Children start identifying rhythm very early in their life. They start moving to the beats of music too. Most people are not aware that music offers cognitive benefits that support early development of their child.
Listed below are top reasons music makes up for one of the most crucial parts in the development of toddlers:
Good for Sensory development
It is a known fact that textures, taste, and colors help with a child’s sensory development. Studies and research has also revealed that music plays a crucial part in toddler’s sensory development. So, you must focus on exposing your child to different types of music. This will let you create numerous trails between the brain and cells. It is more helpful once you link music to a variety of activities including singing and dancing.
Enhance Proficiency and Learning
Babies hear and understand the difference between different types of sounds. In fact, within only a few weeks, a baby can identify the voice of their mother. They can even differentiate it from those other people. Exposing babies to music will boost their natural ability to decode sounds and words.
Sing nursery rhymes to your child. This is very important to help them identify varied sound patterns. They will also learn through repetition of words. Music will also help children anticipate what comes next in a specific song or poem. Mastering these skills will let your child boost his or her learning capacity and develop proficiency.
Instant Mood Lifter
We all know that music is capable of lifting mood in no time. No wonder lullabies are sung to soothe babies and rock them to sleep. Music can also lift their spirits. Try using music to help them know it is their sleep time, play time, or other activities of the day.
Builds Coordination
A toddler may not be able to understand the lyrics of a song. However, they will definitely enjoy the rhythm of the music. They will move to its rhythm and react in different ways too. Children start dancing to their favorite tunes and songs. They develop a strong liking for some specific pieces of music more than others. It is revealed that exposing toddlers to music encourages their inclination to move. It also develops their motor skills (both gross and fine motor skills). Additionally, if they find a specific rhythm very entertaining, the toddler jumps up and down with energy. This facilitates healthy development of muscle and overall strength and balance.
If you see your child dancing, give them a music toy. It may be a small guitar or drum or some other musical instruments. Involve playing these instruments and dance with them. When they try mimicking your moves, they will improve hand-eye coordination. This will also enhance their clutch grip.
Vocabulary Development
Yes, it is true that music can help toddlers develop vocabulary. Although the child may face difficulty in understanding words in a specific nursery rhyme or song, they tend to develop an understanding gradually by realizing the storytelling in song. For instance, when the child first starts taking the ABC lesson in the form of a song, they do it something like this:
‘Abcdefg……hijk….lmnop…..lmnopqrst…..uvwxyz’. Most children take the part “l-m-n-o-p” literally and think it is a word sounding like - “elemenopee”. However, as they grow, they realize that it’s not a word. In fact, it is actually a sequence of sounds wherein each sound holds a separate entity.
It really helps to make children learn more words. Allow them to identify a story in song. You may even try and sing their favorite nursery rhymes. Including their name into the song will make it more interesting. For instance, instead of Johnny Johnny, Yes Papa, it can be Jahan Jahan, yes Papa.
Keep encouraging your child to replace words in a song. This will keep them engaged and help with learning. Most toddlers are naturally inclined to learn and play new songs. This tendency increases once they play in the company of other children of their age group. So let your child join one of the reputed music centers and help them develop better. They will discover the joy of music and benefit from it too!
