Music Through Early Childhood
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Supporting Your Child s Love of Music By Liz Arrington
few months ago, I wrote an article for Pinpointe Magazine focused on the developmental benefits of exposure to making music in early childhood. In it, I highlighted these benefits by specifically focusing on learning and academic growth. While the world around us is changing, many things remain the same. Our children are learning and growing through this unique period of time, with the majority (if not all!) of their time spent at home with their primary caregivers. As a parent of two highly energetic boys, I am there in the trenches with you! Our role as parents has become all inclusive, and exhausting. Music is a wonderful tool for any parent to use at any time: to support learning, relieve stress, and connect with your little one. Knowing that music is one of the building blocks to learning, it helps to understand what behaviors to look for and enjoy as we play musically with our children.
to your baby, you have to know this, it sounds incredible. YOUR voice is the most beautiful sound in the world to them. Singing and dancing with your baby improves your bond, helps baby to develop neural pathways, and teaches them language skills. The best part about making music with your baby?
Children of all ages express themselves through music, even babies! Infants coo, wiggle, and cry in response to (and on pitch with!) music. We instinctively use music to soothe fussy babies, sing lullabies to help them sleep, and use songs to play and communicate with them. If you are a parent and you’re insecure about how your voice sounds when singing
By preschool, we can expect most children to be confident and enthusiastic music makers. They like songs that provide repetition and specific movements, nonsense words and general silliness. I think most of us remember the great “Baby Shark” craze of a few years ago, which basically had ALL the major components of a preschooler’s favorite jam. Improved
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20 April | May 2020
You are in charge of the playlist! Toddlers experience music, and most of their lives, through movement. They have fun jumping, running, clapping, and spinning as they explore different sounds and movements. At this stage music should be an active experience versus passive listening or observing. Repetition is the key for toddler music, as this supports language development and learning. If you find yourself getting tired of singing the same song over and over (and over) try replacing words with nonsense noises, narration of your day, replace the words with animal noises or sounds from the world, to encourage creativity and humor.
