Why Music Is Important In Preschool July 29
Would you believe that your preschooler inherently knows what is good for her? Maybe that’s not always true (after all, she’ll grab the tater tots over the spinach every single time) but in the case of loving music, she’s automatically right. Although it may be to varying degrees, almost all preschool children love music. Some naturally start to dance when they hear it. Others enjoy clapping along in a group with sing-song games. And many enjoy singing to themselves or with others. This love for music is natural, and it’s something that’s great for your child.
That’s because music is important to the healthy development of your child. In the preschool years, love of music remains mostly uninhibited by the influences from the outside world (like being too embarrassed to sing aloud). This encourages the growth of creative impulse in your preschooler. But more than just encouraging creativity, supporting music for your preschooler also helps to forge important pathways to the brain which have been shown to improve math and thinking skills. Additionally, musical children tend to be more capable of developing and controlling their physical movements. And finally, music is something which inspires joy and a joyful child is a happier, more well-developed child.
First and foremost, a child who is encouraged to enjoy music during the preschool years is a child who is likely to have a well-developed sense of creativity. Music is one of the first primal instincts that we have in terms of creative urges and the chance to explore those urges in a supportive environment gives your preschooler a sense of safety in regards to exploring her own creative self. By telling your child (even implicitly) that it’s great for her to make up her own songs, tunes and dances, what you’re really telling her is that it’s okay to take a chance on being creative. This openness to creative thinking will benefit her throughout her lifetime.
At a more physiological level, music can actually help to forge pathways in the brain that are important to your preschooler’s development. By improving the links between neural pathways, music actually helps your child learn all kinds of different things that you might not at first associate with music. Music can improve abilities to learn math, language development and other educational areas. Research into this is still being done but studies have consistently proven that there is some link between an enhanced ability to learn and enjoying music during the preschool years.
Of this research, that which is most supported is the idea that music in preschool can assist children in developing improved spatial-temporal reasoning. This refers to the type of reasoning that allows you to look at a two-dimensional picture and manipulate it in your mind. It forms the foundation for logical thinking. This is interesting because kids who listen to music are often thought of purely as creative individuals, and often as dreamers, but kids who are musical in preschool may actually be more logical thinkers as they get older.
Musical kids will also be better able to control their bodies as they grow up. They’ll learn movement more quickly and potentially be better athletes because of this. The reason for this is that music gives us a sense of rhythm. Kids who not only listen to music but who are also encouraged to play musical games and enjoy musical instruments will be more likely to make well-rounded use of this skill by translating it over into improved body control.
And finally, despite all of these great things that are happening to your kids as they enjoy music in preschool, they really do just simply love it. For kids, music is fun. And that kind of fun translates into a joy that is beneficial to your child overall. After all, picture a class of kids who are asked to sit at a desk all day and then picture a class of kids who have music incorporated into every lesson. Which group is more likely to be healthy? Sure, these may be extreme examples but when applied to your preschooler’s education, you can see the importance of including music in the day’s curriculum.
Preschool Music Resources:
Technorati Tags:music education, kids, children, musical instruments, preschool
TheNanny612 Aug 1
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Stay At Home Dad, Geek Style Aug 1
When my daughter was in daycare, her favorite part of the day was the daily “music time”. She has favorite bands/musicians, and can instantly pick out the songs she likes when they comes on the radio. I made a video today of her dancing to one of her favorites.
http://www.devdad.com/2007/08/devdadtv-episode-1-the-cutest-things/
DevDad