Why Song and Dance are Essential for Children’s Development
'Through dance, children develop spatial awareness, become less clumsy and pay more attention to others sharing their space.'
How do children benefit from music and dance? Lin Marsh, a singing leader with the British Council's World Voice programm explains.
Many people today are better equipped than ever before to deal with life’s challenges and difficulties. We live longer, enjoy more leisure time, and have access to the world's knowledge at the touch of a button.
But children are spending less time playing physically, mixing with different generations, creating imaginary games, and interacting with parents. Many are becoming socially isolated because their leisure time is spent in front of a computer or television. They are losing the ability to empathise, to communicate and to read emotional language.What, then, of their ability to sing, dance and let their imaginations soar?
Humans are naturally creative, musical and artistic
A baby in the womb lives to the rhythm of its mother’s heartbeat. It hears and feels the sound and emotion of its mother’s voice. When a baby is born, it creates its first sound with its first instrument – the voice. For several weeks, the voice is only used to demand milk, but gradually the baby discovers its own sounds and begins to experiment, play and compose. By four months, a baby can recognise facial expressions and interpret emotions. Laughter begins soon after, and then much of the world is encountered through play and sound. By six months, babies recognise and respond to songs with movement, using toys to shake, rattle and bang. As children, we use our voice and other instruments to express feelings, but they also serve important learning functions – they teach us pattern, pulse, rhyme and structure, without the complication of language; they teach us the way humans bond and express emotion; they give us pleasure and encourage imagination and story-telling.
Singing has many surprising benefits for children
The meaning of music or dance is not dependent on language. Our first response to music is through the movement of the body. Babies create their own choreography (in the womb, they are practising stretching, kicking and hitting movements) and small children become totally absorbed in the physical sensation of movement. Singing is also an aerobic exercise that improves the efficiency of the cardio-vascular system, increasing the oxygenation of the blood and improving alertness. It is linked to stress reduction, longevity and general health. Improving airflow in the upper respiratory tract impedes the bacteria that can cause colds and flu. I have observed that singing together improves children's behaviour. It helps them bond – whatever the song or language. They can express their feelings of joy or excitement, of being scared or proud. Musical activity involves many different parts of the brain, so singing (which involves music and language) helps develop these areas, as neurological studies from the UK, Germany and the US have found.
The importance of movement and dance
I have heard teachers telling small children to 'sit still and listen' to a piece of music. I believe this is an impossible demand, and an undesirable one too. Watching children listen to music is a crucial part of assessing their development, and we would hope at such times to see a foot keeping time or hands dancing or sometimes a look of quiet wonder. In many cultures, music, singing and dance have no clear divisions – they are seen as a whole activity. Indeed, in many African cultures, there are no separate words for singing and dancing or music. Through dance, children develop spatial awareness, become less clumsy and pay more attention to others sharing their space. Children struggling with language can express their feelings with immediacy through dance and movement.
Preparing children for the 21st century
By communicating freely with the voice, face, and body, children learn to express ideas with confidence, empathise with others from different cultures and backgrounds, and feel at home in their own skin. Song, music and dance can help children become more imaginative, self-aware and collaborative global citizens.
Kwa nini Wimbo na Dansi ni Muhimu kwa Maendeleo ya Watoto 'Kupitia densi, watoto huendeleza ufahamu wa nafasi, wanakuwa wasio na busara na kuzingatia zaidi wengine wanaoshiriki nafasi yao.' Watoto wanafaidikaje kutokana na muziki na dansi? Lin Marsh, kiongozi wa kuimba katika programu ya World Voice ya Baraza la Uingereza anaeleza. Watu wengi leo wana uwezo wa kukabiliana na magumu na magumu ya maisha kuliko wakati mwingine wowote. Tunaishi muda mrefu, tunafurahia wakati mwingi wa kupumzika, na tuna uwezo wa kupata ujuzi wa ulimwengu kwa kubonyeza kitufe. Lakini watoto wanatumia muda mdogo kucheza kimwili, kuchangamana na vizazi tofauti, kuunda michezo ya kuwaziwa, na kuingiliana na wazazi. Wengi wanakuwa watu wa pekee kwa sababu wanatumia wakati wao wa kupumzika wakitazama kompyuta au televisheni. Wanapoteza uwezo wa kuwasiliana, kuwasiliana na kusoma lugha ya hisia, na uwezo wao wa kuimba, kucheza dansi na kuruhusu mawazo yao kuruka. Kwa asili wanadamu ni wabunifu, wanamuziki na wasanii.Mtoto katika tumbo la mama huishi kwa mdundo wa moyo wa mama yake. Yeye husikia na kuhisi sauti na hisia za sauti ya mama yake. Mtoto anapozaliwa, yeye hutokeza sauti yake ya kwanza kwa kutumia chombo chake cha kwanza - sauti. Kwa wiki kadhaa, sauti hutumiwa tu kudai maziwa, lakini hatua kwa hatua mtoto hugundua sauti zake mwenyewe na kuanza majaribio, kucheza na kutunga. Katika miezi minne, mtoto anaweza kutambua nyuso na kutafsiri hisia. Kicheko huanza muda mfupi baadaye, na kisha sehemu kubwa ya ulimwengu hukutana kupitia mchezo na sauti. Katika miezi sita, watoto hujua na kujibu nyimbo kwa kutumia vitu vya kuchezea, kama vile kupiga kelele, kupiga kelele, na kupiga kelele. Kama watoto, sisi kutumia sauti yetu na vyombo vingine kuelezea hisia, lakini pia kutumika muhimu kujifunza kazi - wao kutufundisha muundo, pulse, rhyme na muundo, bila matatizo ya lugha; wao kutufundisha jinsi binadamu uhusiano na kueleza hisia; wao kutupa furaha na kuhamasisha mawazo na hadithi-kueleza. Kuimba kuna faida nyingi za kushangaza kwa watoto Maana ya muziki au densi haitegemei lugha. Jibu letu la kwanza kwa muziki ni kupitia mwendo wa mwili. Watoto huunda choreography yao wenyewe (katika tumbo la mama, wao ni mazoezi ya kunyoosha, kupiga na kupiga harakati) na watoto wadogo kuwa kabisa absorbed katika hisia ya kimwili ya harakati. Kuimba ni mazoezi ya aerobic ambayo huongeza ufanisi wa mfumo wa moyo na mishipa ya damu, kuongeza oksijeni ya damu na kuboresha tahadhari. Inahusiana na kupunguza mkazo, urefu wa maisha na afya kwa ujumla. Kuboresha mtiririko wa hewa katika njia za juu za kupumua huzuia bakteria zinazoweza kusababisha homa na mafua. Nimeona kwamba kuimba pamoja huboresha tabia ya watoto. Inawasaidia kuunganisha <unk> bila kujali wimbo au lugha. Wanaweza kueleza hisia zao za shangwe au msisimko, hofu au fahari. "Kama sehemu nyingi za ubongo zinahusika katika shughuli za muziki, kuimba (ambayo inahusisha muziki na lugha) husaidia kuendeleza maeneo haya, kama utafiti wa neva kutoka Uingereza, Ujerumani na Marekani ulivyoonyesha.""" Umuhimu wa mwendo na dansi Nimesikia walimu wakiwaambia watoto wadogo 'waketi kimya na kusikiliza' wimbo fulani. Ninaamini hii ni madai haiwezekani, na moja undesirable pia. Kuangalia watoto wakisikiliza muziki ni sehemu muhimu ya kutathmini maendeleo yao, na tungetumaini wakati huo kuona mguu ukiweka wakati au mikono ikicheza au wakati mwingine kuangalia kwa mshangao wa utulivu. Katika tamaduni nyingi, muziki, kuimba na kucheza dansi hazina mgawanyiko ulio wazi <unk> zinaonekana kama shughuli nzima. Kwa kweli, katika tamaduni nyingi za Kiafrika, hakuna maneno tofauti ya kuimba na kucheza dansi au muziki. Kupitia densi, watoto huendeleza ufahamu wa nafasi, wanakuwa wasio na busara na kutoa tahadhari zaidi kwa wengine kushiriki nafasi yao. Watoto wanaopambana na lugha wanaweza kueleza hisia zao kwa haraka kupitia dansi na mwendo. Kwa kuwasiliana kwa uhuru kwa sauti, uso, na mwili, watoto hujifunza kuelezea mawazo kwa ujasiri, kuelewana na wengine kutoka tamaduni na asili tofauti, na kujisikia nyumbani katika ngozi yao wenyewe. Nyimbo, muziki na dansi zinaweza kuwasaidia watoto kuwa raia wa ulimwengu wenye mawazo mengi, wenye kujitambua na wanaoshirikiana.