This article investigates and discusses Swedish preschool teachers' work with and understanding of teaching dance. Preschool teachers should teach aesthetic expressions such as dance, according to the curriculum. This study depicts how preschool teachers, in semi-structured group interviews in 18 preschools, describe their work with teaching…

Previous studies have shown that there is a positive correlation between attending music classes regularly and the development of executive functions. This paper discusses the results of a pilot study dedicated to determining the difference in the level of development of the components of executive functions (inhibitory control, cognitive…

This article describes dance/STEAM-based educational workshops for 3rd and 4th graders at a local science museum led by the artistic director and members of a professional dance company and supported by a large university research community. The overarching pedagogical goal was to use dance to learn about science and science to learn about dance.…

Dance teachers use a wide range of methods to communicate effectively with students. Amongst the many possibilities, movement demonstration is often a salient, even expected, tool in dance classes. But when the teacher's body undergoes an injury or other significant physical change, what effect does the altered physical experience have on…

What are the dominant images of the Child in contemporary Western societies? In order to challenge some dominant images of the Child, this essay explores the possibilities of analyzing an experimental dance practice with preschoolers aged 1-2 years with Claire Colebrook's theorizing on "the war on norms". Colebrook suggests a "Queer…

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…

Creative movement is an ideal way to help young children develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Most young children are, by nature, extremely physical. They delight in exploring the world with their bodies and expressing their ideas and feelings through movement. During creative movement experiences, children learn to think before…

Children move the instant they are born and the moment they wake up every morning. Moving is one of the first and most important ways infants and toddlers explore and learn about the world, and this process continues as they grow and develop. Research shows that movement and exercise can spark the growth of new brain cells and facilitate learning…

The author discusses how nonverbal actions in young children are powerful communicators of experience, both past and present, and proposes new ways to observe, analyze, and reflect about these silent signals. The article describes the author's Ways of Seeing program, which uses principles of dance movement psychotherapy, the discipline of…