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

NCT ID: NCT06831851

Last Updated: 2025-03-26

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

16 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-06-02

Study Completion Date

2025-11-30

Brief Summary

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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.

Detailed Description

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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.

Conditions

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Child Development Adaptive Behavior Early Child Development Music Education Preschool Education

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors
No other parties are masked in this study

Study Groups

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Intervention Group with Parental Guidance

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

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Storytelling Sessions

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Children will participate in structured storytelling sessions, held once a week for 30 minutes per session. The sessions will use interactive narrative techniques, including voice modulation, gestures, and visual aids, to enhance cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development. The intervention is designed to promote active engagement, stimulate imagination, and improve attention and language skills in early childhood.

Music Education Sessions

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Children will participate in structured music education sessions, conducted twice per week for 40 minutes each. The sessions will include rhythm exercises, vocalization, body percussion, and instrumental exploration using age-appropriate musical instruments. Activities will be designed to enhance cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional development by fostering auditory discrimination, fine and gross motor coordination, and social interaction. The intervention follows an interactive and play-based methodology, ensuring active engagement and progressive learning.

Parental Guidance Sessions

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Parents or guardians will attend 8 biweekly training sessions (60 minutes each) designed to equip them with strategies for cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional stimulation in early childhood. The sessions will include practical guidance on storytelling techniques, musical interaction, and play-based learning to reinforce the intervention at home. The goal is to create continuity between structured intervention activities and the home environment, maximizing developmental outcomes for the children. Sessions will be interactive, combining theoretical content with practical exercises and demonstrations

Intervention Group without Parental Guidance

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

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Storytelling Sessions

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Children will participate in structured storytelling sessions, held once a week for 30 minutes per session. The sessions will use interactive narrative techniques, including voice modulation, gestures, and visual aids, to enhance cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development. The intervention is designed to promote active engagement, stimulate imagination, and improve attention and language skills in early childhood.

Music Education Sessions

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Children will participate in structured music education sessions, conducted twice per week for 40 minutes each. The sessions will include rhythm exercises, vocalization, body percussion, and instrumental exploration using age-appropriate musical instruments. Activities will be designed to enhance cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional development by fostering auditory discrimination, fine and gross motor coordination, and social interaction. The intervention follows an interactive and play-based methodology, ensuring active engagement and progressive learning.

Control Group

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

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Standard Daycare Activities

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Children in this group will participate in regular daycare activities, including artistic and pedagogical tasks such as drawing, painting, and modeling. These activities are part of the standard curriculum and do not include structured storytelling or music education interventions

Interventions

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Storytelling Sessions

Children will participate in structured storytelling sessions, held once a week for 30 minutes per session. The sessions will use interactive narrative techniques, including voice modulation, gestures, and visual aids, to enhance cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development. The intervention is designed to promote active engagement, stimulate imagination, and improve attention and language skills in early childhood.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Music Education Sessions

Children will participate in structured music education sessions, conducted twice per week for 40 minutes each. The sessions will include rhythm exercises, vocalization, body percussion, and instrumental exploration using age-appropriate musical instruments. Activities will be designed to enhance cognitive, motor, and socio-emotional development by fostering auditory discrimination, fine and gross motor coordination, and social interaction. The intervention follows an interactive and play-based methodology, ensuring active engagement and progressive learning.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Parental Guidance Sessions

Parents or guardians will attend 8 biweekly training sessions (60 minutes each) designed to equip them with strategies for cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional stimulation in early childhood. The sessions will include practical guidance on storytelling techniques, musical interaction, and play-based learning to reinforce the intervention at home. The goal is to create continuity between structured intervention activities and the home environment, maximizing developmental outcomes for the children. Sessions will be interactive, combining theoretical content with practical exercises and demonstrations

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Standard Daycare Activities

Children in this group will participate in regular daycare activities, including artistic and pedagogical tasks such as drawing, painting, and modeling. These activities are part of the standard curriculum and do not include structured storytelling or music education interventions

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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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.
Minimum Eligible Age

12 Months

Maximum Eligible Age

36 Months

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Aline A de Lima, MA

Principal Investigator, MSc in Neuroscience

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) - Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

Site Status

Countries

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Brazil

Central Contacts

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Aline A Lima, Master in Arts and Music, Mast

Role: CONTACT

+ 55 81 996094074

Facility Contacts

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Sandra Lopes Souza, PhD in Morphofunctional Scienc

Role: primary

+55 81 98740-2484

Other Identifiers

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INF-MUSIC-STORY01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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