As an educator, I cannot imagine teaching children without music. Not only does music serve as a perfect break from worksheets and board work, it also brings countless educational benefits to the classroom. If you have any doubts about how music helps children learn, take a look at these incredible benefits that music provides.
1. Music helps children develop their language skills
Singing along with songs and repeating words makes the neural transmitters in the brain fire up, which allows children to make connections to the sounds in the song and the words they are singing.
Music also helps develop the part of the brain responsible for language learning. “Recent studies have clearly indicated that musical training physically develops the part of the left side of the brain known to be involved with processing language, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways. Linking familiar songs to new information can also help imprint information on young minds.” (source)
2. Singing helps develop pronunciation skills
Singing also forces a child to practice their pronunciation and train their tongues to make certain sounds. Many adults struggle with learning foreign languages because they encounter unfamiliar sounds in the new language. By exposing children to the sounds of a foreign language early on, especially through songs, children will develop more native-sounding pronunciation skills.
3. A good sense of rhythm helps children with speaking and reading.
Rhythm is for more than just dancing. While watching kids bop up and down is cute; it’s also very beneficial to their reading and speaking skills. Learning how to keep a beat helps them recognize tones, rhythms, words and sounds, which results in children speaking and reading in a more fluid manner.
4. Music teaches kids valuable listening skills
Music teaches children to concentrate and focus on certain sounds and discriminate against others. Not only does this help with auditory development, it aids in your child’s ability to listen when spoken to and focus their attention on a single task.
5. Music triggers memory
Many adults still find themselves singing the months of the year song or the ABCs just to spark their memory. Music helps trigger the memory and makes it much easier for a child to absorb new vocabulary and concepts.
It is so important incorporate music into your child’s education. You can allow them to be creative, have fun, and enjoy their learning experience, while also giving them all of these additional benefits.