Preschool Dance and Movement

Dance in a Preschool Environment

• Dance is an essential activity in preschool that contributes to the holistic development of young children.
• Dance enhances motor skills, coordination, and control through movements like jumping, twirling, and balancing.
• Dance boosts cognitive abilities by requiring children to remember steps and sequences, enhancing memory, concentration, and spatial awareness.
• Dance is a powerful tool for self-expression, allowing children to communicate their feelings and emotions non-verbally.
• Participating in dance routines can build confidence and self-esteem, especially when children perform in front of peers and receive positive reinforcement.
• Collaborative dance activities promote teamwork, teach children to share space respectfully, and help in forming positive relationships.
• Dance encourages imagination and innovation, stimulating creative thinking through storytelling and movement.

Creative Dance

• Creative dance is the exploration of the Elements of Dance through structured improvisation.
• Creative dance is accessible to everyone, with no right or wrong way to do it.
• Creative dance supports physical development, including muscle development, balance, control, coordination, and proprioception (the ability to sense one's own movement and location in space).
• Creative dance helps develop self-control and regulation of the body, including impulse control and body awareness.

Music in a Preschool Setting

• Music in preschool encompasses a variety of activities designed to engage young children with sound in a playful and educational manner.
• Music activities in preschool include singing, dancing, playing instruments, and exploring sounds.
• Music helps in nurturing a child's development across several domains, including cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and language skills.
• Music activities include singing simple songs, moving and dancing to music, playing instruments, listening to music, creating music, and playing musical games.
• Music can be used to teach various concepts, such as counting, the alphabet, and social skills like teamwork and sharing.
• Music can be a powerful tool for fostering cultural awareness as children explore songs and instruments from different parts of the world.

Supporting Children's Musical Development

• Young children are primed to actively engage in music from birth, and early childhood educators can harness this innate joy of music-making.
• To support children's musical development, educators should provide access to music, model singing, and encourage children to play with sound and explore their own voices.
• Educators should also respond to children's spontaneous music-making, provide rich environments for music exploration, and expose children to a rich diversity of music from different cultures and genres.
• Children should be encouraged to play with song and music, and educators should not limit themselves to one style of music or one genre.