Dancing and singing with your baby is fun, but did you know that music also boosts her all-around development?
If you have high hopes that your child is going to be the next Beethoven or John Mayer, you should probably start her musical education early. Some babies as young as three months old have shown an ability to match musical pitch, and meaningful singing can begin at around 12 months when parents might even recognize snippets of well-known songs.
Children who are surrounded by music and encouraged to use their voices from an early age are usually able to sing competently by the time they start preschool. However, if this important window of development is missed, musical potential can literally wither away.
But beyond establishing a basis for natural musical talent, an appreciation and enjoyment of music can also play a pivotal role in developing other vital skills, intelligences, and desirable characteristics. In fact, there are a host of reasons why making music an integral part of your family life should be an essential part of raising a happy, healthy child.
Between birth and six years old, children are developing the ability to understand and unscramble the sounds of their culture’s music.
Music plays a role in wiring the brain. The process of decoding and figuring out how different sounds fit together—known as audiation—is vital in making the connections that enable the brain to understand and create music. This same process is also believed to improve the brain’s ability to understand the complexities and structures of language. Think of the act of singing actually expanding his vocabulary, and even by doing something as fun and simple as making up a song about a daily chore you can actively contribute to this effect.
Encouraging your child to improvise her own songs, or to fill in the missing words from a well-known tune that you are singing gives her a great brain workout, and will expand her creativity. And, whether or not you can actually carry a tune comfortably yourself, the main thing is to participate and enjoy the musical game, because this way your child will too—regardless of how developed her own intonation.
Researchers have shown that leaning to move rhythmically to a beat plays a key part in improving motor skills—there is even evidence to suggest that children who regularly dance and use their bodies to express rhythm are more likely to be able to successfully study and play an instrument. A good sense of rhythm is incredibly important in developing coordination, and children who are inactive a lot of the time are unlikely to develop a sense of rhythm and, as a result, will not learn the coordination that improves their natural athletic ability.
So, whenever possible you should dance and clap with your toddler, or encourage her to beat out a rhythm, either on a drum or just with a wooden spoon and saucepan. Simple activities such as these will help your child to gain an instinct for rhythm, and encourage her brain to make the vital connections necessary to coordinate eye, ear, and hand.
Music is a well-known mood enhancer—most people listen to a relaxing tune when they want to take it easy, or energize themselves during a lull by listening to something upbeat. You can harness music in the same way to stimulate young children. Toddlers who wake up grumpy might benefit from hearing something cheerful or funny as they start waking, whether the tune is being sung by their parent or played on a stereo.
And in the same way that babies can be lulled to sleep by a gentle lullaby, young children who are fearful or tense can also be soothed with the right kind of tune. Your natural instinct here is probably to opt for a nursery rhyme or favorite children’s song, but classical music can also have a profoundly soothing effect.
In fact, it is believed that listening to classical music for a short period twice a day—almost like having a quick “bath” in music—can actually reduce stress hormones. This is a good tip to keep in mind for adults and children alike.
Enriching your child’s life with music will give her an appreciation of culture.
There are many classes and groups catering to children from the age of just a few months onward that are focused on enjoying music, experimenting with sounds and rhythms, and extending motor skills. In addition to boosting musical ability, these classes also work on social skills by building confidence, encouraging cooperation, and even sharing, since all equipment has to be passed around.
Music may also deepen a child’s understanding of emotion and empathy; there is evidence to suggest that discerning the feelings conveyed within a song trains the ear and mind to tune in to the emotion behind what someone is saying.
Raising your child in a noisy, musical home brings with it a wealth of benefits, and not just for your child; you may find that regular singing and dancing has an equally positive effect on your mood and sense of well-being. Enabling your child to make her own music provides her with a vital opportunity to express herself, and in doing so offers you a window into her complex internal life and feelings.
Just as the babbling stage is key to learning language, this early stage of music making is equally important. So, next time your toddler is relentlessly whacking your pans with a spoon, try to grit your teeth and encourage her, keeping in mind that one day it may well become a symphony.