Many parents would want to know whether playing music for their babies will influence the development of their brain. It’s already a well-known fact that music is good for babies. For example, certain lullabies can help them fall asleep faster, and some other tunes can calm them down when they are upset.
However, the benefits of music on babies go beyond that: music may influence the development of their brain. As a parent, you’ve probably noticed that babies and toddlers react positively to music – they sway, they dance, and they smile when they hear one of their favourite tunes playing in the background.
Also, they attempt to make their music by hanging on toys or by dropping them on the floor to hear how they sound.
Studies show that music starts to influence our brains from a very young age. By the age of 7 months, babies are already able to detect beats that make the music. By 9 months of age, they can even notice differences in timing. According to research, music has lifted a baby’s mood, alleviated stress, and helped them fall asleep faster.
These being said, the biggest benefits in terms of brain development come from making the music rather than from simply listening to it. Music-making could influence neuroplasticity in those areas of the brain that are assigned to processing sound, movement, attention, and sensory stimulation.
Also, music may contribute to improving language abilities and cognitive and social skills by promoting new synaptic connections between neurons.
How Early Can You Start?
The unbelievable effect of music on a baby’s mind starts even before birth. According to recent studies, children exposed to classical music before birth show enhanced physical and mental development during their infancy.
Recent research had fetuses exposed to 70 hours of classical music over the last weeks before birth.
By the age of 6 months, these babies had more advanced motor skills and language abilities than babies who didn’t receive any exposure to music while in the womb. At birth, babies have about 100 billion nerve cells ready to start forming connections – various experiences and stimuli can contribute to the establishment to boost and the strengthening of these inter-neuronal connections in the young brain.
The Positive Effect Of Music On Development
Baby and Kid Rentals expert, Karina Wolfin says, “music has a wide array of positive effects on babies and children. Its benefits stretch beyond the mental sphere to include the physical benefits. Playing music to your baby can help to boost a wide range of skills, thanks to the activation of the corresponding neural pathways.
Here are a few of these areas:
Creativity – According to a study in Hungary, children aged between three and four who were given singing and music lessons scored better in creativity than children of the same age who didn’t receive any musical lessons.
Memory – By the age of 3 months, babies can use music to remember things they have learned. According to scientists, music makes the learning process meaningful and helps children remember the things they’ve been taught.
Spatial Intelligence – This is the ability to perceive things in 3D and to understand the visual surroundings. A study involving kindergarten children in California showed that subjects who took piano lessons were 34% better at completing a jigsaw puzzle than subjects who took computer lessons instead.
Mathematics – A study involving first graders showed that intense musical instruction can lead to significantly better progress in mathematics than standard musical classes. Scientists believe that music can help children grasp mathematical concepts more efficiently.
Language – Music and linguistic development are tightly connected. Both of them call for the ability to differentiate between very similar sounds and auditory nuances. By listening to music, babies become more capable to decode auditory data and to enhance their auditory memory – these skills are the very basics of language comprehension.
Emotional Intelligence – Music can trigger powerful emotions. By listening to classical music, babies improve their ability to detect the moods and the emotions of people around them. Also, music helps them become more aware of their feelings.
Let MUSIC lead the way to your baby’s brain development!