The influence of music on the baby

In the 90s, the idea began to spread that music was beneficial for babies and children in general, and that it could even be a determining factor in their intellectual development. Well, it seems proven that music favors the psychomotor development of the child. It is therefore a fundamental element in the first stage of the educational system, and the parents are the first responsible for introducing them to rhythms and sounds.

Encourage the

Music has existed since man was a man, as a form of expression and communication tool in everyday life. Music is essential for intellectual, auditory, sensory, motor and speech development ... that is why it is so important that it be familiarize babies from the earliest age, enjoy with them, dance and sing. Music, rhythm and song are so ancient and so embedded in the depths of our nervous system that any baby or child is capable of enjoying it.

The benefits of music in the baby

In the first months of life, the mother's voice singing a familiar song reassures and reassures the baby. Listening to classical music seems to be that too. There are studies that suggest that it can generate peace and create harmony in the life of the baby, even during pregnancy, since they are more sensitive to melodies than adults and it gives them tranquility and serenity.

Among the leading classical music composers best suited to babies are Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach; Chopin is also present but is used above all to help children fall asleep.

There are even scientific studies that indicate health benefits for premature babies, specifically with Mozart's melodies, since it has been seen that they can achieve reduce your energy expenditure between 10% and 13%, which relaxes activity and translates into weight gain.

When they are babies, you can follow the rhythm of the music by swinging them, dancing while hugging or following the pulsation in their little legs with the adult's hand.

Benefits in children

Music is a socializing tool, which has the gift of bringing people closer together. The child who lives in contact with music:

• Learn to coexist and socialize more easily.
• He gains more emotional security and confidence, because he feels understood by sharing songs and being immersed in a climate of help, collaboration and mutual respect.
• The songs stimulate concentration and memory in the little ones
• During the stage, songs help improve diction and articulation of words, enrich vocabulary, and understand oral language and body expression. The gestures associated with music or songs stimulate motor skills and knowledge of one's own body.
• Also, music and songs can make it easier to learn other languages.
• Dancing the songs, following the rhythm, accompanying a melody with small percussion instruments or clapping to the beat of the music, enhance the body and space.

Musical education in children from 2 to 5 years old seeks to discover and develop expression, musical and psychomotor skills of the child so that later they can choose an instrument with which they can express themselves, according to their tastes and abilities. Music has to be a game, both of sounds and of corporal expression for them.

What is achieved with music

In an indirect way, with music you work:

• The development of voice and song.
• Contact with sound sources such as musical instruments or other objects.
• Recognition of sounds, their timbre, their intensity ...
• The development of hearing ability and musical thinking.
• Use of movement to express oneself, to get to know one's own body and develop a sense of rhythm; all this will favor social relations.

The Mozart effect

Much has been said about the "Mozart effect" as a tool for the intellectual development of the baby. It seems that their listening by the little ones increases the activity of the cerebral cortex, improves spatial reasoning, in addition to promoting emotional well-being and fine motor skills. But it's not just Mozart's music that is beneficial for the baby; from day-to-day sounds, small percussion instruments (bells, bells, maracas ...), to rock, folk or popular music, they will do well for the child intellectually.

Did you know…

Policyholders have free access to the 24-hour Pediatric Guidance Service. The objective of the service is to help parents in everything related to health and disorders that may occur at any age (from breastfeeding to adolescence), as well as to prevent illnesses in children.

• Music is essential for… the intellectual, auditory, sensory, motor, speech… development of children.
• The classics: compositions by Mozart, Beethoven and Bach are the most suitable for babies.
• Parents: they must introduce them to rhythms and sounds, as a game.