How important is music for a newborn’s brain development?

When we first become parents to a newborn the early weeks and months can sometimes feel a bit challenging. After those initial days when visitors have been and gone you are often faced with the prospect of entertaining your newborn baby. They may stare at you, look away and, just when you think they are responding, you find out it is just wind! Your precious newborn is, however, a tiny human being with a lot going on inside their heads!

Brain development for newborns

You may be surprised to find that when a baby is born, they are equipped with all the brain cells they will need for life! These cells however need to be connected by neural connections or pathways to work properly together (First things first, 2020).

Early brain development in a newborn could be likened to a dot to dot drawing: on their own brain cells look like dots on a page but when linked together the true picture appears. So like a dot to dot picture, for the brain cells in a baby to join together the neural connections need to be formed so that the brain can function properly – that is where we can help in a newborn’s brain development.

How can you help your newborn’s brain development?

This can feel like a huge responsibility, but you have already been doing this without even realising it. From the moment your baby is born you have been helping their brain development. When your little one cried and you picked him/her up in your arms, speaking in a gentle voice, you helped your baby’s brain make a pathway to connect their brain cells. When they lay on their baby mat and you chat to your newborn you are helping their brain to strengthen that brain development. Whenever you interact with your little one and respond to their needs you are helping them to quite literally build their brain!

Our baby music classes also help with brain development in your child – through specific learning focus designed to develop your baby’s physical and mental abilities through music.

Newborn music classes

Kindermusik baby classes offer a unique change for bonding and communicating with your newborn. Through instrument play, dance, exploration time, and together time our music classes help your child’s brain development.

In the scientific world the first 5 years of a child’s life are considered a crucial period for this brain development to happen (Harvard University, 2020). We are only too aware of this as Kindermusik educators and know that the more interactions we have with our little ones the more brain cell connections will be formed.

Brain development through music

Our instrument play alongs are designed to develop fine motor skills in your newborn. We might observe your little one banging their egg shakers on their knees and say something like “Look at how Bobby is playing the egg shakers on his knees shall we see how that feels?”. This interaction strengthens your child’s brain development and the brain cell connections already being formed by giving him positive encouragement in a nurturing environment.

Our baby music classes can also encourage the development of new brain connections. The home activities available through Kindermusik Online help encourage the different areas of the brain to develop through music. To find out more about our newborn music classes click here.

Enjoy music with your baby and next time you are singing a lullaby remember that by sharing a musical connection with your newborn you are helping your baby’s brain development. How amazing is that?!

References

First things first accessed on 27/07/20

Harvard University Centre on the developing child accessed on 02/08/20