The movement focus for Lessons 5 and 6 is pathways. Our world is most commonly organized in straight lines, emphasizing efficiency and directness. When children have the opportunity to explore lots of different ways to get from one place to another, they enhance their awareness of the world around them, and develop increased agility. When a child creates curves and zigzags with her arms and upper body, she frequently crosses the midline, helping to strengthen her corpus callosum and the ability of the brain’s two hemispheres to communicate with each other. When we explore the space we have around us, we can create new pathways—curved, circular lines; sharp, angular, zigzag lines; straight lines, forward and back, side to side, and all sorts of combinations.
Like other elements of movement, pathways help develop coordination and balance. What fun it is to have new ways to play on the playground, run at the park, and think about different ways to get from here to there.
Kindermusik’s Foundations of Learning - some of the benefits your child received from today’s activities are:
Experience“Children must master the language of things before they master the language of words.” Friedrich Froebel, known as the father of kindergarten, expresses here the essence of early-childhood education: a young child cannot understand or learn the difference between hot and cold or loud and soft without experiencing these sensations (adapted from Froebel, Friedrich. 1900).
BalanceThe semicircular canals are three tiny, fluid-filled tubes in our inner ear that help us keep our balance. When we move our heads around, the fluid triggers the hairs that line each canal. These hairs translate the movement of the fluid into nerve messages that are sent to your brain. This is how the body knows to stay balanced (“Semicircular Canals.” 1995-2006).
Movement and LearningWhen dancing together, children quickly learn to work within the group dynamic. Movement becomes the road to communication, fostering both social interaction and cooperation. As educators, we know that children love to move their bodies. Structureddance allows for this form of expression while also giving the opportunity for children to learn how they understand themselves in relation to others (Faber, Rima. 2005).The semicircular canals are three tiny, fluid-filled tubes in our inner ear that help us keep our balance. When we move our heads around, the fluid triggers the hairs that line each canal. These hairs translate the movement of the fluid into nerve messages that are sent to your brain. This is how the body knows to stay balanced (“Semicircular Canals.” 1995-2006).
