Music is vital to the human experience, offering cognitive, social, and emotional benefits. It is both fun and engaging, yet also deep and meaningful. From infancy to adulthood, music plays a significant role in singing, dancing, playing, social connection, emotional expression, and more. Along with music, singing is also crucial in development, aiding memory through repetition and helping children differentiate sounds. Singing also supports a baby's well-being by releasing oxytocin, creating an optimal learning environment. With so many different styles of music across the world, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

What Exactly Does Music and Singing Promote?

Vocabulary: Songs often use rhymes and repetitive words and phrases, which help children learn in a fun and memorable way. As they hear these words and phrases being used repeatedly, they begin to understand their meanings within the context of the songs, significantly expanding their vocabulary.

Pronunciation: Depending on the type of music, the articulation of words can be clear and precise. The repetition of words and phrases within songs helps children practice pronunciation. Children also tend to enjoy listening to the same music over and over again, reinforcing their speech patterns.

Rhythm: Music helps children internalize the natural rhythm of language, enabling them to recognize the sounds and patterns of speech in the language they are learning. This can have a broader impact than focusing solely on individual speech sounds, like phonetics, by providing a more comprehensive foundation for language development.

Memory: Connecting with music profoundly impacts memory due to the emotional associations it creates. Repetitive singing also reinforces words and phrases, which strengthens memory. If you ever need to help a child remember something, try turning it into a song.

Listening: Music is an engaging way for children to learn to focus. As they absorb the melody, rhythm and lyrics, they are also learning to understand language better. It enhances their listening skills when they are learning to distinguish a variety of dialects and pronunciations of the same words.

Social Interaction: Singing together or discussing music encourages children (and adults!) to work together, aligning their music and singing with one another. This shared activity brings people together with a common focus, fostering conversation and cooperation.

Cognitive Development: The complexity of music challenges and requires children to process multiple pieces of information simultaneously, strengthening their brains and enhancing overall learning abilities.

Relaxation: Feeling relaxed is actually quite important to child development. According to the affective filter hypothesis, emotional factors impact a person's ability to comprehend information. In other words, when children feel relaxed, their learning experience improves.

Practical Ways to Increase Music in Your Child's Life

Singing to your baby. Start as early as birth - possibly even while they are in the womb, as hearing is fully developed by 20 weeks gestation. A parent's voice is familiar and comforting, helping create a sense of safety. In the early days of your baby's life, watching the movement of your mouth is also stimulating and provides the opportunity for your little one to imitate those movements and sounds.

Listening to music in the car. Whether you are in the car for 5 minutes or 30, music is a great way to expose your child to different sounds and rhythms. Listening to music or singing in the car is also a way to keep your baby relaxed and engaged, making the time pass by quickly - especially on those longer trips.

Listening to music while you do activities in your home. Play your favorite music while cleaning or playing with your child. It helps create a lively, musical environment that makes whatever activity you are doing loads more fun and engaging.

Participating in a music group for babies and toddlers. Join an established group that meets locally or start a group with other parents to engage your baby or toddler in music time. These sessions are a fantastic way to encourage social interactions for both babies and their parents.

Enrolling them in music and/or singing classes. Early classes can be helpful just to give your little one an introduction to music. As your baby grows, the instruction can become more complex and tailored to their developmental needs.

Start Singing with Your Baby Today

Music and singing are essential in people's lives from all kinds of cultural backgrounds and are particularly important during the formative years of a baby's life, supporting language and development and overall well-being. Music and singing do not have to be complicated for a child to receive the cognitive, emotional, and social benefits they provide, but consistently providing musical experiences can be rewarding. If you need ideas to help with development, Curious Baby Cards is here to help you stimulate your baby's language development with age-specific activities.