Music for Overstimulated Children: Research from Polish Kindergartens

illustration: Copilot AI

The statistics are alarming. Data from the WHO and statements from experts at the European Psychiatric Association indicate that hyperactivity affects as many as 7-8% of children today. They have increasing difficulty maintaining focus on a single task, a tendency to get easily discouraged, and an excessive reaction to external stimuli. These phenomena can have a lasting impact on the educational process and the socio-emotional development of young individuals.

Attention problems combined with impatience can lead to frustration when a child does not see immediate results from their actions. Experiencing these difficulties, particularly in children with special educational needs, can affect emotions, motivation, self-esteem, and socio-emotional development. Repeated failures amplify negative and long-lasting effects that impact the mental health of young individuals. Teachers of new generations of children in kindergartens and elementary schools are already facing these challenges.

"I have worked with preschoolers for 30 years and I clearly see that with each successive generation, children`s attention span is decreasing. They are also becoming increasingly impatient, expecting to get what they want immediately. Often, they also lack a sense of security," explains Beata Rączka, educator and director of the Kropelka kindergarten in Wrocław. "In recent years, these problems have progressed even faster. It`s a sign of the times. Children are becoming more overstimulated and unable to manage their emotions. They find it difficult to work or play in silence. You can see this clearly in the youngest children starting their education in kindergarten."

The director of the Wrocław kindergarten emphasizes that there can be many causes of these problems, ranging from genetic predispositions, environmental influences, to lifestyle factors, including excessive screen time.

"From a biological perspective, we register everything around us and we do not have the option to automatically ignore it. The brain of a preschool child also registers all information but is only learning how to process it. I would risk stating that in today`s world, there isn`t even a chance to process it. This `stresses` the brain and impacts the functioning of the child," highlights Paulina Kowalik, educator and director of the Musicon Education Department. "We see this in hyperactivity, attention problems, or excessive impulsiveness. It`s difficult to build education, play, or even teacher-child relationships on such a foundation."

In response to these challenges, educators and psychologists are seeking new, effective methods to work with children that could assist them in learning concentration, patience, and developing teamwork skills.

Music in Education: Sounds Good

Music plays a significant role even during infancy! Research shows that listening to music supports language development and cognitive growth from the first days of life. It has long been utilized in educational activities and therapy.

Its impact on memory (accelerating learning processes), emotions (expressing and experiencing emotions), the ability to calm down (stress reduction), and stimulating creativity is invaluable.

"Music is a carrier of emotions. When we introduce it into the educational process, children engage their emotions in the process," adds Paulina Kowalik. "We can be sure they are engaged, and consequently focused. This is the best start for effective learning."


In the context of working with hyperactive children, music can play both a calming and engaging role, helping to focus attention on a specific task. Regular participation in activities that include physical movement provides all participants with benefits related to gross and fine motor skills and visual-auditory coordination. Listening to music, playing instruments, singing, or dancing are activities that contribute to the comprehensive development of every individual.

Based on this knowledge, Musicon was created. An educational-therapeutic device designed, developed, and manufactured in Poland. An analog musical computer that works like a music box. Children can program sequences of sounds by simply pressing buttons on a rotating drum. They do this intuitively, so no user manual is needed. Children`s natural curiosity encourages them to experiment, discovering new sounds and creating their own compositions. Musicon engages the child`s touch, hearing, and sight simultaneously. It was designed to utilize music—a universal language that connects fun and learning—while also supporting cognitive, motor, social, and emotional development, such as skills like collaboration, mindfulness, and attention concentration. Does it work effectively?

"Thanks to over three years of research involving 300 children from across Poland, we know that regular work with Musicon (the device and method) allows for faster cognitive development in children!" emphasizes Jakub Kozik, co-creator of Musicon. "For children who worked with our method during the research, auditory short-term memory, the ability to retain and recall sound information, developed three times faster. Similarly, visual-spatial memory improved. These same children performed four times better in executive function tests—allowing for the creation, maintenance, and supervision of action plans. They achieved five times better results in processing speed assessments."

The value of Musicon lies in its flexibility, which allows for the use of various elements of the set according to the needs of a specific child or the entire group. This makes it widely applicable in educational and therapeutic practice.

As emphasized by Prof. Barbara Skałbania from the Korczak Academy in Warsaw, a scientific expert in the research and development project M-therapy, the method developed in Poland provides numerous opportunities for use in both the didactic process (learning letters, numbers, reading exercises, coding exercises, speech and language improvement, listening, and rhythm skills) and in the therapeutic process focused on developing a sense of agency, fulfilling the need for success, fostering cooperation with others, and improving empathy in social relationships. It works well in both individual and group work settings.

LabOOOratorium: Theory Tested in Practice

The device underwent three months of testing in four kindergartens in Poland, operating under the Ogólnopolski Operator OświatyFoundation. A total of 418 children participated, including 67 with diagnoses and identified educational deficits. Tests at the Kropelka and Columbus kindergartens in Wrocław, Octopus in Gdańsk, and Rozgwiazda in Kowale were conducted during the CSR program LabOOOratorium, where private companies, together with teachers, educators, psychologists, and speech therapists, assess the utility and effectiveness of products for working with children while also enriching the educational process.

The obtained research results unequivocally indicate the positive impact of the innovative solution based on musical activities on children`s development, especially those with concentration difficulties:

• Children participating in activities using Musicon showed increased attention span;
• This was particularly evident in children with ADHD and on the autism spectrum;
• They were more patient;
• They were more willing to engage in collaborative tasks.

"LabOOOratorium is an example of how to support education by building bridges between the business world and education. The program allows companies to provide their products to kindergartens and schools, where teachers develop lesson plans incorporating them into the curriculum," explains Barbara Wiśniewska, program coordinator at the Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty Foundation. "This is not only a way to diversify classes but also to show children that learning is more than just theory."


Collaboration with Musicon allowed the foundation to test the entire educational-therapeutic ecosystem. It also provided teachers with valuable knowledge about supporting cognitive, motor, and emotional development in children using innovative devices.

"Music activities have a positive impact on children in many areas. In our kindergarten, they help in learning, in play, and they are also a method for preschool psychologists to work with children with attention disorders or on the autism spectrum," explains director Beata Rączka. "Using Musicon was very helpful in engaging all of the children`s senses during play. And this is crucial from the perspective of their development. Not only in areas like rhythm, creativity, patience, or divided attention but also in aspects like motor coordination, active participation, the ability to cooperate in a group, spatial orientation, and even math and logical thinking, which had to be utilized to design their own melodies. During our LabOOOratorium project, I noticed progress in children in all these fields."

Business and Education: Partnership for a Purpose

The joint project of the Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty Foundation and the creators of Musicon also highlighted another important aspect. Collaboration between businesses and educational institutions does not have to be based solely on a philanthropic model or volunteering.

This is an ideal example of a situation where everyone benefits. We call it the "win-win-win model." Children learn through play, teachers receive support in their work, and companies gain the opportunity to test their products and gather valuable feedback from users," outlines Barbara Wiśniewska from the OOO Foundation. "LabOOOratorium not only supports children`s development but also helps companies better understand the needs of the youngest consumers. The JakOOOści certificate is awarded only to products that meet specific quality criteria, which opens doors to more schools and kindergartens. Collaborative efforts for education yield benefits in both the short and long term."

Musicon received high praise from children and teachers during testing. It was awarded the JakOOOści Certificate for its positive impact and usefulness during developmental and therapeutic activities in kindergartens. Supporting proper child development through music and collaboration is a direction worth paying attention to. It works.

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Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty Foundation has been conducting educational and social activities since 2001 and supports local governments in implementing educational tasks and projects. The foundation is a public benefit organization. It runs free kindergartens and schools across Poland. In 69 facilities currently operated by the OOO Foundation, 9,000 children and youth are educated. The OOO Foundation also implements nationwide educational, social, and developmental projects: #MAMYNATORADĘ. Guides for Parents • Speech Therapist in Every School and Kindergarten • #LabOOOratorium. Create Innovations with Us.

Musicon is a Polish company creating innovative educational-therapeutic tools that support the psychophysical development of children and adults. The Musicon device and method are now used in nearly 300 facilities in Poland to enhance the effectiveness of learning and therapy through play, analog activities, and simultaneous stimulation of multiple senses.