Finding Balance Through Creative Dance

Winter Class Article 2019

Week #6

This week, we’re sharing a recent scientific study that measured the proprioceptive abilities of preschoolers who were exposed to an 8-week creative dance program. Find the article here!

The experiment found that the movement reaction times and balance skills of the young children that received movement classes were greatly improved when compared to a control group. The authors of the study believe that dance education should be made a staple of early childhood curriculum.

“In promoting healthy child development, the advantage of dancing, compared with traditional sports, is that it provides an opportunity for young children to be active and to explore body movement capacity without the element of competition.” Sensorimotor skills are important to normal development of coordination moving into childhood and for performing activities of daily life.

The article mentions that few other studies of this nature have examined dance-specific benefits that are not also linked to either regular aerobic exercise or to music education on their own. We love that the dance program used for the experiment included moving the body in space, finding rhythm with clapping, and dancing with nursery rhymes. These are fundamental elements of the Blooming Bébé method!

We hope you enjoyed reading the article and that you will share your thoughts with us! Have you noticed an improvement in your child’s balance and motor skills since joining the Blooming Bébé community?

Reference

Chatzihidiroglou, Panagiota; Chatzopoulos, Dimitris; Lykesas, Georgios; Doganis, Georgios. (March 2018). Dancing Effects on Preschoolers’ Sensorimotor Synchronization, Balance, and Movement Reaction Time https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324020793_Dancing_Effects_on_Preschoolers'_Sensorimotor_Synchronization_Balance_and_Movement_Reaction_Time

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