Benefits of Music in a Child's Cognitive Development
Different scientific studies affirm the benefits of music for children’s cognitive development. This is a key factor which will help to stimulate them intellectually, as well as improving their auditory, sensory, language and motor skills.
Music creates an increase in neuronal connections, which leads to better cognitive development. It’s a sensory stimuli that activates more brain areas than most other stimuli. Music can even offer many benefits for the child when they’re still in the womb. If you’d like to know more, then read on.
Music as a fundamental tool for learning
Music is an essential tool for both educators and parents. Through it, children have more fun while they’re learning, thus acquiring learning that would otherwise be more difficult to acquire.
One of its advantages is the ease with which it can stimulate emotional states and develop our personality. Music is key in the first stage of a child’s education, as it favors intellectual and motor development, among others.
Listening to music during childhood helps to expand the child’s abilities more quickly and easily. A child’s brain is much more receptive and active than an adult’s, and it learns at a faster rate. If we expose our little ones to music from an early age, then it’ll bring a wide variety of developmental benefits.
Benefits of music for children’s cognitive development
Physiological changes
These changes can be in heart rate, breathing, metabolism, the immune system, brain rhythm, or neuronal activity.
Stimulates the ability to concentrate and pay attention
Music can increase productivity at work, stimulate memory and reasoning. As a result, we can conclude that it favors learning.
Improves motor skills
The child will be able to express themselves better using their bodies, and will enhance their control of body rhythm when the music is accompanied by dance.
Preverbal preparation, one of the benefits of music for children’s cognitive development
Children, thanks to music, will begin to speak and learn languages earlier.
Improved autonomy in their routines
Children will look after themselves better, and also care for the environment, thus expanding their relationships with the world.
Improved perception
Increased accuracy in focusing on auditory and visual stimuli. Music also improves the organization of ideas and facilitates creativity.
At a psychological level
Music develops a child’s feelings and emotions, which can improve their mood and lead them to reflection, depending on the type of music we play. It also improves emotional bonds, stimulating their emotional intelligence.
Improves language
It involves the child in discovering the meanings of words, thus strengthening their learning. It improves language, as songs increase vocabulary.
What music can achieve in a child’s cognitive development by age
- From birth to one year. The child will become active on receiving any sort of sound stimulation.
- From one year old. Through their babbling, children will be able to make music and hum. At a motor level, children will react to music by tilting their heads, turning, raising their arms, etc.
- Two years old. They can already produce sounds with objects, accompanying improvised melodies.
- From 2 to 3 years old. Coordinated motor response according to the music they are listening to. From this age, the little ones are already able to sing as part of their games.
- From 3 to 4 years old. They increase their movement repertoire and the child can even start to imitate some dance steps.
- From 4 to 5 years old. Children are already able to memorize the melody and lyrics of songs. Children can sometimes even compose their own songs, thus developing their creativity.
- From 5 to 6 years old. At this stage, they already have a greater capacity and tone for singing, and can easily reproduce songs, correct themselves, and memorize them.
As you can see, music for children’s cognitive development is essential. Consequently, if it isn’t introduced from the early years of a child’s life, there can be psychological and biological repercussions due to a lack of stimulation.
Now that you know how important music is for a child’s cognitive development, don’t deprive your child of it!
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.
- Benitez. M. A et Al. (2018).Beneficios del entrenamiento musical en el desarrollo cognitivo infantil:Una revisión sistemática. Revista Internacional de Educación Musical, (61-69).
- Berrio Grandas, N. J. (2011).La música y el desarrollo cognitivo.Unaciencia: Revista de Estudios e Investigaciones. 4(7),14-23.