All the research I've come across confirms what I have known deep down in my soul for a very long time - moving our bodies to music offers many critical benefits.
Movement in children can help increase memory, perception, language, attention, emotion and decision making.You are laying the foundation for a healthy and active lifestyle as they grow.
It is important that all young children are physically active every day and
when language is combined with movement, learning increases 90 percent. “Movement has also been shown to help calm and promote alertness in infants."
For me, moving to music is as old as walking.
Jamaicans love to dance. I grew up dancing to popular music, either with an older sibling, my parents, or family friends. We had family dance parties - perhaps 2 or 3 each year, thrown by my parents as well as my brothers and sisters. We went to outdoor “stage shows”, a street party filled with all the generations dancing, singing and enjoying the live music. As the baby of the family, I was the beneficiary of a lot of good times, and, yes, much of it included dancing and singing!
Professionally, I threw monthly family dance parties at the Princeton Public Library: I brought out the scarves, the shakers, a broomstick for limbo, played the right music for adults and children, and everyone, without exception would get caught up in the spirit.
"When children dance with their parent or other children, they are discovering their full range of motion, developing body awareness, and fine-tuning their balance, muscle strength, and coordination. Associating a variety of movement patterns with fun and enlightenment creates a positive connection between using their body, being fit and healthy, and feeling great."
Most episodes on Small Talk Baby Podcast have songs and rhymes to get you and your child moving, from head to toe.
Check out EPISODES: 🌺 #48 🌺 #59 🌺 #75
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Thank you!