Musical Toys for Children and Their Benefits
Musical toys for children are one of the funnest and most important tools for stimulating children’s senses and brain development.
While they’re currently very popular, the truth is they’ve been used for generations to catch little ones’ attention. Rattles, for example, are one of the oldest examples that come to mind.
There is a wide range of possibilities when it comes to musical toys. There are options for every age and taste. Some toys play their own melodies or lyrics, and some even have lights that go along with the sound. Given their advantages, specialists recommend them as a great way to stimulate learning.
If you’re expecting a baby soon or are already a mom, then you’ll want to give your little one a musical toy. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits.
Musical toys for children and their advantages
In general, musical toys for children aren’t just something your children can have fun with. Studies have proven that they play a role in the development of motor, brain and sensory abilities.
During the first 6 months of life, the mind and senses of little ones work like a sponge. They absorb all of the information they find around them. Furthermore, they do this in a fast and natural way.
The companies that produce educational toys develop their models following guidelines established by child psychology. Their goal is to stimulate children’s attention and learning to the max.
Basically, their objectives are the following:
- Promoting a state of alert in children through stimulation with sound.
- Inviting children to explore their environment and concentrate on the areas where the sound is produced.
- Exercising children’s memory so they can recognize and even repeat melodies.
- Boosting associative learning.
Recommended musical toys for children
Mobiles
Musical mobiles are a modernized version of traditional rattles. Their original function was to entertain and calm babies through their gentle movements and rhythms, produced by the seeds in their interior.
In the case of musical mobiles, they offer two important additional stimuli: sight and sound. As a result, children feel happier and calmer as they listen to soft musical melodies. This, along with the movements of attractive figures, puts little ones right to sleep.
“Studies have proven that they play a role in the development of motor, brain and sensory abilities.”
Bouncy seats with sound
As we indicated above when we talked about the benefits of musical toys, they’re a great tool for stimulating memory and associative learning.
Bouncy seats with sound aren’t only extremely effective in entertaining and relaxing little ones. They also teach babies that, when mom or dad lay them down in these seats, it’s time to calm down and sleep .
Stuffed animals that play music
Stuffed animals that produce sound or play music when babies hug or press on them are very popular for children under the age of 6.
First of all, they allow little ones to listen to their favorite songs repeatedly. These toys also mix the fun and happiness of music with the comfort of cuddly stuffed animals .
Toy musical instruments
If you’ve already noticed that your little one loves music, then the next step is giving your child a musical toy instrument. In this case, your best options are mini pianos, guitars, drums, tambourines, bongos and microphones.
These musical instruments come in versions for every age. For the youngest children, you can choose simple options with just a few keys and colors. These play musical scales or just a few tones.
For older children, you can choose miniature versions of real instruments. These include the same note and cords and the original versions.
As a final tidbit of information, it’s worth pointing out the benefits of constant contact with music. According to the scientific community, exposure to music allows children to maximize their learning potential of complex operations like math and motor development.
Finally, they also function as a means of expression and way to channel emotions and feelings.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Instituto de consumo de Extremadura. Un juguete para cada edad. Extraído de: https://saludextremadura.ses.es/filescms/incoex/uploaded_files/CustomContentResources/UN_JUGUETE_PARA_CADA_EDAD.pdf
- AIJU. (2019). Juego y juguete 2019/2020 – Guía AIJU. AIJU, Instituto Tecnológico de Producto Infantil y Ocio. https://guiaaiju.com/guias/Guia-AIJU-2019-20.pdf