The Key Benefits of Music in Early Childhood: Part Three – PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Music has always been an essential part of human life and culture. It is a universal language that transcends boundaries and brings people together. Whether listening to it, moving to it, singing or playing an instrument, music has been shown to promote well-being in people of all ages, but its effects are particularly significant in babies and young children. Here are just five ways that music can promote well-being in those all-important early years of life:
- Music helps to soothe babies and young children. Many parents use lullabies and soft music to calm their babies and help them sleep. Due to the calming effect music can have on babies and young children, it can help to reduce stress and anxiety.
- Music can promote social skills in infants and young children. Singing and dancing to music with others can help children to develop social skills such as sharing, taking turns, and cooperation, all of which are important social skills for your child to develop.
- It can help build confidence and self-esteem in children. This is because music can activate the release of feel-good chemicals like dopamine in the brain, which can help boost our mood and make us feel more positive about ourselves.
- Music can be a powerful form of self-expression, allowing children to explore their emotions and share their feelings with others. Creating music in a group setting encourages children to watch their peers for subtle indications of timing, volume, and expressiveness. These cues are the very same as those used to interpret facial expressions and emotions of others.
- It can improve caregiver/child bonding, through shared interactions such as singing and dancing together, e.g. dancing around the kitchen together to your favourite tune!
Music is a magical gift that brings together the young and old. As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, it has numerous developmental benefits for babies and young children, with wellbeing situated right at the heart of it all. As passionate educators and lovers of music, we strongly encourage all parents and caregivers to weave music – a universal language that enriches the soul – into the daily lives of your children!
More about Music Makers…
To find your nearest Music Makers sessions, pop over to our schedule here. You can also find our both of our albums ‘Sing, Play, Dance’ and ‘Sing, Play, Dance – Volume 2!’, two fabulous collections of both old and new songs for little ones, available to download from our online shop and also on Spotify and all other main streaming services.