Music playschool enhances children's linguistic skills

Tanja Linnavalli, Vesa Putkinen, Jari Lipsanen, Minna Huotilainen, Mari Tervaniemi, Tanja Linnavalli, Vesa Putkinen, Jari Lipsanen, Minna Huotilainen, Mari Tervaniemi

Abstract

Several studies have suggested that intensive musical training enhances children's linguistic skills. Such training, however, is not available to all children. We studied in a community setting whether a low-cost, weekly music playschool provided to 5-6-year-old children in kindergartens could already affect their linguistic abilities. Children (N = 66) were tested four times over two school-years with Phoneme processing and Vocabulary subtests, along with tests for Perceptual reasoning skills and Inhibitory control. We compared the development of music playschool children to their peers either attending to similarly organized dance lessons or not attending to either activity. Music playschool significantly improved the development of children's phoneme processing and vocabulary skills. No such improvements on children's scores for non-verbal reasoning and inhibition were obtained. Our data suggest that even playful group music activities - if attended to for several years - have a positive effect on pre-schoolers' linguistic skills. Therefore we promote the concept of implementing regular music playschool lessons given by professional teachers in early childhood education.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Individual test scores for Phoneme processing and Vocabulary for all four test times. The lines in (a and b) represent for illustration purposes the development of scores over time for children participating in music playschool either for 18 or 0 months and in (d) for children participating for 18 months either in music playschool or dance lessons, children participating in both activities for 18 months and children not participating in either activity. (c) The bars represent for illustration purposes the mean Vocabulary scores for children either not participating in dance lessons and having mother with low education (Low: scores 14.639, SEM = ±1.474) or participating in dance lessons for 27 months and having mother with high education (High: scores 17.534, SEM = ±1.138). Low mother’s education stands for 2 and high for 6 on the scale of 1 to 7.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean and individual scores for Perceptual reasoning index. (a) The bars represent for illustration purposes the mean Perceptual reasoning index scores for children either not participating in dance lessons and having mother with low education (Low: scores 28.626, SEM = ±2.823) or participating in dance lessons for 27 months and having mother with high education (High: scores 35.808, SEM = ±4.024). (b) Individual test scores for all four test times. The lines represent for illustration purposes the development of the scores for children participating in dance lessons for 27 or 0 months and having mother’s with high or low education. Low mother’s education stands for 2 and high for 6 on the scale of 1 to 7.

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