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Encouraging Social and Emotional Learning in 
Preschool Children Through Carrying Out Musical 
Activities in the Daily Routine 
Olga Denac*
1
, Ines Mohorko Germ
2
 and Jerneja Žnidaršič
3
   
• In the context of kindergarten, the daily routine includes various activi -
ties aimed at the holistic development of children. Carrying out musical 
activities in the daily routine plays an important role in encouraging 
social and emotional learning. For the present research, which included 
preschool children, we developed a plan for implementing elements of 
the children’s daily routine enriched with musical activities, monitored 
the effect of this routine on social and emotional skills, and verified the 
realisation of the planned musical goals. The results of the research con -
firmed the effect of implementing musical activities regarding (1) self-
awareness and self-management – children more often recognised their 
own emotions, they became aware of their emotions and regulated them, 
they expressed a feeling of joy, respected the agreed rules, understood 
what is right or wrong and asked for help if they needed it; and (2) social 
skills for establishing relationships and social awareness – children more 
often encouraged other children in the group to participate in activities, 
they successfully participated in common activities, shared things with 
other children, and recognised and empathised with the emotions of 
other children. Most of the children were also successful in achieving 
the planned musical goals.
 Keywords: social and emotional learning, kindergarten, daily routine, 
musical activities, preschool children 
1 *Corresponding Author. Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, Slovenia; 
 olga.denac@um.si.
2 Kindergarten of Duplek Primary School, Spodnji Duplek, Slovenia.
3 Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, Slovenia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.2013
Received: 6 October 2024, Accepted: 28 March 2025

182 encouraging social and emotional learning in preschool children through ...
Spodbujanje socialnega in čustvenega učenja 
predšolskih otrok z izvajanjem glasbenih dejavnosti v 
dnevni rutini
Olga Denac, Ines Mohorko Germ in Jerneja Žnidaršič
• V vrtcu dnevna rutina vključuje različne dejavnosti, ki so namenjene 
celostnemu razvoju otrok. Izvajanje glasbenih dejavnosti kot del dnevne 
rutine ima pomembno vlogo pri spodbujanju socialnega in čustvenega 
učenja. V raziskavi, v katero smo vključili predšolske otroke, smo obli -
kovali načrt izvedbe elementov dnevne rutine, obogatene z glasbenimi 
dejavnostmi, spremljali učinek izvajanja dnevne rutine na razvoj social -
nih in čustvenih veščin ter preverili uresničevanje načrtovanih glasbenih 
ciljev. Izsledki raziskave so potrdili učinek izvajanja glasbenih dejavnosti 
na področju 1) samozavedanja in samokontrole – otroci so pogosteje 
prepoznavali lastna čustva, jih ozaveščali in uravnavali, izražali veselje, 
spoštovali dogovorjena pravila, razumeli, kaj je prav in kaj narobe, ter 
prosili za pomoč, če so jo potrebovali, in na področju 2) socialnih ve -
ščin za vzpostavljanje odnosov in socialnega samozavedanja – otroci so 
pogosteje spodbujali k dejavnostim druge otroke v skupini, se uspešno 
vključevali v skupno delo, delili stvari z drugimi otroki ter prepoznavali 
čustva drugih otrok in se vanje vživljali. Večina otrok je bilo uspešna 
tudi pri doseganju načrtovanih glasbenih ciljev.
 Ključne besede: socialno in čustveno učenje, vrtec, dnevna rutina, 
glasbene dejavnosti, predšolski otroci

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Introduction
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a process through which children 
(and adults) acquire knowledge, develop skills, recognise and manage emotions, 
show empathy towards others, establish and maintain relationships within so -
ciety, and make responsible decisions (Denham, 2006; Jones & Bouffard, 2012; 
Ritblatt et al ., 2013). With the establishment of the Collaborative for Academic, 
Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) (Clark, 2019), the main aim of which 
is to promote and implement SEL as an integral part of teaching, the social and 
emotional part of children’s personalities has gained prominence. Numerous 
authors (Thompson & Lagattuta, 2006; Weissberg et al., 2015; Weissberg, 2019) 
suggest that the development of social, emotional, behavioural and character 
skills is essential for success at school, in the workplace, in relationships, in so -
ciety and in life in general. On the other hand, maladjustment in the social and 
emotional sphere hinders the way a child functions in various circumstances 
and periods of their life (Campbell et al ., 2016). Kroflič and Smrtnik Vitulić 
(2015, p. 55) confirm that: “Children’s social competence also includes effective 
emotional regulation. Emotionally well-regulated people are capable of manag -
ing their emotions in a flexible and socially acceptable way. ”
The use of creative media to enhance social and emotional competence 
is especially suitable for younger children, with this kind of learning being 
conducted experientially and through play. Artistic expression has a positive 
impact on children’s communication skills (Duh, 2016) and creative expres -
sion often helps people find socially accepted ways of expressing and regulating 
emotions such as anger, disappointment, love, etc. (Malchiodi, 2018).
Social and emotional learning and music 
Engaging in artistic activities, especially music, is associated with positive 
development in children on several levels (Habe, 2020). Research demonstrates 
the impact of young children’s musical engagement on well-being, self-confi -
dence and the development of social skills (Ilari, 2016, 2018; Saarikallio, 2019) 
and confirms the link between music education and the social and emotional 
competences of preschool children (Boucher et al., 2021; Kirby et al., 2022). There 
is extensive evidence of the key role of music in regulating emotions and moods 
(Saarikallio, 2011; Brown & Sax, 2013; Randall et al., 2014; Campayo-Muñoz & 
Cabedo-Mas, 2017; Williams & Berthelsen, 2019), and in encouraging positive 
affective states (North et al., 2004) and prosocial behaviour (Schellenberg et 
al., 2015; Hallam, 2015; Ilari et al., 2020; Zadnik & Smrekar, 2024). Boone and 

184 encouraging social and emotional learning in preschool children through ...
Cunningham (2001) found that children between the ages of 4 and 5 are able to 
express, through movement, certain emotions that they perceive through mu -
sic, such as happiness, sadness, anger and fear. Váradi (2022) believes that music 
education in a group setting helps develop acceptance of and interactions with 
others, and that the social experience surplus of joint activities also has a posi -
tive influence on empathy. Küpana (2015) and Pellitteri (2006) mention five ways 
in which music education and SEL complement each other, namely that music 
can be used for relaxation, for encouraging creativity and the imagination, as an 
emotional stimulus and aesthetic experience, as a form of self-expression, and 
as a form of group experience. SEL includes the following areas of social and 
emotional skills (CASEL, 2013), which can be developed through various musical 
activities:
•	 Self-awareness : emotional learning competence includes recognising 
emotions, accurate self-perception, self-efficacy, self-confidence and re -
cognising strengths. An example in music: a child is disappointed for 
not having sung a song correctly; they are aware of this feeling and put 
it into words.
•	 Self-management : this component includes control of stress, stress ma -
nagement, self-motivation, self-discipline, setting goals and organisati -
onal skills. An example in music: a child experiences a sense of dread 
when they assume the role of a soloist in a choir; they use various bre -
athing and relaxation techniques to ensure a successful performance.
•	 Relationship skills : this component includes communication, social en -
gagement, relationship building, teamwork, listening, collaborating and 
offering help. An example in music: a child encourages their friends and 
peers to join a choir.
•	 Social awareness : social learning skills include the ability to recognise 
other points of view, empathy, respect for diversity, respect for others, 
and understanding social and ethical norms. An example in music: a 
child playing in an orchestra offers to help a friend who has problems 
with their playing technique.
•	 Responsible decision making : this component includes recognising a pro -
blem, analysing the situation, solving the problem, evaluation and reflec -
tion, as well as personal, moral and ethical responsibility. An example in 
music: a child prepares for a performance; in order to be successful, they 
decide to devote more time to rehearsing before the performance.

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Daily routine and music
A daily routine is a series of activities that are repeated every day in the 
same order. A routine provides structure, stability and predictability, which is 
especially important for children, as it helps them feel secure and know what to 
expect. Hohmann and Weikart (2005) advocate a planned and consistent daily 
routine that should support active learning. Bregar Golobič (2004) believes 
that the individual experiences their daily routine as something spontaneous, 
authentic and natural. As Wildenger et al. (2008) explain, the daily routine is 
crucial for young children in establishing a sense of security, trust and inde -
pendence. Lepičnik Vodopivec and Hmelak (2020) believe that elements of the 
daily routine – such as children’s arrival at and departure from kindergarten, 
care for hygiene, food, transitions between activities, rest, tidying up and ar -
ranging the classroom – offer children a consistent schedule of events that they 
can rely on and comprehend.
Elements of the daily routine can be enriched with a variety of musical 
activities, such as singing, playing musical instruments, engaging in musical di -
dactic games, creating music, listening to music and expression through move -
ment. Hudoklin (2023) states that music is intrinsically inviting and serves as a 
motivational tool for many children due to its very ‘nature’: it can have a calm -
ing effect, remind children of a certain task, announce the beginning or end of 
morning circle time, signal a calm transition to another activity or a change of 
corner, calm children before rest time, or wake them up as they arrive in the 
morning, inviting them into the playroom.
The connection between musical activities and elements of the daily 
routine is that music not only makes routine activities more interesting, but 
also encourages development in various aspects of the child’s personality (Hal -
lam, 2015). Jacobi (2012) suggests the following musical activities with which 
we can profoundly affect the development of social and emotional competence: 
free improvisation, which allows children to express their own emotions with -
out formal conditions; participation in a choir or orchestra, which encourages 
respect and taking into account the opinions of others, as well as the respon -
sibility for reaching group goals; and listening to music and linking it to emo -
tions, which encourages emotional awareness and facilitates the development 
of a vocabulary for expressing emotions.

186 encouraging social and emotional learning in preschool children through ...
Method
On the basis of the theoretical starting points with which we confirm the 
role of music in developing social and emotional skills in preschool children, 
and the importance of the daily routine in the upbringing and education of 
preschool children, we carried out research in which we:
•	 planned didactic units of the daily routine enriched with musical 
activities, 
•	 monitored the effect of implementing a daily routine enriched with mu -
sical activities on the development of social and emotional skills, and
•	 checked the achievement of the planned musical goals.
Participants
The research included 24 children aged between 5 and 6 ( M = 5.70) who 
attended a kindergarten group following the state programme for preschool 
education (Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, National Education Insti -
tute Slovenia, 1999). The sample consisted of 12 (50%) girls and 12 (50%) boys.
Research design
The research focused on elements of the daily routine, such as the chil -
dren’s arrival at kindergarten, preparing for mealtime, morning circle time, 
transitions between activities and preparing for rest time, all of which were 
enriched with musical didactic games and musical activities, or performing, lis -
tening to and creating music. For each element of the daily routine, we planned 
a didactic unit with social and emotional learning goals (developing communi -
cation skills, cooperating to achieve group goals, solving conflicts and encour -
aging positive relationships, recognising one’s own emotions and the emotions 
of other children, developing skills for regulating and managing emotions, 
encouraging positive behaviour and positive emotions, self-consciousness and 
optimism) and concrete musical goals (the child listens attentively to musical 
content, reproduces and creates rhythmic and melodic motifs, follows the rules 
of musical-didactic games, sings a song independently, abides by intonation, 
creatively follows the song being sung, creatively expresses experiences and 
perceptions of music through movement, executes movements following the 
rhythm of the song, relaxes and calms down). The didactic units were con -
ducted on 21 consecutive days.

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Didactic units of elements of the daily routine enriched with musical 
activities:
•	 The children’s arrival at kindergarten
Upon arrival and during departure, the teacher greets the children with 
the song ‘ Dobro jutro sonce ’ (Good Morning Sunshine). They then offer the 
child musical instruments from the table at the entrance to the playroom. The 
child chooses an instrument and plays it in a creative way. The musical-didactic 
games ‘ Glasbeni pozdrav ’ (Musical Greeting) and ‘ Glasbeni odmev ’ (Musical 
Echo) are performed in the group. In the latter, the children take turns choos -
ing to be someone else’s echo. Other children who have already arrived at the 
kindergarten are encouraged to join the activity and play together with the chil -
dren entering the playroom. In response to the greeting ‘Good Morning!’ or 
‘Good Day!’ the child sings or creates a melody. 
•	 Preparing for mealtime
The teacher sings the folk song ‘ In mi smo lačni ’ (And We Are Hun -
gry), announcing the new element of the daily routine. The children recognise 
the song and split into two groups, representing the choir and the orchestra. 
The choir sings the song and the orchestra accompanies them on Orff instru -
ments. Two children designated as being on duty continue singing the song to 
the accompaniment of rhythm sticks and invite the other children to wash their 
hands and take care of hygiene. They sing and accompany the song until all of 
the children are at the table. During mealtime, the teacher plays soothing music 
as background encouragement to an unhurried eating pace.
•	 Morning circle time
The teacher plays the children a part of the soothing piece Morning Mood 
by Edvard Grieg (Peer Gynt, Op. 23), and without unnecessary haste and hurry -
ing, encourages a calm transition to morning circle time. The teacher initiates 
a discussion about the sunny morning that the composer has illustrated musi -
cally. The teacher encourages the children to listen attentively and express their 
experiences and perceptions of the piece of music through dance. Listening to 
the music and dancing, the children prepare for the activities that will follow.
•	 Transitions between activities, tidying up
With a song, the teacher announces a new element of the daily routine, 
the transition between activities. When the children hear the lively song ‘ Pesem 
za pospravljanje ’ (Tidying Up Song) they begin tidying the playroom, singing 

188 encouraging social and emotional learning in preschool children through ...
along as they do so. Once they have finished tidying up, they line up, listen to 
a given note and, marching along and clapping their hands, sing the song once 
more. In the end, the children are asked to count how many times they had 
to sing the song before the playroom was tidy and the result is noted on a bar 
chart. At the end of the week, the children and their teacher check the chart to 
see which day they tidied up the playroom fastest.
•	 Rest time 
The child who is on duty creates a slow, quiet tune on a pentatonic met -
allophone. Upon hearing the instrument, the children understand that rest 
time is approaching and, in cooperation with the teacher, prepare the play -
room. Since rest time in kindergarten is not supposed to be too rigidly regu -
lated and enforced, the teacher may continue to play instruments (guitar, jingle 
bells, metallophone, etc.) during rest time. Those children who do not need to 
rest or who do not fall asleep during rest time have the option of playing calmly.
Instruments and procedures
The data was collected through video footage and observation sheets. 
The implementation of the planned elements of the daily routine enriched with 
musical activities was recorded three times at the beginning of the research and 
three times at the end.  A camera on a stand was placed in the welcome area, 
where we monitored the arrival of children (7.00–8.00 am); in the washing 
area, where the children wash their hands and prepare for their meal (8.00–8.30 
am); and in the playroom, where both planned and spontaneous activities take 
place, including eating, forming a circle during morning circle time, transi -
tions between activities, tidying up, and preparing the area for rest time (8.30 
am–1.30 pm). 
On the basis of the video footage, we observed how frequently each child 
resorted to individual social and emotional skills at the beginning (the first 
three days of the research) and at the end (the last three days of the research) of 
the period of implementing the daily routine enriched with musical activities. 
The results were noted on an observation sheet, which contained 13 social and 
emotional skills. As a starting point in developing the observation sheet, we 
used some of the individual clusters of competencies for social and emotional 
skills as defined by the CASEL Guide (2013): self-awareness (the child expresses 
basic emotions and recognises his/her own emotions), self-management (the 
child asks for help needed, follows agreed rules, understands what is right or 
wrong), relationship skills (the child encourages other children in the group, 
successfully participates in group activities, assists a child who needs help), and 

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social awareness (the child shares items with other children, empathises with 
the emotions of others children). A four-level score was used for evaluation: 
never (1) – the behaviour, emotional state or action never occurs on the day of 
observation; rarely (2) – the behaviour, emotional state or action occurs once 
or twice during the course of the day of observation; often (3) – the behaviour, 
emotional state or action occurs three to four times during the course of the 
day of observation; always (4) – the behaviour, emotional state or action always 
occurs during the course of the day of observation. The frequency rating in the 
categories ‘rarely’ and ‘often’ was determined after making the recording and 
reviewing all of the frequencies of occurrence of social and emotional skills. 
Together with a psychologist, a pedagogue and a music pedagogue, we 
prepared descriptions of some of the skills, which helped us monitor and evalu -
ate these skills. The descriptions of simple emotions were based on expressions 
of behaviour associated with gestures, actions and facial expressions:
•	 expressing joy: laughs loudly, jumps, dances; facial expressions: uptur -
ned corners of the mouth, creases around the eyes and outer corners of 
the mouth;
•	 expressing sadness: lowers head, lies in the corner, cries, withdraws from 
the group; facial expressions: lowered corners of the mouth, lips may 
tremble, eyes closed;
•	 expressing anger: aggressive behaviour – throws things, hits, shouts; fa -
cial expressions: eyes with a bulging expression, eyebrows lowered and 
together, furrowed brow, pressed lips or narrowed eyes, mouth can be 
straight or tight or can be shaped like when shouting, nostrils flared, 
facial expressions can be tense or serious;
•	 expressing fear: stops and shakes, is quiet or behaves in an unusual way; 
facial expressions: eyebrows raised, straight or together, mouth and eyes 
open, tense, horizontal furrows on the brow, excessive caution;
•	 recognising own emotions: observation and, if necessary, individual di -
scussions between the teacher and the child during or after execution 
of the individual element of the daily routine (questions about how the 
child feels and their mood);
•	 understanding right or wrong actions: observation and, if necessary, in -
dividual discussions between the teacher and the child about their com -
prehension of what is right and what is wrong.
The elements of the daily routine enriched with musical activities were 
carried out by the teacher who also had the role of researcher and co-author 
of the research. We arranged for a professional review of the footage, the 

190 encouraging social and emotional learning in preschool children through ...
observation sheets and the chart recording the musical goals. The review of 
the frequency of occurrence of social and emotional skills was conducted by a 
psychologist, a music pedagogue and the teacher, whereas the assessment of the 
realisation of musical skills was conducted by a pedagogue, a music pedagogue 
and the teacher.
Data processing procedures
At the beginning and end of implementing the didactic units, we car -
ried out an analysis of the frequency of occurrence of social and emotional 
skills with the help of the video footage and the observation sheets. An analy -
sis monitoring the achievement of the musical goals, in which we determined 
whether the child had achieved the musical goals or not, was only conducted at 
the end of the research period. The data were analysed using the SPSS software 
package. We used frequency distribution, the arithmetic mean, standard devia -
tion and the dependent samples t-test, based on which we determined whether 
there was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of occurrence of 
social and emotional skills between the initial and final stages of implementing 
the planned elements of the daily routine enriched with musical activities.
Results
Table 1
Frequency of occurrence of social and emotional skills in the initial and final 
stages of the research
SEL skills¹
Social and emotional 
skills
Time of 
observation
M SD t p
self-
awareness 
expresses emotions 
of joy
beginning 3.13 0.74
−3.191 0.004
end 3.50 0.66
expresses emotions 
of fear
beginning 2.79 0.88
3.685 0.001
end 2.21 0.88
expresses emotions 
of anger
beginning 2.42 1.10
3.715 0.001
end 1.92 1.02
expresses emotions 
of sadness
beginning 3.00 0.83
4.628 < 0.001
end 2.25 1.11
recognises own 
emotions
beginning 3.17 0.92
-3.077 0.005
end 3.46 0.78

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SEL skills¹
Social and emotional 
skills
Time of 
observation
M SD t p
self-control
asks for help when 
required
beginning 2.75 1.19
−2.892 0.008
end 3.08 1.14
respects agreed rules
beginning 2.92 0.93
 −3.412 0.002
end 3.38 0.87
understands what 
is right and what is 
wrong
beginning 2.96 0.86
−4.796 < 0.001
end 3.46 0.78
relationship 
skills
encourages other 
children in the group
beginning 2.25 1.11
−2.46 0.022
end 2.46 1.14
successfully includes 
themselves in group 
activities
beginning 2.92 0.97
−3.412 0.002
end 3.38 0.82
helps another 
child who needs 
assistance
beginning 2.29 1.22
−2.005 0.057
end 2.70 1.18
social 
awareness
shares things with 
other children
beginning 2.67 0.83
−4.114 < 0.001
end 3.09 0.85
recognises and 
empathises with the 
emotions of other 
children
beginning 2.33 1.00
−4.412 < 0.001
end 2.79 1.02
Note. ¹Social and emotional skills (CASEL, 2013)
The data related to the frequency of occurrence of social and emotional 
skills, collected at the beginning and end of the research, point to a positive ef -
fect of engaging in musical activities on the development of SEL skills, as there 
is a statistically significant difference ( p < 0.05) in all areas. After the period of 
carrying out elements of the daily routine enriched with musical activities, the 
children more frequently recognised their own emotions and expressed joyful 
emotions. If they required help, this was also expressed. They respected the 
agreed rules and understood what is right and what is wrong. They became 
more skilled in communication, encouraged other children in the group, and 
got involved in team activities. They more often recognised and empathised 
with the emotions of other children, offered help and shared items with others.

192 encouraging social and emotional learning in preschool children through ...
Table 2
Frequency (f) and percentage (f%) of the realisation of the planned musical goals
Element of the 
daily routine
Children’s musical goals
Yes No
f f% f f%
arrival
attentively listens to the song 18 75 6 25
reproduces rhythmic motifs 20 83.3 4 16.7
reproduces melodic motifs 18 75 6 25
relaxed vocal creativity 19 79.2 5 20.8
relaxed instrumental creativity 23 95.8 1 4.2
respects the rules of musical didactic games 21 87.5 3 12.5
preparing for 
mealtime
sings a song on their own 17 70.8 7 29.2
creatively accompanies the song 24 100 / /
morning circle time
attentively listens to the music 19 79.2 5 20.8
creatively expresses their experience and perception 
of the piece of music through movement
20 83.3 4 16.7
transition between 
activities – tidying 
up
sings the song in the given tone 16 66.7 8 33.3
moves in harmony with the rhythm of the song 18 75 6 25
rest time
creates a peaceful instrumental composition 24 100 / /
attentively listens to the music 20 83.3 4 16.7
relaxes and calms down while listening to music 24 100 / /
At the end of the period of implementing the daily routine enriched 
with musical activities, the children had achieved most of the planned goals. 
All of the children participated in creatively accompanying a sung song, created 
peaceful instrumental compositions and relaxed when listening to music. Most 
of the children listened attentively to the pieces of music played, were creative 
in a relaxed way both instrumentally and vocally, and expressed themselves 
through movement in the rhythm of the music. They successfully reproduced 
rhythmic and melodic motifs and creatively expressed their experiences and 
perceptions of the music through movement. Slightly fewer children were able 
to follow a given tone for a song. 
Discussion
The results of the study confirm the effect of the implementation of a 
daily routine enriched with musical activities on the social and emotional de -
velopment of a child’s personality. The participating children made progress in 
recognising and regulating their own emotions; negative emotions appeared 

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less frequently at the end of the research than at the beginning. As claimed 
by Blasco-Magraner et al. (2021), music in the upbringing and education of 
children between the ages of 3 and 12 can contribute to the development of 
emotional intelligence, especially in perceiving, expressing and regulating 
emotions. Children who participated in musical activities were better able to 
recognise and express emotions and regulate their emotional states, such as 
aggression or anger. Winsler et al. (2011) and Küpana (2015) also confirm that 
music facilitates better understanding of emotions and better self-regulation, 
which in turn encourages intellectual, emotional and social development of the 
child’s personality.
The children in our study also became more adept at establishing re -
lationships with other children. Varner (2019, 2020) confirms that, by linking 
SEL and music, educators can influence emotional self-regulation, interaction 
with peers and decision-making. SEL skills can therefore be developed through 
actively involving children in activities such as musical creation, playing in an 
orchestra, participating in a choir, or listening to music for different moods. All 
of these activities promote cooperation, communication and positive interac -
tion between peers. In the words of Kim (2017, p. 183): “Any musical piece is 
the product of someone’s creative work and a means of communication with 
others. Musical activities involve creativity not only in the product but also in 
the processes of imagining, creating, performing, and responding that require 
critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. ”
In the present research, the musical activities of each element of the 
daily routine were carefully planned, executed and evaluated, as is confirmed 
by the realisation of the planned musical goals. At the end of the period of im -
plementing the didactic units, most of the children were happy to actively par -
ticipate in the musical-didactic games, singing, playing instruments, creating 
music, listening to music and expressing themselves through movement or in 
forming the daily routine. Addessi (2009) states that, through repetitive actions 
that are reinforced by their daily routine, children find their place in the world 
of relationships and perceive the general, linguistic and musical culture of the 
group to which they belong. The child learns to predict events, and through 
this also to control them. In our study, the musical aspects of the daily rou -
tine encouraged the pace and time organisation of the children’s actions, while 
the implementation of musical activities as part of the daily routine made the 
transition from one activity to another easier. Barrett et al. (2022) suggest that, 
as part of implementing elements of their daily routine, educators should plan 
daily singing, playing instruments, musical games, listening to music, moving 
to music and creating music.

194 encouraging social and emotional learning in preschool children through ...
As argued by Batistič Zorec and Došler (2016), educators and teachers 
should flexibly plan elements of the daily routine, with an emphasis on creat -
ing opportunities for the child’s cognitive, emotional and social development, 
as well as learning. Jackson et al. (2024) also consider ways of encouraging the 
cooperation of preschool educators in emotion-focused teaching. The only cor -
rect way to achieve the desired goals is through appropriate professional train -
ing and a positive attitude of the educator towards work and content through 
which we can develop the social and emotional competences of children.
       
Conclusion
Enriching elements of the daily routine with musical activities has an 
important role in encouraging SEL in early childhood. Although the results 
of the present research confirm the effect musical activities have on the social 
and emotional development of children, we need to bear in mind certain meth -
odological limitations, such as the small size of the sample, the duration of the 
research and the fact that it did not include a control group or groups of chil -
dren of various ages. These factors do, of course, limit the ability to generalise 
the results of the research. Additionally, it is essential to address the challenges 
associated with implementing musical activities in diverse preschool environ -
ments. These challenges include varying levels of resources, differences in edu -
cators’ training, and cultural contexts that may influence the effectiveness of 
musical interventions. Discussion of these challenges can help refine practical 
recommendations and support adaptability across a wide range of settings.
Nevertheless, the findings encourage further research in the field of de -
veloping social and emotional competencies of preschool children within the 
framework of implementing elements of the daily routine. This includes studying 
the effects of specific musical activities (e.g., playing instruments, group singing, 
music creation), monitoring and evaluating their effects across different develop -
mental stages, and examining the long-term impact of such interventions, which 
could provide insights into how sustained exposure to musical activities influenc -
es children’s social and emotional development over time. Future studies should 
also explore the influence of incorporating musical activities into elements of the 
daily routine on children’s cognitive and psychophysical development. A signifi -
cant contribution would be the development of proposals for the long-term sys -
tematic inclusion of musical activities in daily routines and integrating research 
approaches from various disciplines, such as psychology, pedagogy and music 
therapy, which could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effects 
of musical activities on the holistic development of a child’s personality. 

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Ethical statement
The research was conducted in compliance with the principles of re -
search ethics. All of the participants were assured that the collected data would 
be used exclusively for research purposes. We prepared a memo for all of the 
children’s parents, informing them about the purpose of the research. All of the 
parents gave their consent for the participation and recording of their children. 
The research was approved by the Ethics Committee at the University of Mari -
bor, Faculty of Arts (Approval ref.: 038-12-147/2023/8 FFUM).
Disclosure statement
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
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Biographical note
Olga Denac, PhD, is a Full Professor of Music Didactics at the Faculty 
of Education, University of Maribor, Slovenia. Her research interests focus on 
the didactics of aesthetic education, general and specialized music didactics, 
arts and cultural education, and cross-curricular integration. Her scholarly 
work has been published in peer-reviewed scientific and professional journals 
and presented at conferences and symposia both nationally and internationally.
Ines Mohorko Germ, MA, is a kindergarten educator with a Master’s 
degree in Early Learning and Teaching. She specializes in the care and edu -
cation of preschool-aged children. Her professional interests include early 
childhood education, music, drama, and puppetry. In her approach to music 
education, she emphasizes the integration of musical activities into everyday 
routines, thereby encouraging a holistic and developmentally appropriate lear -
ning environment.
Jerneja Žnidaršič , PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Music Didactics 
at the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, Slovenia. Her primary re -
search areas include interdisciplinary connections, the implementation of arts 
and cultural education, music listening, and, more recently, the fostering of 
musical creativity in educational settings.