CHILDREN AND MUSIC: BENEFITS OF MUSIC IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Singing and music play an important role in our culture. You'll find music present in many aspects of our lives: theater, television, movies, worship, holidays, celebrations, and government and military ceremonies. At home, music can become part of our family culture – a natural part of our everyday experiences. From birth, parents instinctively use music to calm and soothe children, to express their love and joy, and to engage and interact. Parents can build on these natural instincts by learning how music can impact child development, improve social skills, and benefit kids of all ages.

The Benefits of Music

A 2016 study at the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that musical experiences in childhood can actually accelerate brain development, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and reading skills. According to the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation (NAMM Foundation), learning to play an instrument can improve mathematical learning and even increase SAT scores. 

But academic achievement isn’t the only benefit of music education and exposure. Music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness: intellectual, social and emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy. It helps the body and the mind work together. Exposing children to music during early development helps them learn the sounds and meanings of words. Dancing to music helps children build motor skills while allowing them to practice self-expression. For children and adults, music helps strengthen memory skills.

In addition to the developmental benefits of music, why is music important? Simply put, it provides us with joy. Just think about listening to a good song on the car radio with the window down on a beautiful day. That's joy.

Music Games for Kids of All Ages

Children of all ages express themselves through music. Playing music for infants proves that, even at an early age, children sway, bounce, or move their hands in response to music they hear. Many preschoolers make up songs and, with no self-consciousness, sing to themselves as they play. Children in elementary school learn to sing together as a group and possibly learn to play a musical instrument. Older children dance to the music of their favorite bands and use music to form friendships and share feelings. Try these activities and games with your children to experience the pleasure and learning that music brings.

Infants and Music. Infants recognize the melody of a song long before they understand the words. They often try to mimic sounds and start moving to the music as soon as they are physically able. Quiet, background music can be soothing for infants, especially at sleep time. Loud background music may overstimulate an infant by raising the noise level of the room. Sing simple, short songs to infants in a high, soft voice. Try making up one or two lines about bathing, dressing, or eating to sing to them while you do these activities. Find musical learning activities for infants.

Toddlers and Music. Toddlers love to dance and move to music. The key to toddler music is the repetition of songs, which encourages the use of words and memorization. Silly songs make them laugh. Try singing a familiar song and inserting a silly word in the place of the correct word, like “Mary had a little spider” instead of lamb. Let them reproduce rhythms by clapping or tapping objects.

Preschoolers and Music. Preschoolers enjoy singing just to be singing. They aren’t self-conscious about their ability and most are eager to let their voices roar. They like songs that repeat words and melodies, use rhythms with a definite beat, and ask them to do things. Preschool children enjoy nursery rhymes and songs about familiar things like toys, animals, play activities, and people. They also like finger plays and nonsense rhymes with or without musical accompaniment.

School-Age Children and Music. Most young school-age children are intrigued by kids’ singalong songs that involve counting, spelling, or remembering a sequence of events. School-age children begin expressing their likes and dislikes of different types of music. They may express an interest in music education, such as music lessons for kids. 

Teenagers and Music. Teenagers may use musical experiences to form friendships and to set themselves apart from parents and younger kids. They often want to hang out and listen to music after school with a group of friends. Remember those days of basement and garage bands? They often have a strong interest in taking music lessons or playing in a band. 

There is no downside to bringing children and music together through fun activities. We are able to enjoy the benefits of music from the moment we’re born, as music can soothe infants and stimulate child development. Although a good dose of Mozart is probably not increasing our brain power, it’s enjoyable and beautiful. From the pure pleasure of listening to soothing sounds and rhythmic harmonies, to gaining new language and social skills, whatever the setting – a quiet room at home with family, a large grassy field filled with people, or a busy classroom – music can enliven and enrich the lives of children and the people who care for them.

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Early Childhood Education

What is Early Childhood Education?

The definition of early childhood education is a set of educational strategies specifically designed for students up to eight years old. There is also a subdivision of early childhood education that focuses on the development from birth until two years old. There is much debate within the field on whether or not this subdivision constitutes as care or education.

There are districts all over the country in the midst of battles to acquire funding for full-day preschool programs. If standardized testing is the way of the future, there is only a matter of time before there are kindergarten placement exams. The reason there is such a demand for preschool funding is that these years have become increasingly crucial for academic development.

The History of Early Childhood Education

The origins of the preschool concept can be traced back to Europe in the 1800’s. She  

believed young children should have an education outside the home, and this idea came 

over to America around the middle of the 19th century. The state of Wisconsin was the  

pioneer in legislation regarding preschool. In 1873, they became the first state in the 

union to start a school program for four-year-olds.

Several states followed Wisconsin’s lead over the next 50 years. In 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children was formed. This organization was created to ensure pre-kindergarten aged students a quality education to prepare them for kindergarten and beyond. This was the precursor to our modern early childhood education system. The Head Start program came along in 1965 and was the tipping point that revolutionized the system. It was originally started by the Department of Health and Human Services as a summer program for disadvantaged youth. Its function was to help students in low-income areas learn the skills necessary to succeed in the upcoming school year. Since then, the Head Start program has expanded into hundreds of cities and expanded their demographic to include children of all ages and income levels.

With the steady rise of standardized testing at younger and younger ages, the popularity of preschool has exploded. There are dozens of private preschools around the country that are using academically proven methods to help students learn academic and social skills in a way that does not also rob these children of their childhood.