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Raising Creative Kids
Art in Motion
By Shel Franco
Have you ever really watched a child move? Slow deliberate slides give way to sudden bursts of energy. Often times, their legs move so swiftly, they seem to skim the ground. Yet these same legs can drag as if the weight of a thousand bags of sand were harnessed to their ankles.
Most parents of preschoolers notice the joy that movement brings into their child's life. And once this joy is noted, parents might start thinking about dance class. For many little ones, prancing about a stage in sequined outfits and smooth pink slippers is a rite of passage.
But what do these classes offer preschoolers? How do you find one? And are they even necessary? With a little advice from parents and experts, you can determine the best way to integrate creative movement into your child's life.
To understand the positive aspects of movement, all anyone has to do is watch the smile that graces the face of a child spinning and hopping to the beat. There is a sense of pride and self-accomplishment that comes with mastering the movements. But there are other, more subtle, benefits involved.
"Dance teaches preschoolers to interact with others, follow directions, learn new vocabulary, increase vestibular development, help with balance, coordination, and agility, gain rhythmic skills and much more," says Ann Green Gilbert, a Seattle, Wash. dance instructor and author of Creative Dance for All Ages.
Parents that want their child to benefit from the positive lessons of dance and movement have several alternatives at their disposal, and formal dance class is only one option.