CRITICAL READING

Critical Reading



Critical Reading

Academic Text

For the analysis of children's academic text, I have selected movements, songs, rhythms, and rhymes. The text attracted me as it discussed that how vital Froebel's 'mother songs' were as these were songs mothers and other family members could use during interacting with young children (Ouvry, 2012). The latest research also verifies the points presented in the text that music no doubt has a great impact of learning capabilities.

The music, rhythm and rhymes provide the children with the ways to move. For example, they begin to use gestures of their hands and fingers when signing. These books were published as 'mother songs' although the official title referred to a 'family book', because major responsibility of keeping a child engaged and its development is on its mother. Every song was carefully structured with a series of pictures showing a story or series of events connected to the song, which mother and child could look at together. The book exhibited the natural correlation between the mother and babies, which is grown together in both of them as they share the music, song and the story or picture associated with it.

Infants are fundamentally sensitive to the dynamics of sounds. They normally respond to music through movement by their entire body. They rock, bounce, and move in response to loud music. As infants grow to toddlers, they are able to listen to different music and respond actively to the familiar songs. As movement is a necessity for an infant or a toddler for making them able to learn, and music stimulates the best movement, therefore, music no doubt has a great impact on learning capabilities (Gell, 1973).

Research has shown that music plays a vital role in developing the cognitive skills of the children. The music activates the entire system of the person by stimulating the brain, emotions, and the body simultaneously. If music is used in a constructive way, it can have positive effects on a child's learning capabilities. Music holds various constituents for the developing mind of children, which helps in the development of skills for speech, expression and movement. For example, the children who involve in free play during their stay at school playgrounds are more likely to have in depth understanding about cross cultural environments (Bishop, et.al, 2001).

A child's early years are a crucial period for exposure to the arts (Barnett, 1973). According to the findings of the latest research, at the time of birth, the brain development is partially unfinished. The growth of brain considerably depends upon the stimuli which a child receives during the early childhood, as the neural synapses of the brain grow rapidly at this stage of life (Advanced Brain Technologies, 2012). Therefore, the younger the child begins to be exposed to music; the more his brain's development impacts. The people remain affected by their musical identities which are developed at very young age, throughout their lives, effects of which can be seen on their teaching and learning abilities (Green, ...