I love this quote from Maria Montessori and could not agree more.
All cultures throughout our history have one thing in common… music. It is the world’s universal language. From children to old folk, sound and music have an everlasting presence. It is never too early to introduce a child to music. For a child, musical education is crucial for development and so much more than just a form of art.
For babies, listening to music before bedtime can be soothing, stress relieving and improve sleep/habits! Nursery rhymes for example, are one of the best proven ways to help a child with speech recognition!
The piano is a great starter instrument for toddlers (along with other percussion instruments) introduced as a routine. Some of the benefits are:
Exercises of motor skills
Sensory development
Enhances of counting and other math concepts
Reinforces the alphabet and reading
Boosts self-esteem
Helps parents to bond throughout activities together
Helps to distinguish right hand from left hand
Performance training
Increases brain development and neural activities
Patience & commitment
Improves memory & IQ
Builds multi-tasking skills
Helps to better focus
Improves hand-eye coordination
The list goes on and on, but I think the point is clear here. Kids enjoy what we give them and many families have pianos & keyboards at home already. If used properly, it can be the greatest teaching “Toy” at your home. That’s why the Key’ndergarten curriculum focuses on introducing music just like a spoken language. With practice anyone can understand what the music being played is saying.
