Introducing Preschoolers to Music
Source: The Nemours Foundation
Here's a pop quiz. What do the following have in common?
- The Wiggles
- Raffi
- Laurie Berkner
- Ralph Covert
- They Might Be Giants
If you guessed a special place in the hearts and CD players of millions of preschoolers, you're right. And we're guessing that you probably have someone under age 5 listening to music in your home.
If your child is like most preschoolers, he or she already loves music and has favorite songs. This may have happened with little encouragement from you beyond simply playing music on long car trips. But did you know that your preschooler is now at an ideal age to expand his or her musical horizons and abilities?
The Benefits of Music
Children who grow up hearing music, singing songs, and moving to the beat are enjoying what experts call "a rich sensory environment." That's just a fancy way of saying a child is exposed to a wide variety of tastes, smells, textures, colors, and sounds. And kids who enjoy such a rich environment do more than have fun. Researchers believe they forge more pathways between the cells in their brains.
Musical experiences are an important way to help create these pathways, also called neural connections. And while listening to music is certainly key to creating them, it's when your child actively participates in music that he or she makes the strongest connections. Research has shown that children who are actively involved in music (who play it or sing it regularly):
- do better in reading and math when they start school
- are better able to focus and control their bodies
- play better with others and have higher self-esteem
Growing Up, Growing Musically
Your preschooler is developing a repertoire of songs, from "Happy Birthday" to "Old MacDonald." He or she will begin by singing portions of favorite songs, sometimes substituting different words or rhythms. Eventually, your child will be able to sing entire songs, although the pitch may be off.
