Children and music share a beautiful love story… Even before birth, babies can sense sounds. From their earliest years to throughout their development, music serves as a medium for pleasure and sensory stimulation. Let's explore how the world of sound can foster your baby's development!
Development of hearing in utero
Even while still in the womb, babies can perceive sound and music; in fact, hearing is the most developed sense in a fetus. From the 16th week of pregnancy, babies can respond to incoming sounds; by the 30th week, their ears are fully formed. They prefer low-frequency sounds, such as your heartbeat, your father's voice, or the sound of ocean waves: placing your hand on your belly, you'll feel the baby move slowly, as if being cradle-soothed by these soothing sounds. Conversely, high-frequency sounds or sudden noises may startle the baby. Music also affects them: when you listen to music, their heartbeat changes and they begin to move. Babies seem to prefer soft melodies, especially piano sounds: try Chopin's Nocturnes or Bach's Preludes!
Newborn's musical ear
From birth, babies are sensitive to music. If you listened to the same tunes frequently during pregnancy, playing them for your baby after birth will allow them to easily recognize them and show interest. Familiar music can also help when your baby has difficulty falling asleep or cries incessantly: it evokes positive emotions your baby experienced before birth, making them feel safe and calm. From a very young age, babies will also enjoy you singing to them: even if you're not a great singer, no sound is more beautiful to their little ears than yours! Nursery rhymes and lullabies stimulate their auditory abilities, concentration, artistic sense, and language learning. Music thus becomes an important key to the emotional and learning bond between you and your baby.
When your baby becomes a little musician
As your baby grows, their interest in music will increase. From 4 to 6 months, you can give them rattles or jingles with bells; they'll enjoy shaking them (more or less keeping up with the rhythm). Later, picture books with sounds or toys with buttons that make noise will also be very appealing. When your baby can sit up independently, you can give them simple instruments, gradually increasing the complexity as they develop: start with drums, jingles, or keyboards—these are all easy to use. After a while, they can try a harmonica, guitar, or even a xylophone. Whatever they choose, they'll love playing with sounds and creating freely! These instruments also help develop fine motor skills, hearing, and musicality. If your baby enjoys these sound games, consider enrolling them in early childhood music classes. These classes typically start from one year old and offer a variety of music-related activities: singing, dancing, sound games, instrument introduction and experience, rhythm exercises, etc.—perfect for little musicians!
