Choosing the Best Toy Musical Instruments

Studies have long shown the link between music and improved intelligence. Children who are active in music often perform better at math and other kinds of reasoning. Musical skills often help improve coordination, and as children grow older, the social aspects of being a member of a band or orchestra are also beneficial. There's no need to wait until your child is in elementary school to get them involved in music!

For many parents, the very idea of buying toy musical instruments is enough to cause an instant headache. While at first there may be a lot more "noise" than "music," it's important to remember the great skills your child is learning. After all, these same studies show that actively participating in the music is more beneficial than just listening.

For very young children, preschool age and younger, percussion instruments are best. There are many kinds of drums, keyboards, xylophones and bells specially made for toddlers. These kinds of toys provide ample opportunities to play. If you and your child are feeling more ambitious, check out the toy guitars on the market.

Older children, who have better coordination are ready for more complicated instruments. Toy pianos, guitars and xylophones are the most popular. In order to make sure your child doesn't get bored and forget about it too quickly, try to find a kit that comes with an instructional video, computer game or DVD. Getting feedback and challenges from an instructional game or video is often the best motivation to actually learn some musical skills with the toys, instead of letting them collect dust.

If your child has outgrown their toy musical instruments, you may want to look at some miniature versions of the real thing. Half-violins, small keyboards or scaled down guitars are all designed for little hands, and provide the best outlet for developing musical talent. If your child has progressed to this stage, it may be time to look for private music lessons to really let them explore this hobby.

All in all, toy musical instruments are a great way for your child to explore music, all at a much lower cost than the real thing. Instead of investing a lot of money in lessons and instruments that your child may quickly tire of, toy musical instruments let both you and your child see if this is something they are serious about. Musical talent is a wonderful thing to encourage, and the benefits are both very real and long lasting.