Music and child development
Everyone responds to music and sounds. It can change our mood, calm us, excite us, or even make us want to dance. Music plays a big part in our lives: at home, in the car, in the shops, at work. Children are no different from adults in their response to music and indeed it can have a very positive effect on their general development. As well as encouraging a childâs creativity, music can promote language skills, stimulate the imagination, and help physical development.It is not necessary to immerse your child in the classical repertoire (although that can do no harm). Babies love the nursery rhymes. The simple tunes are easy to grasp and it gives youngsters no end of pleasure to sing either on their own or in a social group. The words are repetitive and therefore easier to learn. To start with your child will simply make a stab at the right sounds, but with practice will master the words and will experience a great sense of achievement. Soon these words will mean something and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star et al will have played a real part in language development (much more so than television which demands less listening but more visual attention). Your child will get endless pleasure from sticking to a limited number of simple songs and hearing them frequently. The rhyming, repetition and rhythm in nursery rhymes are more important that the meaning and this is partly why the same songs have entertained children down the generations. Pop songs with their adult and intricate lyrics and complex instrumentals are no substitute.
A love of music can be endlessly developed read more
