Creative Movement and Dance in Early Childhood Education

by Gisela Loeffler

"Movement is as necessary to mental and

physical development as food."

Creative movement and dance is an enjoyable way for young children to develop their physical skills, channel their energy, stimulate their imagination and promote their creativity. Creative dance involves using body actions to communicate an image (the wind), an idea (a journey) or a feeling (strength).

Many early childhood educators recognize young children's primary need to express themselves through movement. Some teachers include movement exploration to enhance other curriculum areas such as language and literature, science, art and outdoor play. Moreover, the philosophy of creative movement and dance is similar to the aims of early childhood education programs where opportunities for noncompetitive, success-oriented and creative experiences for young children are valued.

Benefits

Creative dance in early childhood education corresponds to the fundamental phase of movement development that occurs between the ages of two to seven. During this time, locomotor (e.g., creeping, walking, running, jumping, leaping and galloping), nonlocomotor (e.g., stretching, bending, twisting, turning, shaking and swinging), and stability and balance skills are able to flourish when children are provided with sufficient practice opportunities (Gallahue, 1982). The above list provides a ready-made movement vocabulary for teachers to enhance familiar songs, stories and rhymes. As young children's language vocabulary increases, so can their dance vocabulary and their ability to express themselves through movement.

Another benefit involves the aesthetic nature of creative movement and dance. "Most definitions of aesthetics involve the capacity to perceive, respond and be sensitive to the natural environment and to human creations" (Feeney & Moravcik 1987, p. 7). All the senses are engaged when children explore and discover different aspects of movement. For example, the kinesthetic sense increases as children literally feel the shapes and actions that their bodies are making. Visually, children respond to the images they see in front of them as well as the images they imagine or create. The auditory sense is stimulated as children respond to sounds they make or hear in the environment, as well as to music. Examples of tactile experiences include touching one another to make a bridge, running with bare feet, doing on-the-floor movements, swirling a cloth, or stretching a big elastic band (Haselbach, 1971). Such fundamental sensory experiences can lead children to appreciate the beauty and form in nature, art and literature as well as the beauty in everyday living.

A social benefit of creative dance is that it encourages an interactive environment where children share space as they explore movement together but in their own way. Gradually, opportunities for children to observe different responses to movement ideas are given and the possibility of creating movements together becomes more appealing. For example, after a group experienced a free flow snow dance with white streamers moving up, down and around in the air, some of the children improvised a solid ice castle of connected body shapes. Also, after stomping around in a friendly dinosaur dance, some of the children decided to line up and take big steps together while the last child was dragged along lying flat, as the tail!

Creative movement and dance can benefit children with special needs because they can participate at their own level of ability. For example, children who are physically challenged can explore body parts or keep a beat by blinking children with special needs can feel a sense of belonging to a group and a sense of joy at being able to learn on a fundamental movement level. "The necessary modifications are often uncomplicated; it is simply a matter of focusing on what the children can do, as opposed to what they cannot" (Pica, 1995; p. 77).

Creative movement and dance activities can be used to enhance almost all other areas of learning and growth including:

Health and Fitness -- Since researchers are becoming increasingly concerned about the low level of fitness in all children and have observed that young children are being socialized to prefer less activity (Werner et al), it is imperative that early childhood programs offer a regular movement program. I have found that young children are fascinated with their bodies. They enjoy activities that explore the use of muscles (including the heart) and the different ways we can make our bodies strong and healthy (e.g., stretching, jogging, climbing, skating, swimming and dancing). Providing lots of opportunity for locomotor activity on a regular basis contributes to children's fitness level.

Music -- As most early childhood educators know, music and movement are linked even from birth and infancy (Kulich, 1989). Bouncing and rocking are children's first experiences in music and children cannot help but respond to the rhythm, beat and moods that different kinds of music suggest. A Caribbean song called "Be Happy" encourages improvised steps while playing an instrument such as the maracas; the "March of the Lions" from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns offers clear phrasing for large, proud lion steps until the instruments inspire sustained whole body stretches to portray the powerful roar of a lion. Undeniably, music in many forms is an accessible accompaniment to either improvised or more structure movement sequences.

Language Development -- When language is linked to movement, both assist in children's cognitive and kinesthetic learning. Graham Fishburne's (1988) research on the right and left hemispheres of the brain points out that the right hemisphere, the sensing and feeling side, functions through activities
such as music, art and creativity, whereas the left hemisphere organizes sequential and logical skills such as language and speech. Fishburne stresses that since cross reference between the two sides occurs, both sides of the brain must be developed during the critical learning periods in early childhood. When children are engaged in poems such as the smashing and crushing in "Garbage Day" (Fitch) or the squishing and squiggling in the "Mud Mush Dance" (Fitch), they cannot help but be thoroughly involved in an activity that will increase their memory and ability to communicate.

Dramatic Play -- Creative dance often provides an opportunity for children to express their emotions through dramatic play as well as nurture a sense of community. For example, Flutterby is the story of a butterfly who comes out of his cocoon and finds he cannot fly (Asplund, 1981). Each animal in the forest (squirrels, deer, rabbit, bear, turtle or whoever children suggest) comes to give their help. A drum can accompany the different animal walks and jumps while a softer sound is needed for the butterfly movement. Nobody can get the butterfly off the ground until all the animals cooperate together: they carefully lift the butterfly's wings, stretch and flap them, and give him some lift to fly up and away. Then all the animals do a celebration dance and wave goodbye to their friend. "Let's do it again" is a frequent request after this dance story. Some simple costumes or masks can be made or collected to enhance the experience.

Considerations

Nonlocomotor/Locomotor Actions

All sorts of sequences of nonlocomotor actions can be used for warm-up exercises and relaxation. The image of a balloon growing and collapsing is an image with which children can easily relate. Once the children's balloon body stays all blown-up, it can float and twist on an adventure until it "pops" and has to begin all over again. I use an inexpensive slide whistle to guide this exploration and dance.

Locomotion or travelling through space is often what children consider to be dancing. Children respond to locomotion because it is an exhilarating and freeing activity and, as a result, "horse dances" and "car dances" are very popular with young boys and girls. A tambourine or drum is an excellent instrument to guide and phrase children's favourite actions -- running, galloping and jumping. Children practise controlling their bodies by contrasting locomotor actions and stillness or holding their body shape. A phrase of movement is like a sentence with punctuation at the end. Various suggestions such as "freeze," "hold it," “whoa," "put your brakes on," and "hold your muscles," helps children stop their locomotor activity and provides a safety precaution. Action songs (from Fred Penner, Sandra Beech, Charlotte Diamond, Alley-oop and Bob Schneider), provide a going and stopping structure that gives children the freedom to move safely in the space.

Shapes and Balance

One way for children to practise their balance and stability is by making shapes with their whole body. Basic body shapes are small, tall, wide and twisted, but all kinds of shapes can be made emphasizing things or different body parts. Shapes can be made on the floor, sitting, kneeling, standing and even in the air. Children can copy shapes or move one another into shapes. Children enjoy change games where one group makes solid tree shapes, for example, while another group flies through the spaces and around the "trees" as the wind. On the cue "change," the children reverse roles. Similarly, snow swirling around frozen statues or fish swimming amongst the seaweed provide a structure for children to practise their locomotor and stability skills within a playful environment.

Naming a Dance

While very young children are gaining knowledge about functional movement, their playful wiggling and jumping responses may not be considered dance. However, with sufficient practise, it is not long before children can identify which parts of their bodies are moving, that there are different steps that their feet can do, that their body can change size and travel in different directions, and that their bodies sense a variety of tension and flow as their imagination takes them through creeping, sneaking or pouncing exploration. Eventually, a name is given to a short movement sequence, the sequence is repeated into a pattern and it becomes a dance (Boorman, 1987). Now the children are able to
remember and refer to the dance when they want to do it again.

The technique of naming a dance is very similar to a child's remembering the names of songs or stories. For example, imitating body parts movements is a satisfactory experience for young two-year-olds and there are a variety of songs to structure the movement. By adding an image and perhaps some evocative music, older threes and four-year-olds delight in using their body parts as part of
a happy, bouncing "puppet dance" or a jerky "robot dance." Likewise, flying through the space in a shape and size selected by the children may become a "bird dance" or a "kite dance" with similar sequences of rising, floating, twisting and falling; starting and ending in a shape gives the dance a form and imparts a finished feeling to a movement sequence. While some movement exploration will have taken place to prepare the children or set a mood, each child will have an opportunity to create his or her very own interpretation of the image and it becomes their special dance.

Finding the Magic

Sue Stinson, in her book Dance for Young Children (1988), has another useful technique for helping children recognize that dance is different from everyday movement. She talks with children about how the special magic inside them is what transforms ordinary movement into dance. While she recognizes that young children cannot sustain a magical feeling about movement at all times, it is possible to inspire children to go beyond basic physical exercising of their bodies.

Flexibility and Flow

No matter what, the movement and dance time is meant to be for the enjoyment and learning of the children we teach. I often ask the children what they would like to dance about or if they have some special music to bring. The song "Under the Sea" from the film Little Mermaid provided inspiration and background music for exploring wavy jellyfish, big shark and whale actions, starfish shapes and how we could join together to move like an octopus.

The greatest reward of working with young children in movement activities is seeing them comfortable with their bodies and with the self-confidence to express themselves through dance. There are times when children let us know that they would like to express themselves non-verbally. For example, one day a child came in and declared that he was very, very grumpy and he did not like people. A small group gathered to share in his feeling and eventually all were doing a "grumpy dance" to rather loud drum beats and grunts. It was revealed that the reason for this unpleasant feeling was that all his money had been stolen. So a search for the money ensued and finally it was found. Next, all the "grumpy feelings" were gathered together and shipped off to the mountains. Not long after, another small group gathered and they wanted to do what t first group did. While the story action began in the same way, the resolution came much easier with the children deciding that making and giving presents was in order. In the weeks to come, we repeated versions of this story with different solutions.

Conclusion

Rudolph Laban, considered the founder of movement and dance education, stated in his book Modern Educational Dance (1948) that educators need to guide children's natural urge to dance-like movement and preserve their movement spontaneity into adult life. Our urban environment has many physical limitations on the growing child. It is difficult for children to become physically sturdy and agile without vigorous movement. It is difficult for a child to become co-ordinated without a variety of movement experiences. And it is difficult for a child to be emotionally responsive if the nonverbal part of their development is not recognized. Early childhood educators are in a unique position to provide an environment where children are encouraged to learn and grow through movement and dance activities.

Gisela Loeffler (BFA, MALS) teaches movement and dance education in early childhood education programs at several colleges in British Columbia and Washington. She continues to be involved with children in preschool and day care settings, too.

Landalf, H., Gerke, P. (1996). Movement Stories for Young Children Ages 3-6. Lyme, NH: A Smith and Kraus Book.

Morningstar, M. (1986). Growing with Dance. Heriot Bay, Canada: Windborne Publications.



This article was published by the Canadian Child Care Federation


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