The purpose of the book is to help teachers develop an understanding of dance in the preschool setting, sense when dance can be a natural extension of classroom activity, and develop skill in planning and leading meaningful dance experiences. The first chapter of this book discusses what dance in preschool education is about and its importance for young children. In the second chapter, the content of movement is presented; these elements are the building blocks from which dance activities are created and provide reference points for developing ideas into class activities. The third chapter discusses general preparation for dance activities, and chapter 4 offers a step-by-step description of the process of developing an idea into a class session. Chapters 5 and 6 discuss the reality of teaching a dance class, and the final two chapters give suggestions for adapting material to particular groups--the very young, the handicapped, and parent-child groups. The appendixes include resources and strategies for recorded music, ideas for use in lessons, children's literature, sample original stories, sample lesson on a specific movement theme: curved and angular lines, and suggested resources for further reading. (JD)

`This original and fascinating approach to children′s movement development is highly recommended reading for tutors, practitioner and students alike′ - Under Five `Movement and Dance in Early Childhood offers a clear and accessible entry into the world of movement and dance and the possibilities that exist for children, their families and the wider educational community′ - Every Child `Eminently readable and accessible. Whether the reader is versed in movement understanding or a beginner, by the end of the book they should be a much better movement observer, teacher and handler′ - Marion North, Principal and Chief Executive, Laban Centre for Movement and Dance In this unique and innovative book on movement and dance development from birth to eight years, the author draws on her depth of knowledge and practical experience in helping children to become skilled, creative and imaginative in a wide range of movement-oriented activities. The book seeks to help early childhood educators and parents in very practical ways and provides guidance based on a sound theoretical understanding. Originally published as Helping Children Learn Through a Movement Perspective, this book has been updated in the light of recent research. The author extends her investigation of how young children learn in and through movement. There is an expanded chapter on dance, which suggests strategies for working with young children and examines ways in which young children take on the roles of dance-makers, performers and appreciators. An additional chapter shows ways in which the expressive and artistic aspects of children′s movement can be appropriately located and includes exemplars for dance at Key Stage 1 and the early phases of Key Stage 2.

The first approach to show professionals how to observe and assess the nonverbal expression of children with developmental delays -- and design interventions that aid emotional, social, physical, communicative, and cognitive development.

By balancing research coverage and theory with applied practice, this text covers the most current and comprehensive of topics while encouraging teachers to not only inspire young children to move with music, but be inspired themselves. --from publisher description.

Grade level: 1, k, p, t.

Young Children, Pedagogy and the Arts is an innovative text that describes practices and research that cross all five strands of the arts—visual, drama, music, dance, and media—and illuminates ways of understanding children and their arts practices that go beyond the common traditions. The book: - Offers practical and rich illustrations of teachers’ and children’s work based on international research that integrates theory with practice; - Brings a critical lens to arts education; - Includes summaries, reflective questions, and recommended further readings with every chapter. Young Children, Pedagogy and the Arts provides a more nuanced understanding of the arts through an exploration of specific instances in which committed teachers and researchers are discovering what contemporary multimodal tools offer to young children. Chapters contain examples of ‘doing’ the arts in the early years, new ways of teaching, and how to use emerging technologies to develop multiliteracies, equity, agency, social and cultural capital, and enhance the learning and engagement of marginalized children.

Recently, a new understanding of creative thought and creative performance has surfaced. It has also attracted the attention of early childhood professional organizations and researchers. Professional organizations have included it in their publications and conferences. While current creativity researchers have initiated a far more sophisticated understanding of young children’s creative thinking, ways to assess creativity, strategies to promote creativity, and research methodologies. The purpose of this volume is to present a wide range of different theories and areas in the study of creativity to help researchers and theorists work toward the development of different perspectives on creativity with young children. It focuses on critical analyses and reviews of the literature on topics related to creativity research, development, theories, and practices. It will serve as a reference for early childhood education researchers, scholars, academics, general educators, teacher educators, teachers, graduate students, and scientists to stimulate further “dialogue” on ways to enhance creativity. The chapters are of high quality and provide scholarly analyses of research studies that capture the full range of approaches to the study of creativity --- behavioral, clinical, cognitive, cross-cultural, developmental, educational, genetic, organizational, psychoanalytic, psychometric, and social. Interdisciplinary research is also included, as is research within specific domains such as art and science, as well as on critical issues (e.g., aesthetics, genius, imagery, imagination, insight, intuition, metaphor, play, problem finding and solving). Thus, it offers critical analyses on reviews of research in a form that are useful to early childhood researchers, scholars, educators, and graduate students. It also places the current research in its historical context. The volume is also of interest to the general readers who are interested in the young children’s creativity. The chapters are authored by established scholars in the field of young children’s creativity.

This book presents dance/movement therapy as a window into the emotional and internal experience of a baby with a medical illness, within the context of treating the whole family system and using the DC 0-5 as the basis for formulating the clinical situation. This book fills a gap in the literature, bringing a variety of fields together including infant mental health, infant and child psychiatry, nonverbal-movement analysis, and the creative arts therapies. Grounded in a biopsychosocial perspective, dance/movement therapy is introduced as the main treatment modality, using nonverbal expression as a means of communication, and dance and music activities as intervention tools, to support the child and family. Vignettes from both during and years after the medical experience are presented throughout the book, taking into consideration the subtle and more obvious effects of illness on the child’s later emotional, social, and behavioral development. They illustrate the expertise of the authors as infant mental health professionals, drawing upon their work in hospitals and private practices, and highlight their unique perspectives and years of collaboration. This exciting new book is essential reading for clinicians and mental health professionals working with infants and their families.

In the pedagogical landscape of early childhood, physical movement is central to the holistic development of young children. Yet, movement-related experiences and other bodily activities such as play and dance often present contradictions and conundrums for early childhood educators. As a mode of learning, movement has endured a questionable existence despite the evidence of supportive research and theory, which provides sound reasons for the inclusion of movement in early years curricula. Movement and Dance in Young Children's Lives looks at the place of movement in young children's lives and addresses how movement as a form of expression can become dance, thus displacing a reliance on linguistic modes of expression and honoring the agency of the body. It also discusses a variety of concerns and confusions that accompany dance in education, and interprets what this means to students and teachers in teacher education programs and early childhood settings.

This annotated anthology documents historical trends and basic findings regarding music in early childhood education, development, and care. The papers in this volume discuss the main research trends of musical engagement with early children, such as music in the family, employing music in child care, and musical skill and development. This collection hopes to stimulate further reflections on the implementation of music in daily practice. The volume represents many facets of research from different cultural contexts and reflects trends and projects of music in early childhood. The findings incorporate a historical perspective with regards to different topics and approaches. The book provides practitioners and researchers of music education, music development, and music psychology, an opportunity to read a selection of articles that were previously published in the journal Early Child Development and Care. Each paper concludes with an annotation note supplied by the principle author addressing how they see their article from the perspective of today.