Why Music Is Important in Preschool?
4/4/2016
Almost all preschool
children love music to varying degrees, 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 the child.
That’s because music is important to the healthy development of the child. In the preschool years the 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 the preschooler. But more than just encouraging creativity
supporting music for the 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
t he first primal instincts that we have in terms of creative urges and the chance
to explore those urges in a supportive environment gives the preschooler a
sense of safety in regards to exploring their own creative self. By telling the
child (even implicitly) that it’s great for them to make up their own songs and
tunes and dances, what you’re really telling them is that it’s okay
to take a chance on being creative; this openness to creative thinking will
benefit them throughout their lifetimes.
At a more physiological
level, music can actually help to forge pathways in the brain that are important
to the preschooler’s development. By improving the links between neural
pathways, music actually helps the 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 children who listen to music are often thought of purely as creative individuals and often as dreamers, but children who are musical in preschool may actually be
more logical thinkers, as they get older.
Musical children will
also be better able to control their bodies as they grow up. They’ll learn
movement more quickly and potentially are better athletes because of this. The
reason for this is that music gives us a sense of rhythm. Children 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 children as they enjoy music
in preschool, they really do just simply love it. For children, music is fun. And
that kind of fun translates into a joy that is beneficial to the child overall.
After all, picture a class of children who are asked to sit at a desk all day and
then picture a class of children 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 the preschooler’s education; you can see the importance
of including music in the day’s curriculum.
