It’s a question we’ve heard come up a lot. What is the best age to try a music class with a baby, toddler, or young child? The truth is any age is a good age – they’re never too young!
Carry on reading to find out why there’s no right or wrong age to get started with a relaxed music group and what the benefits are at each stage.
Music: a benefit from the womb
When we say your child is never too young to benefit from a music group, we mean it. Research has shown that even prenatal music exposure has a positive impact on infant development, with babies able to hear music played as early as 27 weeks gestation.
The benefits of listening to music with your bump include pre-natal bonding, reducing mother and baby stress levels, and encouraging early brain development.
Introducing infant & toddlers to music
Once baby arrives, you’ll notice music and singing has a powerful effect on most infants. Whether it’s listening to a lullaby while they drift off to sleep, being soothed by background music in the car, or watching on in fascination as you try out action songs – there are lots of ways to introduce music into your baby or toddler’s life.
With classes adapted to suit each age group, you can choose a baby music class as soon as you feel ready to leave the house with your little one.
10 benefits of a child’s first music class at every age
Frequently exposing your child to music benefits their emotional, cognitive, and social development. Here’s how:
Music enrichment during newborn through toddlerhood
Provide stimulation – Listening to music gets even the tiniest brains working hard and creating new neural pathways as they process what they hear.
Aid emotional development – A child of any age can experience the magic of music and its power to move us. The more music you expose your child to, the more emotional reactions to music they’ll get to experience. From being calmed to getting so excited they jump to their feet and boogie!
Encourage listening skills – There’s so much to listen to while at a music class. Your child will notice different rhythms, spot changes in volume and speed, and pay attention to lyrics – all helping to strengthen listening skills in general.
Music class for toddlers and preschoolers
Support motor skills – As your child starts to get up and move about, music classes are a great way to help them practice their newfound gross motor skills and get their bodies moving to the music!
Helps with verbal skills – First, your child listens, then they try out their verbal skills. From their first babbles along to the music to their first time singing along to a nursery rhyme or even making up their own tunes – a group music session is a perfect place to give it all a try.
Strengthens social skills – If you’re looking for a space for your child to connect with other kids their own age before they head off to daycare, a music class helps with practicing social skills too.
Children’s music class for school-age
Bring more arts to their life – Once your child is attending school, you’ll likely find there is more focus on academics and less on arts programs. An afterschool, weekend, or holiday music club is a brilliant way to bring more arts and culture to their childhood. If you have a musical child, the right music class can provide opportunities to explore theory and songwriting for the first time too.
Benefits for parents of children’s music classes
Dedicated time to bond with your child – Family life can be busy. At home, there’s usually a ton of things to distract from having dedicated time to bond with our kids one-on-one. A music class allows you to put other errands aside and focus on having fun!
Connect with our parents – For those desperate to get out of the house and chat to other parents who get the parenting juggle, a music group can kickstart your parenting social life too.
Reignite your love of music – A passion for music can so easily get pushed to the side once kids come along. The right music class can be a lovely way to bring some musical fun back into your life as you share the power of music with your kids.
Picking the right music class
We believe fostering a positive association with music means ensuring that children feel safe, relaxed, and able to express themselves. Not all kids’ music classes are equal, so be prepared to experiment with which sessions work for you and your child.
Be wary of classes requiring long-term commitment upfront before seeing if they’re a good fit for you. And go with your momma instincts; every child is different.
At Minibop Music, we offer a free class so you can try out the fun before you sign-up.
