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The mind of a child is truly amazing. It’s incredible to see small children almost effortlessly pick up new skills and learn new concepts. Most adults have a far harder time doing the same. The notion that a child is like a sponge, absorbing everything around him or her, is SO true.
Most parents want to be a force of good in the lives of their kids. This means they expose their kids to concepts and cultures that make them better people in the long run. Many things can accomplish this, but there are few that can have such a powerful effect as music.
What are the benefits of music in education and child development? Let’s examine the facts behind this powerful force.
Better Language and Reading Skills
From an early age, kids are absorbing everything around them. As soon as they begin reading, we’re off to the races with accumulating knowledge. Arguably one of the biggest benefits music has is its effect on language skills and the ability to read.
Children who are exposed to musical experiences during their childhood actually undergo increased rates of brain development in these areas. This leads to better outcomes in the classroom from Pre-K onward.
Educational Gains
There are many well-documented benefits of music in education that stretch back decades. One study found that a group of six-year-olds who were given access to a music program for one year measured three points higher on an IQ test than their peers who did not receive the music program.
Comparable studies have shown that students who have access to music lessons on a regular basis perform roughly 20 percent better on language and math tests. These benefits have obvious repercussions that follow children all the way into adulthood.
Music has also been shown to provide benefits across the learning spectrum. For example, somebody who is pursuing a master of arts in special education will be pleased to know that the benefits of music can be just as pronounced in relative terms on those who face physical and/or learning disabilities.
Besides improving motor skills and body coordination, music has also been shown to help with conditions such as dyslexia and ADHD.
Body-Mind Benefits
Some may think of music as being a catalyst for artsy, intellectual prowess, but the reality is that it provides many other benefits in day-to-day life. One of the most substantial benefits that music can encourage is a better development in body-mind connections.
The most obvious example of this expression is through dancing. By learning to move with the music, the body and the mind have to work together flawlessly. This helps train both to be better partners to each other.
The resulting benefits gained from music in this regard help further improve mind-body coordination, making children better at everything from sports to handwriting.
There is no doubt that music is a cornerstone of optimal learning and child development. By incorporating music both into the home and at school early on, children can become more productive, intelligent, and well-rounded adults.
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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