This week we’re going to focus on Kids’ Music Day (which was earlier this month) and discuss what music means to children. And this is very much about the kids, but this is similarly as important to to adults as well.

There are so many important reasons to make music part of a child’s life. You can start at the very beginning where it can form a connection between a parent and a child in that when you sing a lullaby to a baby or to a young child, you are creating a connection with that child and you are helping calm them.

Even babies in the womb can react to different music. I’ve heard of instances where mothers feel their babies kick or feel their babies move when they play a certain type of music or even a certain band.

So that’s at the early stages. Now, if once that child gets older, if you give them a musical instrument, playing that instrument can also really help with core motor skills of moving fingers or moving arms, and also those fine motor skills of really getting the difference and moving fingers on keys or over holes.

There are also benefits to the brain when you play a musical instrument. It’s not just the motor skills, but it’s the fact that you are listening back to the music that you’re creating and you are processing that back and using that as a monitor. So that’s hearing music. Add reading music on top and you’re really challenging your brain and body in ways not many other things can.

While they’re young, they might not be technically reading the music, but they can still be reading chords once they’re old enough. And so all of these things can really help with the development of a child’s brain and a child’s body generally.

The social aspect of music comes from confidence. Playing a musical instrument or singing and getting a child involved at an early age really can help them develop their social skills as being part of a greater entity and also help their confidence. And I certainly see that so much in singing in that the confidence it can create for people of any age is wonderful. And it’s part of that understanding and feeling as though you have a voice and you can use that voice.

When I talk about confidence in the voice, I’m talking literal confidence in the voice, but I’m also talking about the confidence to use your voice as in your ideas and your opinions. And I think that’s very valid from a young age. And if children are encouraged to express themselves through music, through song, that is giving them confidence and an understanding of themselves and of how to express themselves.

I think that can be very important in their development where they might not otherwise have an outlet to express themselves, which can potentially create problems. So music for Children is super, super important in my opinion, no matter whether it’s playing an instrument or even just listening to music.

But if you are listening to music, get them involved. Talk about the music, get them to beat rhythms or dance along. There’s so much that can happen with music for young children and it is so, so important and so beneficial to their development.

Check out the video that goes with the blog and I’ll be back next week.