WANT to brush up your child's mathematical skills? Instil a love for music, suggests a recent study that tested the jigsawing ability of 78 children aged between three and four. The children had to form a mental picture of a camel, then rotate the pieces to create the image. The researchers graded them according to speed and accuracy. They then divided the children into four groups. One group was given private piano lessons for 10 minutes each day, as well as group singing lessons. A second group had singing lessons only, while a third group had private computer tuitions each day. The last group received no training at all. After six months of training and at least 24 hours after the last lesson, the researchers tested the children's abilities all over again. In the piano group, the results were dramatic. The others tended to show little improvement.
