Positive Effects of Music and Movement

Positive Effects of Music and Movement
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Positive Effects of Music and Movement
Part 1
Young children naturally enjoy music and are known to react to it at quite an early age. Just like activities such as writing and reading, music and movement plays an important role in early childhood development, and has numerous benefits. As they grow older, their enthusiasm for music will induce an obvious benefit of taking part in music and movement, which involves release of energy. When participating in these activities, they can have fun, dance around, be creative, and burn off excess energy. If done in a group, it can help them develop and polish their social skills. They get to learn how to work as a team, share and be creative in a group setting. Other benefits include development of both small and large motor skills, improving coordination and balance, and learning how to express emotion.
Exposure to music is also known to improve ability to learn during early childhood. Research findings show that music and movement instruction improves a child’s memory, learning skills, cognitive development, and expressive ability. Musical experiences during childhood can actually fasttrack brain development, especially in the fields of reading skills and language acquisition. Learning to play a certain musical instrument can improve math learning and even raise SAT scores.
Music exposure and education does have other benefits apart from academic achievements. Music spurs all aspects of early childhood development and skills needed to be ready for school, including social-emotional, intellectual, language, motor, and overall literacy. It goes a long way in helping the mind and body work together. Exposing a child to music during the early stages of development helps them learn various sounds and the meaning of words. Movements such as dancing helps a child enhance motor skills while also allowing him or her practice self-expression. Music generally helps boost memory skills.
Part 2
There are a number of strategies that family members and the community can apply in early childhood-aged children to help them capitalize on the positive effects of music and movement. One involves playing high-quality music to a child. The latest hit pop songs, film and television show soundtracks, and advertisement jingles are the kind of music that children often hear. However, it usually does not often encourage them to actually listen to the music and interpret it. Family members or anyone caring for a child should strive to expand his or her musical taste by introducing them to various genres such as jazz, classical, folk as well as musical from different cultures.
Another strategy involves encouraging active listening. Parents and caregivers can help children listen to various pieces of music rather than merely hearing it. This can be achieved by asking the child how music makes them feel or if it reminds them of anything. Guardians can also spur active listening by guiding a child through sound explorations. For instance, a parent can help the child compare the pitch, loudness, and rhythm patterns of various sounds, or ask how many sounds he or she can make with just hands.
To foster creative expression throug...