Music has been around for centuries. Music is everywhere, and it’s played in many different ways. As a parent, you want your child to have the best advantages possible for their education and development. That means providing them with all of the necessary tools they need to be successful. One of the most important tools for children’s success is movement.
Through studies and anecdotal observations, research has shown that children with active play and singing can overcome just about any learning problem they may face. It’s as if music is a drug to which they are addicted. Music is a way for children to learn without being told what to do or how to act. Instead, they sing, dance, and move freely in their environment and learn actively.
Here are 6 Reasons Why music and movement are important to child development
1. It stimulates brain activity.
Music has been shown to increase brain activity while reducing stress, improving the quality of life and enhancing performance in children. So it’s no wonder that music and movement are important to child development.
A recent study found that infants who listened to classical music showed increased brain activity, especially in their brain’s frontal and parietal lobes (which control attention span, problem-solving skills, and language comprehension). And as they got older, the children exposed to music had more sophisticated reading skills and a broader vocabulary than those who were not.
Children who were exposed to music and movement also showed an enhanced quality of life. In addition, the children who were exposed to music and movement had a lower amount of behavioral problems, neither the children who were not exposed to music nor the control group.
Music is beneficial for brain development. It stimulates brain activity, which in turn improves the quality of life. If you believe that your child is going through a difficult time, consider running or biking with them.
2. It provides children with a sense of self and creativity.
Children learn about themselves when they sing or perform together with others. They learn about their strengths and weaknesses in different social situations. Music also gives them a chance to explore different aspects of their personalities within the boundaries of the music. They develop a sense of creativity through composing, playing instruments, singing, dancing, conducting or writing songs. They become more confident in their abilities as learners and develop a sense of discipline.
Music helps children to gain a better understanding of how they relate to others. As children play, sing, and dance in groups, they learn about friendship, cooperation, competition and fair play. They can practice these skills through group activities. In addition, music enables them to develop better listening skills and understand how they fit into the group as an individual member. Some of the benefits of group participation include self-confidence, success, leadership and being encouraged.
3. It helps develop social skills, creativity, and confidence in young children.
Children learn about their peers and themselves through music. They learn how to be a part of a group, even if they are not in a group. Children practice listening and participating in a group by singing or playing instruments together. They also learn about sharing and helping others. Music helps children develop confidence in themselves through observing other children’s actions, singing and playing instruments together. Sometimes a child may feel self-conscious or shy at a group activity. By playing and singing together, children learn the importance of cooperation and sharing, even if they do not always like it when someone else takes the lead.
As young children begin to develop, they learn how to express themselves through movement. This is how they communicate their thoughts and feelings. Music provides young children with a way to express themselves through movement. They feel safe dancing, moving and shaking at a group activity.
4. It can relieve stress and improve self-esteem.
Children who are taught to sing or perform together with others may have more confidence in themselves during their free time. They learn how to share their feelings and how to tell someone about them. Children learn that the size of a group doesn’t matter, that they can be a part of something bigger than themselves. Through music, children develop self-esteem by seeing themselves do things they had thought were impossible before playing in the group.
Music can also help young people learn to deal with their feelings when they arise. When children learn to play music together, they learn to tolerate others and different ways of doing things. As children work on the common goal of playing well together, they find a way to resolve their differences. They learn that everyone has value no matter what they do or say. They discover how to move beyond their egos and focus on the group experience.
5. Enhances communication and imagination.
Music enhances children’s communication skills and ability to understand cause and effect in the world. Children share their ideas in a non-verbal way through music. Children also learn about cause and effect when they play instruments or conduct a band together and play with others outside of the music context. It also enhances their imagination by allowing them to relax and freely express themselves, even if they do not have any artistic ability.
6. They feel happy when they’re doing it.
Music is a universal language that can touch people in ways they may not be able to articulate. Children, especially infants and toddlers, are more receptive to music than any other age group because of their sense of hearing development. In addition, music has been shown to increase cognitive skills such as reading abilities and memory retention while lowering stress levels by releasing serotonin into the brain, which creates positive feelings like happiness or joy.
It’s no surprise why live concerts make us excited – our brains get flooded with dopamine (the feel-good hormone). We can experience thanks to all those happy hormones surging through our bodies and the musical memories created years later.
Not only that, but music helps children feel happier and more confident. They will recognise the positive feelings that come along with the rhythm and melody of music – them being key to child development – and use them as tools to learn more about themselves, others and the world around them.
Wrapping up
Music is a powerful tool that we can use to help children learn and grow. The music we listen to as adults set the tone for how our brains interpret sound, so it’s important to expose them early on in life with the right kind of tunes. You don’t have to become an expert producer or playlist curator; you just need to make sure you’re providing your child with some musical exposure every day. What are some songs from this list that your kids love?
