The website PhysOrg.com reports that, according to two professors at the University of Ohio, babies exposed to music have an easier time in math later on.
Gene and Kamile Geist conducted a pilot study of three and four-year olds at the Ohio University Child Development Center in 2007.
Gene Geist is an associate professor of early childhood education. He says, "Most teaching aids for patterns are visual. But the early patterning experiences for babies are auditory. Auditory patterning is easier for young children to grasp."
A mother who sings a song while caressing her baby’s back to the beat is exposing the little one to patterning, a mathematical concept linked to advanced math like algebra.
Kamile Geist is an assistant professor of music therapy. She explains, "Music stimulates the brain in ways that nothing else can. Creating and reacting to a steady beat is innate. The patterns within different rhythms and melody lines enhance an infants’ level of awareness and promote active engagement immediately."
K. Geist adds: "Music can bridge the gap between the parent and the child. Our hope is that we can develop a music protocol that would be easy for parents to do with their children in the home. This way, a preschool child will have a more stimulating environment."