Influence of music – didactic games on learning social skills of students with intellectual disabilities

The main focus of the thesis is on monitoring and evaluating the impact of musical-educational games in the affective area of development of students with mild mental disabilities. I was led through my thesis preparation with thoughts: “How to help students with difficulties in social interactions, side effects that are caused by problems in development, domestic conditions, negative self-image…?”. “How to motivate students, convince them to cooperate and to “teach” them social skills?” In the thesis I describe the musical development form prenatal period until mid-childhood, social development of children and development of people with mild mental disabilities. I also define musical activities and objectives included in musical education in elementary school. In the empirical part of the thesis I used a qualitative research method – a case study where the research sample contained an observation of students in the first three grades of elementary school with adapted programs and lowered educational standards in Ljutomer, with a duration of six month. I compiled and edited fifteen educational preparations that include musical-educational games with lyrics and music notation in the appendix. In the thesis I researched how and to what extent does the music impact social inclusion of students with mental disabilities and how musical-educational games’ workshops contribute to better group relations and to development of social energy between members. The research results show a positive influence of music and musical – educational games on learning social skills and personality development of children with mental disabilities. Individual development consequentially influenced on better relationships within a simultaneously evolving group