As a parent, you might have noticed how a catchy tune can instantly capture your little one’s attention and lift their mood, but did you realize there are plenty of benefits of music and movement in early childhood education?
Children have a natural affinity for music; beyond the fun and entertainment, there’s been a good deal of research that shows listening to music of almost any kind has a profound impact on shaping young minds, especially if they participate from a very early age.
Let’s explore the impacts of music on early childhood development, specific examples of the benefits of music and movement for toddlers, and how you can encourage a love of music and movement in your toddler at home.
How Music Impacts Your Child’s Development
Did you know that hearing is one of the first senses that a baby develops in the womb? Ears develop in the third week of gestation, and by 16-18 weeks they can start to hear sounds. As the focus continues to grow and develop, so does their sense of hearing. By 22-24 weeks their auditory system will begin responding to sounds and actually requires stimulation to grow properly, which is why experts recommend exposing the baby to speech, music, and other sounds right up until birth. Once a baby is born, they will continue to need music for their ongoing brain development. Leading Neurologists strongly believe that exposure to music has the ability to build neural pathways through an infant’s brain, allowing them to take in the notes, tones, and words they’ll later use for enhancing everything from cognitive abilities like problem-solving, to nurturing their emotional wellbeing by building higher resilience.
With these facts in mind, it’s no wonder that music continues to have such an effect on children, and early childhood educators are the first to see the benefits of music in early childhood, and advocate for music to be included as a large part of their educational journey.
The Benefits of Music and Movement for Toddlers
Just as music is fundamental in the development of babies (and as we also learnt basic human life), music not only supports young children in further developing an ear for sound, there are a range of other developmental benefits of music for toddlers as well, including:
Cognitive Development
When toddlers listen to music, it engages various brain functions simultaneously. This means that they process patterns, rhythms, and melodies, which can improve their memory and attention span
Emotional Development
Singing songs or listening to calming tunes can help toddlers to express their feelings and manage stress. Music also provides an outlet for creativity and self-expression, allowing them to explore and understand their emotions better.
Social Development
Group music activities teach toddlers several essential social skills that they will go on to use throughout their life, for instance social interaction, taking turns, listening to others, and cooperation and working as a team.
Physical Development
Engaging with music often involves body movement, whether it’s dancing to a beat or playing an instrument. Physical activities involving music will help to improve fine and gross motor skills, and you could easily include them as part of any fine motor activities for toddlers that you do with your child.
Language Development
Singing songs helps toddlers learn new vocabulary, understand sentence structure, and develop phonological awareness. The rhythm and rhyme in music also make it easier for children to remember words and phrases.
Support Your Toddler With Musical Activities at Home
As you can tell, the benefits of music and movement for toddlers play a crucial role in their early development, and there’s a reason why. The brain of a child doubles in size during their first year of life, and keeps growing. By the time they are 3 (a toddler), their brain is about 80% the size of an adults, and by age 5 it has reached 90%. Therefore most of our human brain development actually happens during those early childhood years.
Toddlers are also naturally inquisitive and bursting with energy, so it’s the ideal time to bring in music (if you haven’t put thought into it already). Merging music with movement into your toddler’s daily routine and playtime is fun; you don’t need to be too musical yourself or have instruments, it’s easier than you might think. Here are some very simple ways that you can create sweet music with your toddler at home:
Create your own musical instruments
- Kitchen Band: Don’t stress if you don’t have any musical toys, there are sure to be plenty of household items that you can repurpose. Think pots, spoons, utensils, containers, boxes, or fill empty jars with different levels of water. With a little creativity, you’ll find endless musical possibilities for your little one.
- Homemade Shakers: Simply take any small, empty plastic bottles you may have in your recycling, and fill them with small items like rice, dried beans, seeds, or stones. You can even put different fillers into separate bottles to create unique sounds that your toddler will be able to hear as they play.
- A Drum Set: Gather various-sized pots and pans to create a mini drum set. Or for drums that are a little less noisy you can also use plastic tubs or containers. Then hand your toddler a wooden spoon or spatula, discovering different tones and rhythms as they tap away.
- Bottle Cap Tambourine: Hammer metal bottle caps onto a piece of wood to make a tambourine, an easy instrument that is sure to delight your child with its jingling.
- Rhythm Sticks: Use short pieces of dowelling, chopsticks, or rulers to create rhythm sticks that your toddler can tap together, creating different beats and patterns.
Make music fun
- Sing and Create Songs: Spend time singing, listening to, or making up songs and nursery rhymes with your toddler. Don’t forget the classics from your childhood. Singing songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Incy Wincy Spider, The Wheels On The Bus, or Row Row Row Your Boat is a great way to enhance their language skills. Counting rhymes like Five Little Ducks, The Ants Go Marching In, This Old Man, and Ten Green Bottles will introduce counting (and mathematical skills), while encouraging your child to join in and sing as well as using their hands or toys to count with you. You could also introduce songs in other languages or from other cultures.
- Dance to Music: Turn on some music and have a dance party! Dancing to music helps toddlers develop their motor skills and coordination while having loads of fun. You may even notice that your toddler starts to dance on their own, so continue to encourage it.
- Listen to Music Together: Whether in the car (short or long trips) or hanging out at home, press play on music. It could be your favorite artists, or choose a variety of genres and artists to expose your toddler to a range of different sounds and rhythms. It might surprise you at what captures their attention!
- Interactive Music and Movement: Encourage your toddler to stamp their feet, clap their hands, or bang on a simple instrument like a homemade drum. These activities can be done sitting on the floor, in an adult’s lap, or independently.
- Family Music Time: Make enjoying or making music a family activity. Create a fun social event where everyone participates in singing, dancing, and making music together, or add music to a special occasion or holiday. It will not only entertain your toddler, but strengthen your family bond as a whole.
Music – Shaping Minds and Creating Memories
From birth, children naturally gravitate towards music. For toddlers especially, music and movement are powerful tools that will enhance their cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and language growth. This kinesthetic learning allows toddlers to do things like solve problems and express themselves during a time when they are just starting to develop their communication skills. From fostering creativity to boosting coordination and emotional expression, music and movement are essential for a well-rounded early childhood education.
As a parent, when you integrate music into their daily life, you’ll be helping to nurture their potential and create a strong foundation for their future. At Rising Stride, we strongly believe in the powerful benefits of music and movement in early childhood, and the importance of play in a child’s development.