Teaching children through musical intelligence (multiple intelligence)

Musical intelligence is how we relate to sound and music and patterns, to be able to listen and absorb from sounds, to be able to think in rhythms and patterns, and to recognize these and manipulate them.

For a child, who is strong in musical intelligence, here are some ways in which you can provide interesting learning opportunities.

Strengths of children with musical intelligence

• They have great listening skills and pick up on nuances very easily
• They are attracted to interesting sounds and music
• They can identify rhythms and patterns in virtually everything, even where others may not
• The internalize and absorb information in patterns and rhythms

Activites that children with musical intelligence will enjoy

• Listening to music
• Singing songs, and rhymes
• Working with numbers and number theory as they grow up. (It is possible that the great Indian mathematician Srinivasan Ramanujam who could see patterns in numbers was musically intelligent, because he could see patterns in the numbers before he made them into generic formulae and equations.)
• Learning languages and grammar
• Learning, ciphering and deciphering codes and symbols

Helping children with musical intelligence learn

For children with musical intelligence, music, rhythms and patterns, are the best pathways to help them learn.

• Get them books with rhythmic language
• Help them create musical mnemonics when they learn things
• Get them books which have number games, word pattern games
• Help them find patterns in everything they see and learn
• When they learn new concepts, have them write songs or repeat it to you in a musical tune of their choice

Toys and materials that you should have for children with musical intelligence

• Dr. Seuss books
• Song and rhyme books
• Number games
• Word pattern games
• Visual pattern games
• Games using symbols and codes
• Puzzles
• Music from all over the world
• Musical instruments

Examples of how to teach various topics to children with musical intelligence

Mathematics

• To teach multiplication tables, set the tables to music and let them learn it in a singsong tune.
• When they do a problem with equations, tell them to sing aloud each operation they have to carry out.

Science

• If you are teaching them Newton's laws of physics,  set them to music.
• Make a musical (drama with singing dialogues) about scientists and what they discovered
• Use tuning forks, water, sand etc., to make up experiments revolving around sound

Geography

• Teach about various countries and cultures, by playing various kinds of music (drums are one example)
• Teach children the national anthems or atleast the tunes of a few countries around the globe
• Show them the patterns in rock formations, river meanderings, etc.,

History

• Show them how musical instruments evolved over time
• Watch old movies with your children and discuss the various sounds in the movies - the hooves of horses striking the road, the whistle of steam trains, the way people spoke etc.,
• Make up songs about various historical events.

Source: parentree.com