SPARC Active Movement - part 6: Music and Dance

What makes music and dance important?
From birth children really respond to music and movement. For example we use it to calm a baby who is tired or upset, or we can use it to energise children at a party.

Music and dance is a great medium for moving and learning because most children love music and dance. It helps to build an awareness of emotions and is a great form of physical and emotional expression.

For young children music and singing are great for language development and speech and memory skills because of the repetition. We know that children's brains develop very fast in early childhood and music and movement helps make connections between different parts of the brain.

How does music and dance help with physical activity and movement?
Music and dance helps children with skills like co-ordination and sense of timing, which are really useful for kicking balls, throwing and catching things. These are all skills you need to be active and play sport later in life.

Dance and moving in time with music enables kids to cross the midline. This is using the eye, hand, or foot on one side of the body in the space of the eye, hand or foot on the other side of the body. For example, touching your left elbow with your right hand, touching you left foot with your left hand or touching your left foot with your right hand. It's an essential activity for the two hemispheres of the brain to be able to communicate with each other and pass information back and forth. So it's really important for reading, writing and learning as well as movement skills.

What activities which include music and dance can you do with kids at home?
Almost anything! Even chores are more fun with music, dancing and singing!

For younger children songs, rhymes and finger plays are important. Try some good old classics like "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".

For older children, dancing and singing to their favourite music is a great way to get them moving and expressing themselves. You could get your child's friends around for a disco! Or you could try a dance 'demo'. Let the kids choose the music and get them to make up moves in time to the music – then they can perform it for friends and family!

What about lessons or organised music activities?
You can do activities which involve music and dance at home, you don't need to take you child to special classes – but children also really enjoy group activities on a social and interactive level.

For younger children there's music and movement groups that you can take your young child or baby along to.

There are lots of dance lessons available for older children – everything from hip-hop to more traditional dance styles like ballet.

There are other resources available to schools like the Heart Foundation's Jump Rope for Heart programme and Jump Jam which is 'Kidz Aerobix'. They both help develop of a wide range of movement skills which can help children understand how they move.

How do I find out about dance and music lessons for my children?
To find out about dance lessons check out your local council website, visit your local library noticeboard, look in the yellow pages or ask around other parents.

School notices often have information on dance and music lessons held locally.

Where can I get further ideas for physical activity?
Go to www.sparc.org.nz or check out DVD resources like Tessarose's "Look at Me I'm Moving" which is $25 and available from www.tessarose.co.nz.