Recently I was asked a question that comes up every few months about when a child should start taking voice lessons.  In this case the child is six-years-old, loves to sing, and stays pretty much in tune.  Her mom wondered if her child should have voice lessons.  I did not have the opportunity to hear the child, but I would hesitate to suggest lessons for a child that young.  Even though today children start voice lessons much earlier than the 16 years that used to be the standard, I really think that 12 is about as young as I would want to teach even a very talented child. 

What I recommend to parents is that they look for a good children's choir, either one in a church or other religious institution that has a good music program or an independant choir like Atlanta's Young Singers of Callanwolde.  In such a choir musical training and languages will be presented along with vocal training that is sensitive to the ages of children.  Achievement is usually recognized by promotion to more skilled levels within the program, and best of all children are allowed to have a wider view of the singing world.  If there really is no such opportunity for children in your community, you might talk to a voice teacher. 

Children of elementary school age should be singing in school, but with the priorities that are current in too many public schools, most children are not given the opportunity to learn about music in culture or to have any kind of vocal training.  It is not surprising that children grow up without having vocal models other than what they see on television.  It is impossible for children to understand that when they see kids singing on tv that there are battalions of technicians who are as much responsible for the product as the singing child.

There are also a number of programs to let children have musical experiences, sometimes with their parents as in the Suzuki strings and piano programs.  Kindermusik is very good for young children and their parents, and many college offer Orff and Kodaly music programs.  Sometimes community children are invited to participate to help the college students learn how to teach these music education programs.  Kodaly is all about learning music by singing, and Orff developes children's ability to improvise and learn about music with voice and instruments.  I wish that programs like these were in every elementary school in the country.

So to answer the question, I think that your child is an individual who should have voice lessons when s/he is ready.  I can always tell when a student comes to audition for me if s/he has participated in an excellent children's choir.  It shows in their love of music and singing, in their skills, and in their understanding of how to make a song something that people will want to hear.