Alongside the physical nourishment we provide our children from birth, we must not neglect nourishment of the mind and soul. Exposing a child to music and singing from the earliest days of life—as well as listening to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an—leaves positive effects in many ways. As a result of discovering these important benefits, teaching music at school or at home has become a true investment in our children’s future.
Music has come to be viewed as an educational and nurturing tool. Educators, mothers, and fathers alike have recognized its importance. Children who listen to music in infancy or receive musical training—even if simple and at a very early age—show noticeable development in language abilities, memory improvement, and many other benefits.
For this reason, Sayidaty wa Tiflouk met with educational consultant and trainer Dr. Dima Siraj, who explained the effects of music on children at all developmental stages, starting from the age of one, and how it influences them mentally, psychologically, and physically.
The Effect of Music on Newborns
Singing to the Newborn
After birth, a baby is able to remember gentle, soft, and calm music and sounds that the mother listened to during pregnancy. Therefore, a mother can play the same music near her newborn to soothe them and reduce crying—especially in the early days, when babies may cry simply due to feeling lonely.
Listening to the same music also helps the mother feel relaxed, and this feeling is reflected in the newborn. Mothers often notice that the baby stops crying almost immediately, opens their eyes calmly, and gradually begins to make slight movements. This response occurs because the music had already benefited the baby during the later stages of pregnancy by effectively stimulating and increasing brain activity.
The type of music a mother listens to during pregnancy has a noticeable influence on the baby’s future personality. Calm music is likely to contribute to a calm temperament, while frequent exposure to loud and fast-paced music—sometimes unintentionally—may encourage a more aggressive or hyperactive personality.
Listening to music in the first months of life also strengthens the bond between mother and child by reviving familiar memories, similar to womb sounds. In particular, classical music has been shown to improve spatial intelligence, especially if the baby was exposed to it during pregnancy. Classical music activates areas of the brain responsible for spatial reasoning, mathematical ability, and understanding space. Children who listen to classical music tend to be better at solving puzzles and spatial-thinking games.
The Effect of Music on Children in the First Two Years of Life (Infancy)
Listening to music during the first two years—often referred to as the “infancy stage”—supports memory strengthening and stimulates cognitive abilities, even in babies up to eight months old. Infants show clear signs of recognizing a familiar short musical piece they heard weeks earlier, especially if they hear it again at the same time of day, such as during nap time.
When music is associated with a specific experience—such as listening to it while trying a new complementary food—and then repeated with the same routine, it helps enhance a child’s ability to distinguish differences. By exposing infants to various musical instruments, they gradually learn to recognize differences in pitch, tone, intensity, and rhythm.
The Effect of Music on Children in Early Childhood (Ages 2–8)
After the age of two, listening to music supports imaginative play and symbolic thinking. This means the child can project imagination onto tangible objects—for example, pretending a small colored block is a car. This type of thinking begins early and continues to develop, representing a major shift in cognitive skills.
Mothers can use music to encourage imaginative play by providing props that accompany songs, such as soft toy spiders while singing “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, or fruit shapes made of foam or soft plastic to match children’s songs like “Fruit Salad.”
Listening to music also strengthens language skills by rapidly expanding vocabulary and improving reading and writing abilities. Music is a strong motivator for early learning skills, including letters and numbers, which are often taught through songs and chants. Studies conducted by the University of Manchester over several years showed that children who participated in musical activities during early childhood developed reading and math skills up to 20% more effectively than children who did not engage in educational music activities, thanks to rhythm, counting, and sequencing.
Music also helps children learn additional languages beyond their mother tongue and supports the development of logical thinking and reasoning skills in school-aged children. For example, when a teacher sings a song like “Amjad Had a Little Fish,” a child may continue by describing the fish: “Its fins are bright orange.”
Providing early musical experiences in the child’s native language supports bilingual language development during the first three years of life and beyond. Early mastery of more than one language is an outstanding academic achievement that many children do not reach, but it is often seen in children who listen to and learn music. Family participation in educational programs plays an important role, especially when parents introduce new languages through songs—particularly cultural and folkloric ones.
Teaching music in early childhood also significantly enhances phonological awareness, which is a child’s ability to hear, distinguish, and use different sounds. Children who can distinguish sounds more easily tend to develop stronger reading and writing skills along with good motor development over time. Music supports these essential skills because most songs include rhyme, which makes learning and memorization easier for children.
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