Supplementary file 1_When music tells a story: children’s language and socioemotional development through music-supported narrative learning.docx

However, how music supports children’s learning when integrated with narrative activities remains insufficiently understood.</p>Objective<p>This review examined the practice structures, language–narrative and socioemotional outcomes, and learner- and design-related conditions associated with music-supported narrative learning for children aged 3–12 years.</p>Methods<p>Following PRISMA 2020, Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC were searched for English-language original empirical studies published from January 2016 to August 2026.

Nineteen studies were included. Inductive thematic synthesis, outcome-oriented narrative synthesis, and cross-study explanatory synthesis were used. Quantitative and qualitative evidence were synthesized separately before integration, and cross-study relationships were interpreted as patterns of co-occurrence.</p>Results<p>Practices included auditory enhancement of predefined narratives, sung or rhythmized text, embodied and multimodal activities, and generative music–narrative creation.