Music has no doubt become a vital part of our everyday lives and has formed one of the most interesting parts of our culture today. Everyone can attest to the benefits and beauty of good music in their lives. We all love music, maybe not the same genre but we do and babies as well as toddlers aren’t left out. In our day to day lives, we encounter the different kinds of music in different places and most times used for different purposes. It could be in a television advert, on a radio, in places of worship, a party and so on.
Music has greatly impacted a lot of individuals positively and due to these effects, a lot of adults have grown into parents who tend to use music for many purposes on their little ones. These include- making babies or toddlers laugh, dance, helping to soothe them into sleeping, to create strong family bonds and so much more. Unfortunately, a lot of parents do not know the most interesting benefits of music to their little ones, these includes social skills, music skills and most importantly brain development. In this article, we would show you how much your little one stands to gain from listening to music.
Benefits of Music for Babies and Toddlers
You might be wondering what music has to do with your baby or toddler. Well, there is so much you would be amazed to discover. Music has turned out to be one of the greatest tools that help in a baby or toddlers’ development. It has a number of benefits for your developing baby and some of them include- better and early literacy skills, improved and brighter moods, improved emotional growth and skills, strengthens your bond with your baby and your family.
These benefits are not just good for your baby or toddler, but also for you and your family because whatever makes your child or children make the whole family better.
Why is Music and Movement important in Early Childhood Development?
Exposing your baby and toddler to music at such an early age produces so much amazing benefits in almost every part of your baby’s life. A number of studies have been done concerning importance of music and movement in early childhood development since the 1900’s. It was discovered that children are unable to express music as adults would. It has been found to be important in developing musical, social, math, reading and emotional skills, not to mention their vocabulary.
There are so many more reasons why music is important for your child’s development and they are:
- It Improves creativity and communication
Did you know that when babies engage in sound play or babble, it activates neuronal pathways which are responsible for talking and listening? When infants are exposed to languages and are able to respond to them, this causes them to babble more thereby increasing tendencies for a broader vocabulary and clearer speech. Babies and toddlers find it easy to imitate sounds that they hear, thereby making learning, processing information, response and awareness faster.
- It aide’s development of motor control
Music which spun engagement in activities such as clapping, dancing or tapping help in developing fine and large motor movements/skills. These also aid in improving brain activities, coordination and also body coordination, thereby improving growth.
- It facilitates intimacy
Music has a way of improving and strengthening bonds, these bonds and relationships in turn have a profound and positive impact on babies and toddler’s development. Music could be in form of lullabies or songs which are sung to make babies happy. This sort of music aids in emotional development even from such an early age.
Having known this, it is best to introduce music early into your baby or toddler’s life. One way you can easily do this is by getting a toddler mp3 player for your toddler. This makes it easy for your toddler to have access to music anywhere he/she is.
Music and Child Brain Development
Music has such an important impact in child brain development that cannot be ignored when discovered. So many studies and researches have been done which continue to prove and validate this discovery. A good example is a study which was done in 2016 at the Brain and Creativity Institute of the University of South California which discovered that music accelerates brain development in children. These include reading skills and also language acquisition.
It has also been discovered that children who are able to learn to play instruments have heightened mathematical skills (are able to learn it faster) and also better SAT scores. As much as this is amazing, it isn’t just limited to academics. Music is capable of spurring rapid development in all sides of your child’s life. This includes, memory, social, emotional, intellectual and motor skills. It facilitates learning and speaking which in turn enables self- expression.
Remember, a happy baby equals a happy and less stressed mum. The effects of music go a long way and make your baby better as he/she grows. Try to find ways to incorporate music into your baby’s daily activities in other to experience the full benefits of music.
