Quiet, please!
Whether it's the noise of engines, booming music during street parades or the screaming of their own siblings and colleagues, children are exposed to noise every day.
How harmful it is depends on the type of noise, how loud it is and how long you are exposed to it. A single firework exploding close to the ear is enough to cause permanent damage to hearing. The same applies to seemingly harmless toy guns, whistles and balloons: one bang, whistle or burst in the ear and, in the worst case, it is deaf. «Aural noise effects», say experts like Maria Klatte.
Unhealthy continuous stress
«The bigger problem,» says Klatte, «are the extra-aural noise effects.» Although these noises do not damage the ear, they do lead to stress, which can have a negative impact in the long term. On blood pressure, for example, on sleep or on the ability to concentrate, remember things and understand language.
Klatte has analysed the reading skills of schoolchildren who live near an airport and go to school there. One result of this so-called NORAH study (Noise-Related Annoyance, Cognition, and Health) from 2017: learning to read is delayed by around one month at 10 decibels higher aircraft noise exposure. At 20 decibels, it is two months.
At 10 decibels more aircraft noise, learning to read is delayed by one month, at 20 decibels by two months.
Why is that? Because noise makes it harder to concentrate and understand what is being said. Children are much more affected by this than adults in an open-plan office, for example, because their cognitive abilities are still developing at a young age. Pupils are just learning how letters and words sound and how to tell sounds apart. Noise is an extreme hindrance in this process. «The younger the children, the more serious the effect of noise on speech comprehension,» says Maria Klatte. This has been proven by studies on acoustics in classrooms. «First-graders are significantly more affected by noise than third-graders, and third-graders are significantly more affected than adults.»
And it doesn't even need aircraft noise. Even in quieter schools, random measurements show that the noise level is often too high. In many places, the reverberation time in the classroom is over 0.6 seconds. This is the value that the DIN standard 18041, which also applies in Switzerland, actually prescribes for classrooms - and which is apparently too rarely complied with. «Good acoustics are just as important for learning as good light or good air.» So says Kurt Eggenschwiler, President of the Swiss Society for Acoustics. The engineer headed the Acoustics/Noise Reduction department at the Empa research institute in Dübendorf for 20 years and knows: «If it's noisy in the classroom, learning is hindered.» Children who speak a different mother tongue at home, as well as children with learning difficulties or hearing impairments, are particularly hard hit. Learning a foreign language is also more difficult if there is no peace and quiet in the classroom.
New buildings with poor acoustics
Most disturbing noises do not come in through the window, but arise in the classroom itself. This is quite normal: chairs are moved, someone whispers or shuffles their feet under the table, a desk falls over. This only becomes a problem if the room does not have good acoustics. «In a proper classroom with an acoustic ceiling and perhaps even acoustic elements on the walls, maybe even an upholstered sofa, the reflections are dampened, speech is clearer and comprehension is better,» says Eggenschwiler.
But even in new buildings this is not a matter of course, on the contrary: «If you build with hard surfaces made of glass and concrete, as is common today, you get echo chambers with poor speech intelligibility. It gets really loud in there because the sound is reflected,» criticises Eggenschwiler. Not a good place for a school. And to be honest, not an ideal place for a quiet home either. It may be airy and bright in a sparsely furnished open-plan flat with bare walls of glass and stone - but who can stand a rainy day with children playing there?
How loud is it at home?
Is the radio constantly playing in the background or do you have quiet breaks in your family's everyday life? Do the noise check. Your answers to these questions can help you to review your own behaviour - and perhaps give you ideas for a quieter family life.
- Schalten Sie den Fernseher ein, sobald Sie nach Hause kommen?
- Läuft beim Essen immer Musik im Hintergrund?
- Benutzen die Kinder Kopfhörer mit Lautstärkebegrenzung?
- Haben Sie Kinderspielzeug, das laute Geräusche von sich gibt?
- Wenn Sie im Wohnzimmer in die Hände klatschen, gibt das einen unangenehmen Nachhall?
- Liegt im Kinderzimmer ein Teppich?
- Gibt es in Ihrem Zuhause bestimmte Räume, in denen alle leise sind?
- Wird Rücksicht genommen, wenn jemand gerade lernen oder Hausaufgaben machen will?
- Gehen Sie mit Ihren Kindern auf Veranstaltungen oder zu Indoor-Spielplätzen, die Ihnen eigentlich zu laut sind?
- Gönnen Sie Ihrer Familie im Alltag auch Ruhepausen?
- Gehen Sie regelmässig in die Natur?
- Geniessen Sie manchmal ganz bewusst die Ruhe, zum Beispiel im Wald?
- Lesen Sie vor dem Zubettgehen etwas vor oder singen gemeinsam ein Gutenachtlied?
The flat can be retrofitted
How loud is it at home? Parents can also ask themselves this question and possibly retrofit sound absorbers. In addition, many children do not have their own workspace where they can do their homework undisturbed. Young siblings play in the same room and the TV or music may be playing in the background. «This is very unfavourable for schoolchildren,» says developmental psychologist Klatte, «because speech-like noises are not only distracting, but also penetrate directly into short-term memory, which is needed for mental arithmetic or reading.» The brain constantly checks even quiet conversations for information that is relevant to us. This takes up capacity that is actually needed for learning. There is no room for new vocabulary.
A noisy home is not good for younger children either, partly because noise interferes with them learning their native language. They simply cannot understand their parents properly when cuddly toys are talking, music boxes are playing and children's phones are ringing. Loud toys can even cause hearing damage if they are held close to the ear. It's best not to buy them in the first place or to check the volume in your own ear beforehand.
The brain constantly analyses even quiet sounds. This occupies capacities that are actually needed for learning.
There are even more ways to protect children from noise. Firstly at school: Of course, school management is obliged to ensure good room acoustics, but as a parent you can and should insist that the acoustics are really taken into account when the school is being renovated or a new building is being planned. «Classrooms are communication rooms, and they need to be equipped for this,» says Klatte very clearly. Sound must also be dampened in corridors, the assembly hall, canteen and sports hall to create an atmosphere in which children can develop in peace.
Hearing protection is not a solution
Giving your child hearing protection for homework time can only be a temporary solution because it prevents communication. The child isolates itself. «Good room acoustics are not magic,» emphasises the noise researcher. Optimal acoustics can be achieved in any normally built classroom. «The knowledge is there, but the planners are often not aware of it.» Ask for a measurement to be carried out and, if necessary, for refurbishment in accordance with DIN 18041.
It is the teacher's responsibility to organise lessons in such a way that the different working groups do not interfere with each other. For example, he or she could use a noise traffic light to signal to the class when it is too loud.
At home, parents have it in their own hands. Even if they don't have enough space for their own room, they can provide their child with a quiet working environment. This requires family rules. When children are doing their homework or studying for a class test, they shouldn't be playing a radio play or doing gymnastics at the same time. «Protect your children from excessive noise and loud toys,» advises Kurt Eggenschwiler. Siblings must also learn to show consideration for each other. They can play with the Playmobil fire brigade or practise the clarinet again later.
Eggenschwiler, father of four, is a fan of balance: «Children should also be allowed to be loud. They need the opportunity to move around, let off steam and make noise themselves. Then they will cope better with quiet situations.» He always had half an hour of quiet time at lunchtime. «A nice break for the whole family. Recharge your batteries and then you can really get going again.» Promote awareness of silence. That's Maria Klatte's tip. «It's not about saying with a raised index finger: «Watch out, otherwise your ears will break!» Instead, inspire enthusiasm for this amazing organ that we have and that we need to treat with care.» When it's quiet, you can hear other noises. The birds in the courtyard. Piano sounds from somewhere. A fly at the window. Your own breathing.
