05 Jul Benefits Of Music For Baby’s Development

Me: “Alexa, play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”

As soon as the music starts playing, my a year old son starts smiling and dancing.

If you research about the role and benefits of music for baby’s development, you will find something called Mozart Effect which says that playing music by the late Austrian composer, Mozart can increase the intelligence of a human in its fetus state itself.

Infants have their hearing power developed soon after their birth. In fact, according to doctors, a fetus starts hearing in their mother’s womb.  Babies are born with the potential to be musical and that’s why they often react to music. 

They look so happy and adorable while dancing to baby tunes, right? Since it is their natural fascination, so, it can help you to strengthen your relationship with these little ones. In addition, to that, it opens the door for exploration, fun and boosting language skills 

Moreover, it is proven that playing music releases oxytocin (the happy bonding hormone) which is also produced during feeding. This means it is very effective in creating a bond between individuals.

Babies who react well to music – smile more, dance to the tunes, move their body and enjoy are easier to soothe and are always more willing to explore the environment.

Let’s discuss some more significant changes that music brings in a kid’s life

Quick Speech Learning

Studies have found that when music is part of the routine, babies speak up sooner. When your little ones engage with musical toys or react happily to music learn communicative gestures very soon.

When it comes to linguistic development, ability to recognize auditory nuances – like the sound of “B” and “P”, music plays a very strong role. It contributes to the sharpening of auditory memory and language comprehension.

Babies reacting rhythmically generally have good reading abilities when they grow up.

Emotional Intelligence and Social development

Studies have proved that babies who are frequently engaged in musical activities or toys like drums or shakers use better communicative gestures. 

Those who listen to music emote better. They show affection, care and can concentrate at a very early age.

These clean-slate minds learn to appreciate art, connection and togetherness.

Spatial Intelligence 

Spatial intelligence simply means to perceive and understand the space around you. 

Listening to music helps to build music-related pathways in your kid’s brain. Eventually, it makes the learning process way easier. 

We all know the positive effects of music on our moods. The relaxation which music brings to these tiny souls help them to become a well- rounded person.

Better Coordination

Playing a piano or drum with both hands improves bilateral coordination i.e. using both sides of the body together.

Movement songs are considered best to practice and make mind learn Crossing midline and bilateral coordination. For example there is a famous baby song “If You’re Happy And You Know It” – Movements in this song include clapping hands, shouting, stomping feet and then doing everything in a row. 

Such an interesting way of learning and we probably never knew, right?

Better Memory Retention

Music affects the part of brain which is well connected with the development of pattern recognition, spatial orientation, counting and organization. A study in a well-known journal has stated that musically trained kids have a demonstrably better memory. The study examined literacy skills, verbal memory, mathematics and IQ of musically trained and untrained kids of different age groups. Trained kids performed way better than the others.

Getting any ideas? Well, you should!

Now comes the question, how to introduce music to babies and engage them

•   Introduce instruments like bells, egg shakers, rhythm sticks, and maracas and musical toys to play with
•   Help young ones to move their bodies while listening to music. Dance with them may be.
•   For toddlers, try making associations with songs and activities. Here are some song examples: “ Clean up” “Itsy bitsy spider” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”
•   Bang slowly on pans, pots boxes or any upside-down container which can work as drums. To add, you may turn on some music and show how to beat out with the tunes. 
•   Avoid introducing chaotic songs. Instead, make them listen to clean steer ones which have basic rhythms and melodies. But varying tempos will keep things interesting.
•     Sing songs while having nap time and snack time. It will help in an easy transition.
•   Lastly, keep experimenting. 

Gone are the days when we used Mp3 players or records. I prefer digital parenting in this space and use Ocky Pocky which by far the best educational app I have used. Along with being an early education application, it has thousands of expert-curated nursery rhymes and songs. Another great part is that I don’t have to spend time to research songs. With thousands of options, my kid loves their collection and doesn’t get bored at all. 

The most important aspect of using music for development is interaction and focussed attention from adults. You can not expect your child to be stimulated while playing alone with background music. It needs your sustained attentiveness. 

Eventually, it proves to be a very rewarding learning experience that can last for a lifetime. So, don’t think twice to invest in it. It’s worth it!