Brain Dance for Babies
Anne G. G.
Washington USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 18, No. 2, March-April 2001 pp. 44-46
Movement is the key to learning!
Movement and dance activities such as crawling, creeping, rolling, turning,
walking, skipping, reaching, and swinging are essential for baby's brain
development. These specific and intensive motor activities make full
use of babys complicated nervous system and follow a plan. The nervous
system of each new human being must go through a series of developmental
stages before the brain can operate at its full potential. Using her
whole body, her movements, and all her senses, the baby "programs"
her motor/perceptual equipment, her nerves, and brain cells.
This process, called neurological
organization, describes the development of the central nervous system,
and takes place between birth and six to eight years of age. The first
year is critical. By twelve months, many children are doing tasks that
are easily recognizable as leading to the development of adult skills,
particularly walking and talking. By twelve months, the brain has grown
to 50 percent of its adult size.
Neurogenesis, the birth of
brain cells, takes place in the womb, and the cells move to the areas
of the brain where they are needed. The brain continues to grow and
develop after birth, as baby's movement patterns and other experiences
actually help create connections between nerve cells.
When placed on her tummy,
a new baby may appear to move her arms and legs randomly. However, this
pattern is common to all normal babies and is called core-distal movement.
The baby is reaching out to discover her new world. Gradually, her movements
while lying on her belly will turn into a more organized pattern called
head and tail movement. Around two months of age, she will begin to
stretch her head up to see the world, which helps develop important
neck and shoulder strength needed later for sitting up and standing.
Between two and a half and
seven months, most babies will begin to organize their upper and lower
body movement. They learn to hold the lower half stable so that the
upper half can move and vice versa. They also learn to keep the right
half stable so the left can move and vice versa. This allows baby to
travel toward and away fiom a noise or object by squirming on her behy.
This early belly crawling will evolve into more skilled crawling, and
as baby learns to get around, she will also improve her ability to track
objects with her eyes in a horizontal direction. This will later help
her read. Her back and hips also become stronger and more stable, laying
the foundation for the next stage of creeping on hands and knees. During
this time the vestibular system in the inner ear, which helps to orient
baby in space and aid with balance, is also being developed through
rouing, rocking, and swaying movements.
Sometime between seven months
and a year, the baby puts distance between herself and the floor by
pushing up onto hands and knees. The curvy litde baby legs begin to
become aligned with hip sockets and feet in preparation for standing.
As baby moves up to creep on hands and knees, the ability to track objects
vertically with her eyes improves. Coordinating vertical and horizontal
eye tracking is an essential skill for reading and writing.
While these observable changes
are taking place, countless other neurological tasks are being stimulated
and organized through movement. These include more detailed visual perception
and focusing, the stabilization of body temperature and waking/sleeping
cycles, and the gradual disappearance of newborn movement patterns.
More mature human movements and behaviors begin to emerge.
If babies do not have the
opportunity to roll, crawl, creep, rock, turn, stretch, clasp, focus,
babble, and do many more movements such as these, little gaps in their
development may appear in the years ahead. Yet babies sometimes don't
have many chances to practice these instinctive activities. In the interest
of convenience, love, and safety, babies are sometimes kept off the
floor for much of their first year. A baby who spends too much time
being restrained in a car seat, jumper, or walker, or being held or
lying on a blanket on her back (during awake periods) will not move
through the important fundamental patterns of the first twelve months
of life.
The fear of Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome has caused a widespread campaign to put babies down to
sleep on their backs. But this does not mean that babies should stay
on their backs even while awake. They can sleep on their backs and play
on their stomachs!
Babies spend a lot of time
in their car seats. Even when not riding in a car, babies spend lots
of time sitting in car seats in homes, in stores, and waiting at lessons
for siblings. A baby can't move much while sitting in a car seat. She
also can't see much, since she is tipped back at a 45-degree angle.
While car seats are very important in saving lives, they can hinder
normal growth and development when used too often as a playpen or holding
area.
Babies need to be on their
tummies in order to go through the fundamental patterns that wire the
brain and lay the foundation for reading, writing, socialization, and
healthy behavior. When a baby is prevented through illness or through
social or environmental obstacles from moving through these patterns,
she may later encounter problems in school with learning and behavior,
no matter how intelligent she may be. Missed or disorganized developmental
stages can create barriers that make learning difficult. The good news
is that movement activities that take children back through these missed
stages and fundamental patterns can often correct flaws in their perceptual
processes and enhance learning.
One way to enjoy movement
with your baby is to dance together. Dancing with your baby provides
brain activity, stimulates growth, and also brings joy and laughter
to this wonderful relationship!
Moving naturally through
fundamental movement patterns (raising the head, rolling over, creeping,
and crawling) during the first year is essential for healthy brain development.
Mothers can help make sure their babies have the opportunity to learn
and practice these movements simply, just by giving them enough time
on the floor on their tummies to enjoy time to play. It's a great way
to meet your baby's needs while helping your babys brain to grow.
Here are Some Suggestions for Babies From Birth to Twelve Months
- Let your baby's arms and legs be free to move.
- Put your baby on her tummy on the floor for exercise and play.
- Provide a smooth surface
that your baby can move across when she is ready (wood, linoleum,
a piece of cardboard from a very large box). Kitchen floors are great
and usually cleaner than rugs! Lying on blankets or quilts makes it
harder for your baby to travel when she is first learning.
- Let feet and hands be
bare so that baby can use them for belly crawling—an important fundamental
pattern. Socks and long sleeves are slippery and make it difficult
for baby to crawl.
- Get down on your belly facing your baby and coo and talk.
- Mimic your baby's movements—stretch head up, crawl on belly,
creep on hands and knees, roll
over, and sit up. Moving through the fundamental patterns is good
for everyone's brains!
- Do not teach your baby
to walk. Belly-crawling and creeping on hands and knees (in that order)
may be essential for creating a healthy person emotionally, physically,
socially, and intellectually. Between 12 and 15 months is a fine time
to start walking.
- If baby begins to pull
upon furniture before crawling and creeping, remove some of the furniture
so that there is a big space for baby to move on tummy and hands and
knees.
- Nurse baby, hold baby, touch baby, and massage baby, swing, sway,
turn, dip, and dive with baby.
- Sing to baby and dance with baby!
Simple Dance Activities
- Do simple stretching exercises with your baby, moving arms, then legs,
right side and then left side, and finally cross-body movements (right
arm to left leg and vice versa).
- Sing or say rhymes for
accompaniment. Get down on the floor with your baby to encourage creeping
and crawling as appropriate to development.
- Explore ways of carrying,
rocking, swaying, swinging, and turning with your baby. Experiment
with holding your baby in different positions and on different levels.
- Use props. Swing or pull
your baby in or on large pieces of material such as table cloths or
sheets. Swing baby side to side in a hammock or bounce up
and down in a large thick piece of stretchy material.
- Dance around your baby
with brightly colored scarves, touching her and playing peek-a-boo.
Try other sensory activities with different textures and materials.
- Carry your baby while doing different locomotor movements. Walk, run,
jump, bop, turn, tiptoe, slide, gallop, and skip. All these movements
have different rhythms. Dance with your baby to a variety of music
and meters. Try music from cultures around the world, such as African,
Latin, Japanese, or Indian music. Find music with different rhythms,
such as waltz, tango, salsa, polka, and rock and roll.
- Play instruments (bells, shakers, drums, rhythm sticks, pots, and pans)
in front, next to, above and behind, and gently on top of baby. Encourage
her to focus on the instrument and eventually hold and play the instrument
herself.
- Play instruments to children's songs and world rhythm that have a
strong beat.
- End dance sessions with
baby massage, or just lie down on the floor and relax with your baby lying
on top of you, breathing slowly, and rubbing your baby with long gentle strokes.
References
Dennison, P. and G. Brain Gym. Ventura, CA: Edu-Kinesthetics, Inc., 1994.
Doman, G. What To Do About
Your Brain Injured Child. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974.
Gilbert, A. G. Creative Dance for All Ages. Reston, VDA/AAHPERD. 1992.
Gilbert, A. G. Teaching
the Three R's Through Movement. wwwcreativedance.org. 1977.
Hackney, P. Making Connections,
Total Body Integration Through Bartenieff Fundamentals. Amsterdam:
Gordon Breach Publishers, 1999.
Hannaford, C. Smart Moves. Arlington, VA: Great Ocean Publishers, 1995.
Jensen, E. Teaching with the Brain in Mind. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 1998.
Sprenger, M. Learning
and Memory: The Brain in Action. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 1999.
Last updated Wednesday, October 11, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:14 UTC 2007.
