How Can Music Help to Improve Memory in Kids?5 min read

If you are a parent looking to enroll your child in music classes or lessons, and you’re wondering whether it would help your child, especially mentally and academically, allow us to put your fears to rest by telling you that Music (singing, playing an instrument, etc.) has exceptionally positive effects on a child’s brain.

Apart from the many expected benefits of Music, one of the most important perks of your child learning Music (either vocals or instruments) is its effects on memory.

Why is Memory so Important for Kids?

A good working memory is a foundation for almost every mental tool that your child will need as he continues to grow and develop. Having a better memory will allow them to store more information and help them academically. In school, the learning process almost always requires a child to receive, retain and recall whatever is taught in various subjects. A great memory proves hugely beneficial, especially in children.

Here is a list of different areas where your child requires an excellent working memory:

• Focus and Attention
• Logic
• Mathematics
• Reading
• Sports and Games

Let’s analyze these points in more detail.

Focus and Attention

When children have a good memory, they can pay more attention in academic settings. They find it easier to grasp information and instructions and can be left alone to do their work. As the years go by, every generation’s focus and attention span seem to be reducing. Thus, it is more important now than ever that your child can stay above the pack and focus better. Memory plays a crucial role in how your child pays attention to schoolwork and other tasks and whether they can efficiently complete them.

Logic

Logic is something that every human being needs to live a productive life. Children with excellent memory are better at problem-solving, critically-thinking, and analyzing situations. When your child has a good and healthy working memory, he will be able to solve problems more logically rather than emotionally.

Mathematics

Many children tend to struggle with mathematics as a subject. However, a child with a working memory will be able to solve sums with ease. Mental math also requires a perfect memory for a child to receive information, store it, and finally use it to calculate and find the correct answers. Memory will also help children remember various steps and processes of solving a particular math problem.

Reading

Children require several skills to help them read and comprehend what they are reading. Working memory will provide them with the tools necessary to perform every little function essential to help them achieve a good reading and reading comprehension level. A child can hold on to the sounds that letters make to make sense of words and sentences. They will also be able to remember how words look, which will help them to identify those words throughout their reading material.

Kids with a good memory tend to find it easier to read fluently and retain what they have read at the beginning of a given text when they reach the end of it.

Sports and Games

You may be surprised to know that there is a connection between sports achievements and working memory. Sports and other games require quick and creative thinking, improved through better memory. Memory is what will assist your child in adapting to the playing field, thinking on his feet, and acting accordingly.

Thus, memory plays a significant role in your child’s brain development.

How does Music help your Child’s Memory?

Having looked at the various areas in your child’s life where memory plays an important role, let us now understand how Music can help improve your child’s memory.

Music fundamentally improves working memory. While playing a musical instrument, you need to remember what you have just played even though you’re already reading the following few notes. As your child learns to make improvisations on their Music while playing an instrument or singing, it significantly helps their brain, especially their working memory. Children involved in Music tend to have a much better working memory than those who have no connection with it. And this has several benefits.

Here is a list of ways that Music helps improve your child’s memory:

• Better Academic Performance
• Brain Development
• Social-Emotional Learning
• Learning Foreign Languages

Numerous case studies show how children who study Music have a boost in their overall memory. They do better at school and in sports and other extra-curricular activities. They are better at Maths, Science and other subjects that require lots of attention. Enrolling your child in music lessons from a younger age will help them absorb whatever they are taught with ease. They will be able to focus more in class and perform better on tests and exams.

Although a child’s brain is constantly growing and developing at a steady pace, learning Music helps a child’s brain develop faster and acquire neural skills that are almost at adult levels. This improves their problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.

Children who learn Music also have better social-emotional learning skills. These skills assist an individual in decision-making and further gain more skills like social awareness and self-awareness. Music will also help a child’s imagination and creativity inside and outside the classroom.

Children who have a background in Music are better equipped to learn foreign languages. Learning a new language requires specific skills, including solid attention, memorization, and good listening. The beginning stages of learning any new language also need an excellent memory to pick up and retain new vocabulary. All these skills are nurtured through music education.

Conclusion

Enrolling your child in music lessons or encouraging him to join a choir or a band at school or with some friends will significantly improve your memory. As your child’s memory improves, so will his performance in various areas of his life. Every parent wants what’s best for their children, and introducing your child to Music from a young age is one of the best things you can do for them.