Music for Infants

From dance parties to making our own instruments, the science of sound is on full-blast in our classrooms at Creative World! Does music have implications beyond an enjoyable experience? Is there more to music than passive listening? And how can music be used as a tool in infant development?

Music, for infants, has benefits in multiple domains and over the course of their early development.

There are… studies of babies’ responses to music in the lab that show them to be really very sophisticated listeners. In their first year, babies can notice all kinds of small differences in musical sequences, and are even better than adults at some tasks. These findings have led some researchers to suggest that we are somehow biologically “pre-programmed” for responding to music. Music seems to be something that we can’t stop ourselves engaging with, right from the very start.*

We introduce children to music from the very start, in our infant classrooms. Background music plays throughout the day. Instruments are available for play and used by the teachers. Our infant teachers receive specific training about how to “sing through the day.”

You’ll notice that every adult’s instinct, when talking to a baby, is to dramatize communication: we widen our eyes and elongate our words, often raising the pitch of our voices. Singing is a great way to extend this instinct to help our babies understand! We sing through transitions, diapering, food routines, to play, and before rest. Music often plays during our nap times, as well, to assist in restful sleep.

All children have musical potential. Every child has the potential for successful, meaningful interactions with music. The development of this potential, through numerous encounters with a wide variety of music and abundant opportunities to participate regularly in developmentally appropriate music activities, is the right of every young child.**

There are some amazing Early Education musicians out there who create great songs that we learn and share in our classroom. Here are some of our faves for you to stream for yourself!