“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato
Walk into any early years setting and you’ll hear it before you see it; a child humming, rhythmic tapping of wooden blocks, spontaneous singing during play, or laughter as children play together. Music is not an ‘extra’ in early years; it is a part of how young children play, communicate and learn.
As early years practitioners, we have a unique opportunity to nurture children’s natural musicality. Rather than seeing music as a timetabled activity or something reserved for visiting specialists, we should recognise it as a powerful pedagogical tool that supports children’s imagination and creativity while also celebrating music as an art.
Children Are Naturally Musical
From birth, children respond instinctively to rhythm, melody and movement. Babies are soothed by lullabies, toddlers enjoy repetitive songs, and preschool children naturally incorporate sounds, rhythms and singing into their play.
Careful observation shows that children are constantly making music. They might:
- Sing while dressing dolls.
- Create sound effects for cars, dinosaurs or animals.
- Tap rhythms with construction blocks.
- Hum during water play.
- Dance spontaneously when they hear music.
These moments are not simply playful behaviours; they are examples of children’s natural musicality.
Music Is Not Just a Resource
Too often, music is solely used to support other areas of learning, such as language development or mathematics. While these benefits are clear, using music only as teaching tool undervalues its importance.
Music is part of human culture, creativity and identity; and just as we value storytelling and imaginative play, music should be recognised as an important element of a broad, balanced and enriching early years curriculum.
Quality music experiences help children develop confidence, creativity and self-expression.
The Developmental Benefits of Music
Although music deserves its own place within early childhood education, it has a powerful impact across all areas of development.
Cognitive Development
Music stimulates many different areas of the brain simultaneously. Learning songs, recognising rhythms and exploring patterns strengthens memory, attention and thinking skills.
Research suggests musical experiences can support:
- Memory and recall.
- Pattern recognition.
- Early mathematical thinking.
- Problem-solving skills.
- Concentration and sustained attention.
Studies from the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California have found that musical experiences during early childhood can accelerate aspects of young children’s brain development linked with language acquisition and reading.
Language and Communication
Music and language share many similarities. Rhythm mirrors speech patterns, while songs introduce vocabulary, sentence structure and repetition in enjoyable, memorable ways.
Through singing and musical play, children develop:
- Vocabulary.
- Listening skills.
- Pronunciation.
- Speech rhythm.
- Confidence in communication.
Music is particularly beneficial as it encourages every child to participate, regardless of their stage of language development.
Emotional Wellbeing
Music gives children opportunities to express emotions they may not yet have the words to explain.
A calming melody can help regulate emotions after a difficult moment, while energetic songs provide opportunities for excitement and joy.
Regular musical experiences help children develop:
- Emotional awareness.
- Self-regulation.
- Confidence.
- Resilience.
- Empathy.
Shared musical experiences also create feelings of belonging and emotional security within the setting.
Social Development
Making music together naturally encourages collaboration.
Whether singing action songs, passing instruments around in a circle, children learn valuable social skills including:
- Turn-taking.
- Cooperation.
- Active listening.
- Respect for others.
- Teamwork.
Music creates opportunities for every child to participate regardless of their stage of development or confidence.
Physical Development
Music encourages movement.
Clapping, dancing, jumping, balancing and playing instruments all promotes children’s physical development while making movement enjoyable.
Musical activities support:
- Gross motor skills.
- Fine motor control.
- Coordination.
- Balance.
- Body awareness.
These experiences align naturally with physical development and connect closely to how big movements build tiny skills.
Creativity and Imagination
Perhaps one of music’s greatest gifts is the freedom it offers children to create.
Children make-up songs, invent dances, experiment with sounds and transform everyday objects into instruments. These creative experiences build imagination, confidence and independent thinking.
Music Should Begin With the Child
High-quality early years practice always starts with what children can already do.
The same principle applies to music.
Rather than delivering pre-planned activities with fixed outcomes, practitioners should observe children’s interests, musical preferences and spontaneous music-making before planning activities.
Effective musical pedagogy involves:
- Listening carefully to children’s musical ideas.
- Joining in with children’s play.
- Valuing children’s own songs and rhythms.
- Offering a wide variety of musical experiences.
- Building on children’s interests.
Music becomes far more meaningful when it develops naturally from children’s curiosity and creativity. This approach reflects what child-led learning in early years actually means in practice.
Practitioners Are the Most Powerful Musical Resource
Many practitioners worry they are “not musical enough” to lead music activities. Children do not need professional performances, they need enthusiastic adults who are willing to sing, move and enjoy making music alongside them.
Simple daily experiences often have the greatest impact:
- Greeting songs.
- Transition songs.
- Singing during routines.
- Musical storytelling.
- Instrument exploration.
- Dancing together.
- Outdoor sound walks.
- Homemade instruments.
These everyday interactions help make music part of children’s daily lives rather than an occasional activity. They also support creating enabling environments that feel familiar and inviting to young children.
Celebrating Diversity Through Music
Music also opens doors to cultures, traditions and communities both locally and around the world.
Introducing children to music from different cultures encourages curiosity, respect and appreciation of diversity while helping children develop a sense of identity and belonging.
Sharing songs from families’ home languages and cultural traditions also strengthens partnerships with parents and celebrates the richness of every child’s background, which ties directly into cultural capital and equality, diversity and inclusion. It further supports children with English as an additional language by giving them familiar sounds and rhythms to lean on.
Final Thoughts
Music is a powerful tool available to early years practitioners, not because it simply supports other areas of learning, but because it enriches early childhood itself.
Through music, children communicate, create, connect, regulate emotions, solve problems and discover who they are. It supports every area of development while encouraging joy, curiosity and belonging.
As practitioners, we don’t need expensive instruments or specialist training to make music meaningful. We simply need to recognise the musical potential already present in every child and create environments where that potential can flourish.
When we value children’s spontaneous songs, dance alongside them, listen to their rhythms and make music part of everyday life, we are doing far more than delivering an activity, we are helping children build confidence, creativity and a lifelong love of learning.