Grade 3.
Building a Lullaby Library
As part of the Bachpan Manao collaboration, BIRD along with EkStep, Pratham and EduWeave are creating a collection of lullaby lyric videos with Same Language Subtitles (SLS)
Currently, over 100 lullabies in 13 languages have been sourced from everyday people by field researchers.
We aim to include as many languages as possible, preserving the sweet childhood memories for today’s children and celebrating the joy of growing up.
Same Language Subtitles
By adding Same Language Subtitles (SLS) to videos of First Songs, viewers can connect words to the lyrics, follow along, and learn the tune.
This helps children develop their minds, improves language skills for learners, and creates a lasting collection of comforting songs for future generations to enjoy.
Contribute to
First Songs
Join us in preserving the rich cultural heritage of lullabies while fostering foundational literacy for future generations.
By contributing, you gain
Full access to our subtitled content for children.
Collaboration opportunities with PlanetRead and BIRD to leverage each other's strengths.
Support for your organization’s initiatives, where we can contribute meaningfully.