By Dinah Torres Castro
Music can play an important part in boosting resilience and mental health. Let’s take a look at some other benefits that music can provide as children experience music in their everyday activities.
The Environmental Rating Scales Institute tells us that children can gain language skills, fine motor skills, social skills, balance and coordination, emotional expression, creativity, a sense of rhythm, and listening skills through music and movement. Music can also promote group learning in settings such as small groups found in child care or preschool.
In addition, music can also support cultural diversity for children. Music can be a way for children to learn about their own family’s culture. Whether listening to the rapid beat of the bongos in Salsa music or the mellow sound of the bagpipes in Irish folk songs, the far away sultry sound of the sitar, or the foot-stomping joy of the fiddle in country music, we can use music as an easy introduction to family history, culture, and traditions. Families can share personal stories with their children that will foster their love of music and learning. Traditional dances are fun, physical activities for young children. Music and dancing are also a way for children to explore and learn about other cultures besides their own. Music activities are great ways to build relationships and learn English as well as other languages. The repetitive nature of songs allows children to become familiar with new words and phrases. In fact, the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that musical experiences in childhood can accelerate brain development, particularly in the area of language acquisition and reading skills.
Academic achievement is only one benefit of exposure to music. Music not only sharpens skills for school readiness, but it can spark all areas of child development, be it intellectual, social and emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy. It helps the body and the mind to work together. Children who have been exposed to music in early childhood tend to learn the sounds and meanings of words more easily. Children learn to practice self-expression while building their motor skills when they dance to music. Music helps young children learn how to cope with their emotions. It can be soothing and comforting when they are restless or upset. Just think about the effect of lullabies on babies.
Knowing that music provides so many benefits during child development, you might wonder how you can help your child get the most out of music. It’s easy to incorporate it into your child’s life. Use simple strategies like listening to age appropriate music together in the car, singing your child’s favorite songs at bedtime, introducing your child to musical instruments (simple ones like maracas for younger kids or having an older child involved in school band), or even just having impromptu dance parties. Use music in your everyday routines, like the “clean-up song” as you put away toys, or lullabies at bedtime. Whatever you choose,have fun, be creative, and share your love of music with your children…it’s good for them!
For more information:
Children and Music: Benefits of Music In Child Development:
Building Baby’s Brain: The Role of Music
https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/C%201053-06_2.PDF
Dinah Castro is a Bilingual Family Well-Being Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. She can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 351 or at dc258@cornell.edu.