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We love music... But why???
Soft music, humming, and singing is known to calm little children down and help them relax. Music is an important part of our culture and is present all around us. Whether it is shopping, entertainment, parks, or preschool, it can be heard all around and at all times of the day. But what is the impact of music on preschool children? We will discuss this in this article and discover the importance of music in early childhood.
Tamariki will often sway and dance when they hear music, this helps to improve their motor skills. In the same way, singing along to the music helps them to strengthen their vocal cords and build up their singing voice. The way Tamariki process music is very different from adults. As a child hears music, he or she automatically learns to differentiate between tones, frequencies, and stimuli. Early childhood years are critical for Tamariki to understand and learn music. Similar to language skills, Tamariki learn music through imitation and by memorising the music. They memorise the tunes and rhythm and learn about the tones by singing along.
If music were not present in a child’s environment, he/she will not be able to acquire musical skills properly. Exposing Tamariki to music helps in developing the neural pathways in the brain. The effect is enhanced when music is accompanied by dancing or enacting the word. It enhances brain power: The advantages of music and its benefits to children’s health and well-being are well documented. It assists in improving children’s cognitive abilities and memory functions. Music helps in learning letters and numbers, singing nursery rhymes, songs, and reciting poems help Tamariki to learn numbers and letters. They learn to identify patterns and learn sequencing. This helps to build up the base for future learning and mathematical ability. Music stimulates that part of the brain that processes reading and numerical abilities.
It also helps in the development of a child’s emotional capabilities. It assists in developing social skills, some children may be shy or may have trouble adapting socially. Music assists such children to integrate better. Learning to play an instrument, singing in a group, or dancing with other children can often help the child to overcome the fear or hesitation they may have in interacting socially.
Music helps to uplift the mood; it is no secret that music can alter and enhance anyone’s mood and it is no different for children. In fact, music helps young children a lot. If they are angry or irritable, singing to them or playing music they love can help to calm them down. Softly singing to a baby helps it to fall asleep. It improves coordination in toddlers, whether Tamariki can understand the words or sing them out, they do understand the rhythm and move their body to the music. Music motivates children to move, helping them to build their muscle strength and coordination. Moving, jumping, and swaying to music improves balance and strength.
It improves vocabulary of Tamariki, and although initially, a child may not be able to identify or pronounce every word or syllable that they hear, but over time, songs help to improve a child’s vocal skills and add new words and phrases to its vocabulary.