Let’s dance!

INSPIRATION CORNER

Let’s dance!

Alliance quality and standards manager Melanie Pilcher shares different ways to bump some boogie into your children’s day this International Dance Day

Melanie is responsible for resources that support best practice in all matters relating to the EYFS.

Dancing for pleasure is joyous; it has no boundaries and no rules. It’s good for the body and the soul, because it releases endorphins that help lower stress levels, while also relieving physical and emotional pain. One only has to observe a young child completely engrossed to see them ‘dance like no one is watching’, displaying a complete lack of self-consciousness as they give themselves over to the moment.

The urge to dance and move to music is as innate to children’s physical development as it is to walk. From the earliest age, babies respond to rhythm and are compelled to move their

bodies. They bob their heads, kick their legs, and wave their arms in response to the melody of a carer’s voice crooning to them. Studies have shown that even very young babies intuitively respond to melody or a change in tempo from just a few days old!

With dance offering so much, it’s worth building into curriculum planning. But first, it’s important to recognise how dance can support all areas of learning and development.

Physical development: Dance requires a full range of physical movement and exertion. Children develop coordination, spatial awareness, balance, and core strength as they move their bodies. Use different music and movement to encourage children to use their bodies.

Communication and language: As a form of communication, dance allows children to express their thoughts feelings and emotions. Ask older children to ‘dance happy’, or ‘dance sad’. Play classical music that conveys atmosphere and ask children to dance their feelings.

Literacy: Many stories are told through the medium of dance; children can articulate their own ideas and structure them through dance as a skill that can support creative writing as children grow older.

Personal, social and emotional development: When dancing with their peers, children engage as part of a team. As they make up new moves, children’s self-esteem is boosted as ‘their’ move is copied by others. Dance can also be a mindful activity that allows a child to concentrate on the sound of music and their body’s response as they express what they are feeling or thinking. Encourage children to work together by demonstrating dance with a partner, either mirroring each other’s moves or trying different dance holds.

Mathematics: Counting steps, recognising patterns, spatial awareness, and creating shapes are all important mathematical skills that can be enhanced through dance, particularly when children are encouraged to copy simple moves in time to music.

Understanding the world: Dance is truly socially and culturally diverse. Every country has its own dance further defined by the music and costume that is worn. Find out about dance that’s popular in your local community. Involve parents and carers by asking them to demonstrate dance that is part of their culture.

Expressive arts and design: Creativity and imagination are at the heart of dance. It may be one of the first times that children engage with the arts, whether formally by visiting a theatre or watching a specific form of dance, or informally through their play. Dance enables children to explore and play with different media – for example, using ‘props’ or trying out different forms of dance. Focus on different dance forms from time to time; be alert to the dance forms that capture children’s imaginations so that they can benefit fully from experiences that pique their interest.

When planning to incorporate dance into the early years curriculum, educators should reflect on the three characteristics of effective learning that they want to encourage:

Playing and exploring: From the earliest age, babies and young children are driven to experience new things, testing out their bodies as they discover how they work. The nonstatutory curriculum guidance, Birth to 5 Matters, identifies key points relating to play, including: “In play, children can become deeply involved as they take things they already know and combine them in new ways so that their understanding deepens.” When children incorporate dance into their play, this is what they are doing.

Active learning: When children dance, they try out new moves; sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. While children may be inspired by a spin or kick that they’ve seen somewhere, it may take them many attempts to perfect themselves – though each failure will be a learning experience that motivates them to continue.

Creating and thinking critically: When dancing, children continuously “have and develop their own ideas", "make links between ideas", and "develop strategies for doing things” (EYFS 2024).

Even if they’re not trying to copy dance moves that they’ve seen elsewhere, children will test out their movement thoughts and ideas as they piece together ways to get their body to respond in the way they desire.

Whichever way educators decide to incorporate dance into their curriculum, it becomes most effective when they, as teachers, demonstrate, role model, and join in.

International Dance Day was developed so that we might enjoy dance for what it is and share our delight with others. This is exactly what young children do when they dance, but it’s something many lose in adulthood when the pressure to ‘get it right’ takes over. So why not join in with the celebrations this year and trust the children to be the heart of your celebrations? Because children intuitively know the secret of how to dance without shame!

“Dance is created with the entire body and soul” - Sue Jin Kang, Creative Director, Korean National Ballet, 2022.

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