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Creativity is the foundation of early childhood education. At Heritage House Childcare & Early Learning Centres, we ensure children have the freedom to explore their creativity through music and dance.

These crafts help create a safe and supportive environment where children feel valued and ready to learn and grow. A study by the Brain and Creativity Institute revealed that exposure to music accelerates a young child’s brain development, particularly their language, sound, reading and speech skills.

But there’s more to music and dance than meets the eye. In this blog, we’ll discuss how important these two art forms are in providing a positive, holistic education in early childhood.

Social and Emotional Benefits

Musical activities allow children to develop social skills by interacting and cooperating to achieve a common goal. Dancing games, like musical statues, also help them grow spatial awareness, which is vital for moving safely in an environment with others.

Dancing and moving in a group gives children a sense of belonging and the freedom to express their emotions or shake off a bad mood in a safe, uplifting space. Responding to music through listening or moving their body can expand a child’s creativity and imagination.

Physical Benefits

Introducing children to various music and dance forms allows them to learn new movements. These include jumping, hopping, skipping, stretching, bending, turning, stomping, and tapping. Dance sessions also help extend their physical abilities by creating the body shapes of other animals like dogs or natural elements like a big moving tree. Exposure to new movements improves balance, limb and hand-eye coordination, and rhythm.

Children’s fine motor skills are further developed when learning different hand movements and using musical instrumentals. Regular dance sessions build a child’s muscle strength and endurance. This is a significant benefit as the Department of Health and Aged Care advises toddlers and preschoolers to engage in at least three hours of physical activity daily.

Cognitive Benefits

Putting children in unfamiliar situations, such as listening to a song for the first time or learning a new dance routine, supports their concentration and forces them to use their higher-order thinking skills. These skills involve cognitive abilities associated with reasoning and decision-making.

The more familiar a child is with music, the more confident they will be in noticing rhythm, beat, or tempo changes. Balancing low-tempo and high-energy musical activities is a great way to develop children’s adaptability.

Dancing can particularly help children develop a sense of self and a deeper understanding of their surroundings through play.

The Heritage Dance Academy 

We believe a child’s experience with music and movement should be cultivated in a fun and social environment. That’s why we offer our Heritage House Dance Academy at no extra cost at each centre.

Our energetic program introduces children to the fundamentals of four styles of dance: jazz, ballet, hip hop and rhythmic. Our activities integrate basic numeracy and literacy concepts, such as encouraging the children to count out the beats when listening to music.

The Academy provides a supportive space for children to learn about meaning, storytelling, and emotions. Every participant builds a deep understanding of autonomy and the importance of connection.

To find out more about how we incorporate music and dance into our programming, book a tour of your local centre, or contact us today!