Have you ever caught your baby or toddler dancing to the rhythm of music? Research proves that babies are actually born with this predisposition to move their bodies in response to music.
In fact, they find music to be more engaging than speech! This explains why singing is more efficient than speaking when trying to calm your child.
Because of this musical predisposition, creating musical situations and encouraging them to dance is a wonderful way to help them develop their personality and foster social interaction.
Dancing is also a great way for you to bond with your child while boosting their cognitive development, encouraging creativity, and improving their overall mood.
- Cognitive Development:
Movement is a powerful brain development tool, so it stands to the reason that dancing not only exercises the body, but the brain as well. Dancing has been proven to stimulate the vestibular receptors, which are nerve endings in the vestibular system located in the inner ear. Almost any movement can stimulate the brain through these receptors, and an active vestibular system helps set the foundation for all learning (Cummings, n.d.).
The act of observing and imitating a certain dance stimulates the brain, because it helps your child remember different movements and patterns, creating a foundation for memory retention to build. Forming the habit of dancing at an early age also helps children develop spatial awareness and learn more about their body’s movement abilities.
- Encouraging creativity:
When children hear a piece of music, they get to decide how their body should respond to it. Teaching your child simple dance moves like moving their arms or spinning can encourage them to create their own later. What a pleasant surprise that would be! Having them observe and learn multiple moves can help them form ideas and gain inspiration.
- Overall Mood Improvement:
Music and mood go hand in hand. A study conducted by the University of York discovered that babies were more likely to smile when their movements were well-synchronized with the music playing. This study also found that the beat of the music was more likely to produce a response rather than other features such as the melody (University of York, 2010).
Like we mentioned in the beginning, music is more effective than speaking when trying to calm a child. In turn, dancing while holding your baby results in physical closeness, which helps them feel secure and more relaxed. Throw in some soft singing and they are bound to change their mood in no time!
Tips:
Now that you’ve learned about three important benefits of dance, let’s go over some tips on how to make the best out of your child’s dancing habits.
- Play music for your baby during pregnancy – The Nuryl curriculum is designed to help stimulate your baby’s brain and can be started as early as five months prenatal. Users have even reported feeling increased movement or “dancing” from their belly! Learn more here: https://nuryl.com/how-it-works/
- Dance your child to the rhythm of the music – Even if your baby hasn’t learned to walk or crawl, it’s never too early to get them started on learning to move in sync with the beat!
- Make eye contact – Eye contact between you and your baby releases the strong hormone oxytocin, which helps them feel more secure and creates a better bond between parent and child (How to help your baby make eye contact, 2019).
- Encourage freestyle dancing – This gets their brain thinking and can help them develop their own unique style.
- Choose simple dance moves – Choose dance moves that go along with your child’s development and increase the complexity as they grow older (For example, simply moving the arms would be a good move for a 4-month-old but not complex enough for an 18-month-old).
- Consider dance lessons – If your child is older and has shown a clear passion for dance, consider enrolling them in dance lessons. That way, they can learn from a trained professional and socialize with other children who share the same hobby.
Active Babies = Happy Babies
Dancing has the power to boost cognitive development, encourage creativity, and improve your child’s mood. But one of the most important benefits is the parent-child bonding time. Remember that it’s never too early to introduce your child to the art of dance so make the best of it and have fun!
Sources:
Cummings, B. (n.d.). The benefits of dancing with your baby. Active Babies Smart Kids.
Retrieved August 24, 2021, from https://activebabiessmartkids.com.au/articles/benefits- dancing-
baby/?v=322b26af01d5
How to help your baby make eye contact: 6 tips for parents. (2019, August 26). The Indian
Express. https://indianexpress.com/article/parenting/family/baby-eye-contact-tips-for-
parents-5938604/
University of York. (2010, March 16). Babies are born to dance, new research shows.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 24, 2021 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100315161925.htm
Luke Smith
I like that you mentioned how forming the habit of dancing at an early age could help children develop spatial awareness and learn more about their body’s movement abilities. It looks like our daughter wants to learn how to dance and my wife and I have decided to support her. So, we are thinking of enrolling her to a dance studio so she’d have formal learning for dancing.