There is nothing quite so sweet and lovely as stepping into a classroom full of the singing, clapping, or dancing of children. While music can sometimes be used as a background noise, it has a worth far greater than simply filling silence. Music is an important tool within early childhood education that helps young children grow in a myriad of ways. In this article we will look further at those researched-backed benefits and look at some simple ways to incorporate music into your life with littles.
Music Builds Brains
Research shows that musical activities create stronger neural connections by stimulating multiple areas of the brain at once and building neuroplasticity–which is the brain’s natural ability to change and adapt…and learn! Music also supports verbal memory, reading, and executive function, all setting a stage for a quality foundation in early childhood education (source). This can be seen every day in a daycare, childcare, or at home with littles as they sing their ABCs, use sweet rhymes and rhythms to transition to a new activity, or learn silly songs to learn body parts and days of the week.
At Clover Hill Children’s Center, we keep learning fun and engaging every day with songs and rhythm games, also helping to strengthen the memory, language skills, and make for smoother transitions for all! Schedule a tour and come join the music!
Social and Emotional Growth
Regulating emotions is difficult for small children and can affect their daytime performance as well as their relationships. Music provides an outlet for these big feelings and can help preschoolers express their feelings, work through difficult emotions or even release pent-up energy. Research from Science Direct found that teachers who used rhythm and movement in their daycare or childcare classrooms (songs, dance, structured movement), children’s self-regulation improved.
Here at Clover Hill Children’s Center, we weave music into our everyday life with circle time, transitions, and play to help our students to grow beyond academics and to thrive socially and emotionally, as well. Schedule a visit to see the difference!
Smooth Transitions
Transitions—like moving from playtime to clean-up, or from outside to inside—can be tricky for preschool-aged-children. And as every adult with a young child in their life knows, abrupt changes can quickly lead to meltdowns. Music provides a gentle bridge between activities, helping children shift gears with less stress. A clean up song, soft music around naptime or an engaging tune to draw children to the carpet for circle time can be incredible additions that help draw the stress out of transitions.
Research presented by the NAEYC notes that consistent musical signals help children feel secure and in control during daily transitions, in turn reducing challenging behaviors and building self-regulation skills.
From cheerful good-morning songs to calming naptime tunes, we love utilizing music here at Clover Hill Children’s center to make for a smoother transition and lovely day for all. Schedule a visit today to meet our teachers, tour our school and see some of our transition tools in action.
Language and Literacy Development
Songs are full of repetition, rhyme, and rhythm, which are all the building blocks of language. Classics games and songs like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, B-I-N-G-O, or clapping to syllables are excellent tools to help strengthen phonological awareness, which Reading Rockets identifies as one of the strongest predictors of later reading success. Their research-based guide explains that playful activities such as rhyming, blending, and segmenting sounds—skills naturally reinforced through music—give children a head start on reading and spelling
Here at Clover Hill Children’s Center, our lovely early childhood educators use music and rhymes every day to nurture their student’s love of reading by building a solid–and joyful–foundation of early literacy skills. Call us today to schedule a tour and get your little one started on their learning and reading journey today!
A Lifelong Benefit
Music is so much more than white noise. Utilized well, music can be the tool to help days go smoother, learning stick faster and even help brains absorb information easier! At home or in a daycare or childcare setting, you don’t want to underestimate the power of music!
Here at Clover Hill Children’s Center, we believe our students learn best when their heart and mind are engaged. Schedule a tour today and see the difference as we fill out classrooms with music, dancing and laughter. We would love to have your family be part of the song!