Key Music Milestones from Birth to Threes
Music plays a vital role in early childhood development, fostering cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Understanding your child’s musical milestones can help you provide enriching musical experiences that support their development.
This guide explores how children interact with music and the developmental benefits they gain at each stage, from before they are born to their third birthday:
Birth to 6 Months: Responding to the Rhythms of Life
Even before they can speak, babies are captivated by music. During this stage, your baby will likely respond to music with changes in attention and arousal. They may become more alert, calm down, or even start to move in time with the music.
Simple songs and nursery rhymes, often sung softly and repetitively, can be incredibly soothing and engaging for newborns.
DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD | WHAT MUSIC CAN CONTRIBUTE |
The Pre and Perinatal Period. Even in these early months, families can create a musical world for their babies. This lays the groundwork for a lifelong love of music and helps them develop important listening and communication skills. During this time, music can: | Strengthen the bond between parent and child: Singing and interacting with your baby through music enhances your connection |
Help babies learn to listen: Early vocal exchanges and responding to your voice help babies understand and respond to sounds. | |
Create calming routines: Music can soothe your baby and help them transition between activities, such as bedtime or feeding time. | |
Capture their attention: Using sounds to engage your baby helps them focus and lays the foundation for future language development. | |
Young Infants: (2 – 5 months). As babies get better at focusing and sleeping more regularly, music time can become even more interactive. During this stage, music can: | Boost parent confidence: Sharing music can create special moments and strengthen the bond between you and your baby. |
Establish healthy routines: Music can help create calming routines for feeding, naps, and bedtime, which benefits the whole family. | |
Encourage early communication: Babies start making more sounds like coos and gurgles. Music encourages these sounds and helps them learn to communicate. | |
Reflect your culture: Music introduces babies to the sounds and rhythms of their family and culture. |
6 to 12 Months: The Dawn of Vocal Play
This is a period of significant vocal exploration. Your baby will begin to babble, experimenting with different sounds and imitating the sounds they hear around them.
Repetitive songs with simple melodies and clapping games are highly engaging at this stage. These activities encourage vocal imitation and develop a sense of rhythm.
DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD | WHAT MUSIC CAN CONTRIBUTE |
Older Infants: (6 – 12 months). During this exciting phase, babies become more social, enjoying playful interactions and games that involve shared attention with their caregivers. They also turn into little explorers, eager to reach, grab, and crawl towards new experiences. In this context, music can: | Strengthen bonds: Music adds a special touch to playtime with parents and caregivers through games like peek-a-boo with songs and turn-taking activities set to music. |
Encourage social interaction: Music provides a fun and engaging way for babies to interact with a variety of people, from siblings to grandparents. | |
Spark curiosity: Musical sounds create a stimulating environment that encourages exploration. Babies will be drawn to the source of the music, crawling towards it and discovering new objects and sounds along the way (like the rattle they love to shake!). |
1 to 2 Years: Exploring Musical Sounds
Your child’s curiosity about music will grow during this period. They may show a strong interest in music-making toys such as shakers, drums, and bells.
You might observe them banging on objects, exploring different sounds, and even attempting to imitate simple melodies.
2 to 3 Years: The First Steps in Singing
This is a time of exciting musical breakthroughs! Your child may start to sing simple songs, often with limited vocabulary but enthusiastically.
They may also show an interest in playing simple instruments, such as banging on drums or shaking shakers.
DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD | WHAT MUSIC CAN CONTRIBUTE |
Toddlers (1 – 3 Years). Toddlers are busy explorers! They learn to walk, run, and even skip and jump. They start to talk, using words and even sentences to tell you all about their adventures. Music can play a wonderful role during this exciting time: | Simple Songs: Catchy songs help toddlers learn new words and movements. |
Routines Made Fun: Music can make daily routines like getting dressed or cleaning up more enjoyable. | |
Learning to Play Together: Songs and games teach toddlers important social skills like taking turns, waiting for their turn, and listening to others. | |
Igniting Creativity: Music encourages imagination! Toddlers may sing themselves to sleep, make up silly chants while they play, or even invent their own songs. |
Music at Step by Step Nurseries
At Step by Step Nurseries, we recognize the profound impact of music on early childhood development. We provide a rich musical environment where children can sing, dance, play instruments, and explore the world of sound. This not only enriches their lives but also equips them with essential cognitive skills that will benefit their academic journey and beyond.
We believe that music is more than just entertainment; it is a powerful tool for cognitive, social, and emotional development. By incorporating music into our curriculum, we aim to nurture well-rounded individuals with strong cognitive foundations and a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
We invite you to join our regular music and movement workshops. Visit our events page for more details!