Effects of Music and Storytelling on Linguistic, Socioemotional, and Adaptive Development in Children Aged 12-36 Months: an Intervention Protocol in Municipal Early Childhood Centers (MUS-STORY)

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Music Education; Adaptive Behavior; Child Development; Early Child Development; Preschool Education

Treatments: Behavioral: Storytelling Sessions; Behavioral: Standard Daycare Activities; Behavioral: Music Education Sessions; Behavioral: Parental Guidance Sessions

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06831851

INF-MUSIC-STORY01

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomized clinical trial aims to evaluate the impact of a structured enriched environment on the linguistic, adaptive behavior, and socioemotional development of children aged 12 to 36 months. The study addresses two main questions:

Does the intervention improve linguistic, adaptive behavior, and socioemotional development compared to standard care? Does parental guidance amplify the benefits of the intervention?

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Intervention Group:

Children will participate in musical activities twice per week (singing, exploring simple instruments, and musical games) and daily storytelling sessions using interactive and visual aids.

Within this group, parents in the "with guidance" subgroup will attend biweekly meetings to learn strategies for reinforcing the intervention at home, while the "without guidance" subgroup will not include parental training.

Control Group:

Children will receive standard care complemented by alternative artistic and pedagogical activities (e.g., drawing, painting), without the structured intervention.

Full description

This study aims to evaluate the impact of an enriched intervention program on early childhood development, emphasizing the role of parental involvement. Participants will be randomly assigned to two main groups:

Control Group:

Children will follow routine childcare activities, including artistic and educational engagements (e.g., drawing, painting, storytelling).

Intervention Group:

Children in this group will participate in a structured program combining daily storytelling sessions and weekly musicalization activities.

This group will be further divided into two subgroups:

With Parental Guidance: Parents or guardians will attend bi-weekly guidance meetings to receive strategies for reinforcing the intervention at home.

Without Parental Guidance: No parental meetings will be conducted; children will participate in the program independently.

Intervention Activities:

The intervention includes:

Storytelling: Interactive, daily sessions (30 minutes/day) designed to foster creativity and imagination using visual and verbal methods.

Musicalization: Interactive, twice-weekly sessions (40 minutes each) incorporating singing, rhythm games, and exploration of simple musical instruments to enhance motor and cognitive skills.

Assessment Measures:

The primary developmental domains-linguistic, socio-emotional, and adaptive behaviors-will be assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley-III). Secondary measures include parental adherence (in the guidance subgroup) and engagement levels during activities.

This pilot study will provide foundational data to support the development of larger-scale, evidence-based interventions focused on enhancing early childhood developmental outcomes.

Enrollment: 16 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 12 to 36 months old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Children of both sexes, aged between 12 and 36 months. Enrolled full-time in Municipal Early Childhood Education Centers (CMEIs). Attending with a daily workload of 10 hours, five days a week.

Exclusion criteria

Diagnosis of atypical neurodevelopment. Use of sedative or stimulant medications for memory. Undergoing physical therapy for the locomotor system. Presence of any clinical or functional condition that prevents participation. More than five consecutive absences from the intervention program.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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16 participants in 3 patient groups

Intervention Group with Parental Guidance

Experimental group

Description:

Children in this group will participate in structured storytelling sessions (30 minutes per day, once a week) and music education activities (40 minutes, twice per week) in an enriched learning environment. The intervention aims to enhance cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional, and motor development. Additionally, parents or guardians will attend 8 biweekly guidance sessions (60 minutes each), where they will be trained in strategies to reinforce storytelling and musical activities at home. These sessions will provide tools to improve parent-child interaction and promote continuity of learning beyond the daycare setting

Treatment:

Behavioral: Parental Guidance Sessions

Behavioral: Music Education Sessions

Behavioral: Storytelling Sessions

Intervention Group without Parental Guidance

Experimental group

Description:

Children in this group will participate in structured storytelling sessions (30 minutes per day, once a week) and music education activities (40 minutes, twice per week) in an enriched learning environment. The intervention is designed to stimulate cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional, and motor development through interactive and engaging activities. Unlike the parental guidance group, this intervention does not include parental training sessions. The activities will be conducted exclusively in the daycare setting, without reinforcement at home

Treatment:

Behavioral: Music Education Sessions

Behavioral: Storytelling Sessions

Control Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Children in this group will receive standard daycare activities without structured intervention. Activities will include artistic and pedagogical tasks (e.g., drawing, painting, modeling) as part of their regular curriculum. Additionally, storytelling will be conducted once a week, but without a structured approach or the integration of music education as applied in the experimental groups. This group serves as a comparator to assess the effects of storytelling and music education interventions on cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional, and motor development

Treatment:

Behavioral: Standard Daycare Activities