The role music and play in early speech acquisition

Music Play Enhances Speech and Language Development: Music plays a crucial role in fostering speech and language development in young children, serving as a valuable tool from infancy through the preschool years.

Imitation Skills: Children learn to imitate sounds, movements, and facial expressions through music, a fundamental aspect of language development.

Eye Contact and Social Engagement: Musical interactions encourage children to maintain eye contact with adults, promoting social engagement and communication skills.

Vocal Play and Sound Development: Babies and toddlers begin to babble and make sounds during musical play, laying the foundation for vocal and speech abilities.

Timing and Rhythm: Young ones associate patterns with music and movement, helping them grasp the concept of timing and rhythm.

Attention and Listening Skills: Musical stimuli capture children’s attention, enhancing their listening skills and concentration.

Understanding Nonverbal Communication: Music and gestures convey meaning, allowing children to understand nonverbal cues.

Supporting Verbal Language: Musical experiences aid in understanding verbal language, including words, instructions, and concepts.

Comprehending Nonverbal Communication: Children learn to interpret facial expressions and body movements, expanding their comprehension of nonverbal cues.

Expanding Vocabulary: Song lyrics and rhymes introduce children to new words and phrases, enriching their vocabulary.

Dialogic Turn-Taking: Musical play provides opportunities for children to engage in conversations, practicing the art of turn-taking and dialogue.

Memory and Sequencing Skills: Songs and rhythmic patterns enhance memory and sequencing abilities in children.

Following Directions: Dancing and playing musical instruments teach children how to follow directions and instructions.

Self-Expression: Creative movement and musical activities allow children to express themselves freely.

In conclusion, music, rhythm, and movement should be integral components of early childhood environments. They not only make learning enjoyable but also build critical language-supporting skills in engaging and memorable ways. Incorporating music play into a child’s daily routine can lay a strong foundation for their speech and language development.

Examples of specific songs

Here are some examples of popular song titles that could be used when discussing music play for speech and language development:

Nursery Rhymes (great for vocabulary, rhythm, repetition):

  • Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
  • The Wheels on the Bus
  • Itsy Bitsy Spider
  • Row Row Row Your Boat
  • The ABC Song
  • Ring Around the Rosie

Toddler Songs (fun, interactive songs that teach concepts):

  • Baby Shark
  • Wheels on the Bus
  • If You’re Happy and You Know It
  • Old MacDonald Had a Farm
  • Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
  • The Ants Go Marching

Preschool Songs (expands vocabulary and lessons):

  • Rainbow Connection
  • Skidamarink
  • You’ve Got a Friend in Me
  • Counting Songs (1, 2 Buckle My Shoe – great for numbers, patterns)
  • Animal Songs (learn names, sounds, habits)
  • Friendship Songs (titles about playing kind, getting along)

These are just some examples I thought of. There are so many great kids songs out there! Let me know if you need any other examples.

Two examples

Samantha: "Wheels on the Bus

Here is the lyrics for the popular song “Wheels on the Bus” and an example of how it can help a 2 year old named Samantha with her early speech and language development:

Wheels on the Bus Lyrics:

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town!

The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish… The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep… The people on the bus go up and down… The babies on the bus go “Wah, wah, wah”… The parents on the bus go “Shh, shh, shh”…

Samantha is a 2 year old working on increasing her expressive vocabulary, mimicking actions, and practicing turn-taking conversations. Singing along to “Wheels on the Bus” facilitates these crucial language development skills in enjoyable and engaging ways.

As Samantha hears the verse about the babies crying, she learns the sound “wah wah” in context and can repeat it. When the song indicates that parents then gently shush their babies, Samantha can mimic that communication behavior. Samantha also sings some of the repetitive lyrics like “round and round”, building her emerging words and oral motor planning. Finally, Samantha’s parents pause during the song at key moments, allowing her to fill in the next motion or sound, learning important back-and-forth conversation skills that form the foundation of language. The interactive nature of singing with Samantha expands her development across multiple domains in delightfully musical ways!

Michael: "Isty bitsy Spider"

Here are the lyrics to “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and an example of how this song can help a child named Michael with his speech and language skills:

Itsy Bitsy Spider Lyrics:

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.

Michael is 4 years old and has been diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech. He has difficulties correctly planning the movements and sequencing involved in producing sounds, words and phrases. Singing songs is an excellent speech therapy technique to help improve Michael’s oral motor planning.

The repetitive sequence of words in “Itsy Bitsy Spider” paired with hand gestures helps provide structure for Michael’s developing coordination skills needed for speech. As he watches his speech therapist sing this song while moving hands in a rhythmic climbing motion up and down, it cues Michael both visually and auditorily. Singing the consistent words promotes better awareness of sounds, syllables and phrases. When Michael attempts singing parts of the song, immediate feedback helps shape proper positioning of lips, tongue and jaw. The popular melody also makes producing the language more fluid and rhythmic. Success singing pieces like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” gives Michael confidence to transfer and generalize his emerging speech production abilities for daily communication. Music therapy integrated into treatment provides fun, motivational contexts that facilitate Michael’s progress with apraxia.

Is there an age limit where music can no longer be used in speech therapy?

No, there is no cut-off age where music can no longer be used in speech therapy. Music activities and interventions can benefit speech and language development across all ages. Here are a few key points on how music is used for speech therapy in older children through adulthood:

  • School-Age Children & Teens – Music continues to be used in speech sessionsfor school-aged kids and teens to work on speech sound production, vocabulary building, understanding figurative language, social communication skills, following multi-step directions, and more. The music selections become more age-appropriate.
  • Adults – Music therapy techniques are effectively incorporated into speech treatment sessions with adults as well. This includes using songwriting to improve word retrieval skills for adults with aphasia after stroke or brain injury. Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) uses the musical elements of singing to help rebuild language abilities.
  • Geriatric Population – Singing songs from earlier eras can tap into long-term memory, helping older adults with dementia or cognitive decline access speech and language skills. Associating melodies with key words through song facilitates retaining information.
  • Across Age Spans – No matter the age, the rhythm, pitch, and pattern of music activates and engages areas of the brain responsible for language and communication. Music’s predictability can also provide structure for organizing language formulation.

In summary, while musical selections and activities are tailored appropriately for an individual’s interests and ability level, the benefits of incorporating music for improved speech and language development can be achieved at any age. Music is an evidence-based therapeutic tool without limitations.