Dance is so much more than a ballet or tap class! Dance and creative movement are great indoor, at-home activities that can benefit your young child as well as get older children and caregivers moving!
Both structured dance with prescribed moves and free-flowing creative movement have real benefits.
- Physical Fitness - the most obvious benefit of boppin' to the beat is that it is great exercise. Plus a bonus benefit of getting the wiggles out!
- Body Awareness - young children may not always know exactly what their bodies can and can't do or how to stay in their own space. Dance and creative movement helps them learn coordination and spatial awareness.
- Social Skills - everyone moves through the world a little differently and dance helps show that not everyone will interpret the beat or rhythm of life the same way. Be you always!
- Concentration - following instructions or trying to remember what comes next in a sequence of events are important skills in early childhood development. Dance and creative movement give children a fun and active way to work on these important skills.
These are just some of the great benefits that dance and creative movement have to offer.
Here's a few ways you can enjoy the benefits at home:
- Plan a dance party! Make a short playlist with a couple songs that have prescribed movements and a couple songs that are just fun to bounce around to. Dance with your child so they have a model to follow when in doubt about their own creative confidence. Register for our Virtual Story Time Dance Party on February 16, 2021!
- Play freeze dance! Put on a few of your favorite kid-friendly tracks but make sure your child knows when the music stops they stop. Play around with giving instructions on how to freeze - like make a silly face or pose like a statue.
- Dance with scarves! Sometimes figuring out how to move is hard. Having a manipulative helps focus the movement and gives an opportunity for following instructions.
Need help finding some music? Check out this blog post or contact Youth Services for some recommendations.
Youth Services Librarian Demitra