Baby Dance Party! : The Benefits of Music and Dance for Young Children

Rattle, rattle, bang, bang, bang!  The sound of maracas, shaky eggs, drums, and other instruments may not be what you’d expect in a library… but they should be, especially in the Children’s Area!  Libraries are places of learning where we have access to stories that help us learn the patterns of language, see different points of view, and experience different emotions.  Music and dance provide those same qualities and more and are natural additions to library youth programming.

The benefits of music and movement are well-documented.  Many studies of children focus on the school-age set, but there are also a number of studies and articles that deal with babies and toddlers. Eight of these benefits are listed below:
  1. Helps with bondingEveryone enjoys listening to and making music, even if there are differences in style and taste.  Children are no different, and we can connect over that shared love. A fascinating study of 14-month-old babies found that when they bounced in time to music with another person, they were more likely to help that person afterwards (Cirelli, Einarson, & Trainor, 2014), suggesting that social bonds were formed simply by listening and moving to music together.  If these bonds can be built between strangers - the babies and the researchers - in just a few minutes, how much more connection can be made between a parent/caregiver and child who spend far more time together?  The benefits aren’t all for the baby, either.  A study by Perkins, Fancourt, Roberts, & Yorke (n.d.) found that mothers with moderate-severe post-natal depression (PND) who participated in 10-week singing classes with their baby had a “significantly faster improvement in symptoms than mothers having their usual care,” and that “daily singing to babies is associated with fewer symptoms of PND and higher levels of wellbeing, self-esteem, and perceived mother-infant bond” (n.p.).  This study dealt specifically with mothers, but I can’t see why dads, grandparents, and other caregivers couldn’t also get a mental health boost from dance/music sessions with their little one.
  2. Develops emotional awareness and helps build empathyAs Nichols & Honig (1997) found, “children hear musical sounds played together and in sequences, and respond to the feelings aroused by the music. Children can become more in touch with their own feelings, as well as the feelings of others, through harmonies” (p.214).  Music influences our moods and evokes different feelings depending on such things as tempo and key (major or minor), and experiencing those different emotions can help kids better identify and relate to how others are feeling.
  3. Helps develop a sense of confidence and well-beingDancing like nobody’s watching can be intimidating!  The more you dance, particularly in an inclusive, non-judgmental setting such as with a parent or with friends, the more confident you will become.  “With music as their guide, children become more comfortable moving and experimenting with their bodies” (Nichols & Honig, 1997, p.214).  This leads to greater self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-motivation (Davis, 2019, n.p.).
  4. Builds social skills, particularly if done in a group settingI see on a weekly basis how the music in story time brings everyone together, especially if instruments like shaky eggs are involved! In the Cirelli, Einarson, & Trainor (2014) study referenced above, “… moving to music with others encourages the development of altruistic behavior among those in a social group… [and] it helps to build a co-operative social climate” (McMaster University, 2014 ). When using instruments or props, children have to learn how to select an item, use it without poaching others’ items or personal space, and return it.  As White (2012) observed, “the group dynamic in dance classes also challenges young ones to respect others as they share and move through space in unison” (n.p.).  Beyond that, there are a number of other social skills being internalized: making eye contact, focusing and paying attention
    (Lorenzo-Lasa, Ideishi, & Ideishi, 2007), and communication.  Dovnovan, Hemsworth, & Trainor (2012) found that “babies from the interactive classes showed better early communication skills, like pointing at objects that are out of reach, or waving goodbye.  Socially, these babies also smiled more, were easier to soothe, and showed less distress when things were unfamiliar or didn’t go their way” (n.p.).  Music and dance groups can also be a good place to interact with older and younger kids – something I see during library programs – since listening to and making music are something a wider range of kids can enjoy and participate in, no matter their skill level.
  5. Develops motor skillsPlaying an instrument or moving a prop to music requires coordination, dexterity, and agility.  It’s also a fun challenge to figure out how to make the desired sounds on an instrument or move a prop to get just the right effect!  As kids work at the challenge, they are unknowingly building  their motor skills.
  6. Good for physical healthDancing is fun, but it’s also great exercise!  It’s good for the heart, lungs, blood pressure, and muscles.  It also helps build strength, endurance, flexibility, and good balance.  Better yet, the health benefits apply to everyone, so you and your little one can get a workout!
  7. Helps with speech & language-learningMusic is a great way to expose kids to language.  Music is based on patterns, and listening can help children recognize those patterns and predict what will happen next.  This in turn helps with language, as the “timing of syllables helps listeners define one speech sound from another and understand what someone is saying.  And it’s the ability to identify differences in speech sounds that helps babies learn to speak” (McElroy, 2016, n.p.).  In fact, McElroy (2016) found that “play sessions with music improved 9-month-old babies’ brain processing of both music and new speech sounds” (n.p.).  Dancing can also teach young kids new aspects of language.  Even if a child doesn’t understand the words yet, commands like “march” and “stop” can be demonstrated and their meaning conveyed if gestures and facial expressions are used (Arora, 2018, n.p.).
  8. Accustoms children to loud soundsWhile some children are absolutely fine with loud noises, others find them quite intimidating.  Arangio (2018) tells the anecdote of how playing noisy instruments such as drums in a baby music class helped a little boy overcome his fear of loud noises (ex. balloons popping), which, as she puts it, has made “the world around him … a bit less scary” (n.p.).
Now, what if you’re not a dancer? What if you can’t sing? What if those very words send you running in the opposite direction? (“Oh no, I have to dance … in front of other people!  And she’s asking me to sing? Hah, no one wants to hear me; I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket!”) The good news is that the baby and toddler crowd aren’t harsh critics. They love to watch you, hear you, and join in the fun with you, even if dancing and singing aren’t your forte.  Also, the more you do it, the more fun it’ll be!

To help break the ice and/or to extend the fun outside your home, the library system offers a number of programs that emphasize music and movement: Baby & Toddler Dance Party, Movers & Shakers, Toddler Rock, and Parachute Play, to name a few.  Shaky eggs, drums, pom-poms, bubbles, rhythm sticks, assorted rhythm instruments, scarves, and parachutes often make an appearance at these events, and you don’t have to worry about coming up with a set list yourself - a librarian takes the lead in modeling what to do!

For those who want to continue the fun at home, here are some ideas for songs and inexpensive instruments and props.

Songs I like and use in library programs and at home with my daughter are below, most of which are available on CD from the library:

This isn’t an exhaustive list, just a place to start.  The important part is to play music that you enjoy and that makes you happy.  On an interesting side note, a study by Pietschnig, Voracek, & Formann (2010) concluded that the idea that listening to Mozart – the “Mozart effect” that made headlines in 1993 – is a myth.  While listening to Mozart can be enjoyable, it does not increase intelligence.

For simple, low-budget, diy instruments, props, and ways to make noise, here are some ideas:
  • For noise-makers: coffee beans, rice, or beads in a water bottle or other plastic container with a  lid; aluminum pie pans, by themselves or masking-taped together with dried beans or beads inside; pots, pans, and a wooden spoon (one of my daughter’s favorites!); and/or jingle bells (available in the dollar store around Christmas)
  • For things to wave: ribbons tied to a hair tie to wear on a wrist or just wave around, and/or dish towels or scarves
  • For making noise without props: clap (with the beat of the music for rhythm or on syllables to help with speech); pat the floor or your child’s tummy; and/or knock on different surfaces
  • Children’s xylophones, tambourines, piano-like toys, shaky eggs, and other baby/toddler instruments are also available for purchase from many stores.

Listening to music and dancing are fun, beneficial ways to spend time, bond, and learn with little ones.  The library system offers many great programs to help facilitate that, but it’s also something you can do at home.  Music and dance talent are not required, just enthusiasm and a willingness to dance and sing like nobody’s watching.  Here’s to a fun time!

 - Jennifer Crabtree, Youth Services Librarian, Lawrence HQ Branch

Works cited:

Arangio, S. (2018). 7 amazing reasons to take your baby to music class. Retrieved from https://www.todaysparent.com/baby/baby-development/amazing-reasons-you-should-take-your-baby-to-music-classes/

Arora, M. (2018). The amazing benefits of dancing with your baby. Retrieved from https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/the-amazing-benefits-of-dancing-with-your-baby/

Cirelli, L., Einarson, K., & Trainor, L. (2014, June 24). Interpersonal Synchrony Increases Prosocial Behavior in Infants [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaqWehfDm7c&feature=youtu.be

Davis, H. (2019). The benefits of dance for young children. Retrieved from https://www.stagecoach.co.uk/blog/blog/march-2014/benefits-of-dance-for-young-children (Original work published 2014).

Donovan, M., Hemsworth, W., & Trainor, L. (2012). Babies’ brains benefit from music lessons, researchers find. Retrieved from https://www.mcmaster.ca/opr/html/opr/media/main/NewsReleases/Babiesbrainsbenefitfrommusiclessonsresearchersfind.htm

Lorenzo-Lasa, R., Ideishi, R. I., & Ideishi, S. K. (2007). Facilitating preschool learning and movement through dance. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35(1), p.25-30. doi:10.1007/s10643-007-0172-9  (Available through the Library’s Academic Search Premier Ebsco database)

McElroy, M. (2016). Music improves baby brain responses to music and speech. Retrieved from https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/04/25/music-improves-baby-brain-responses-to-music-and-speech/

McMaster University. (2014). Helpful bouncing babies show that moving together to music builds bonds. Retrieved from https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-06/mu-hbb062414.php

Nichols, B. L. & Honig, A. S. (1997). Music teaches children about themselves and others. Early Childhood Education Journal, 24(4), p.213-216. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02354834 (Available through the Library’s Academic Search Premier Ebsco database)

Perkins, R., Fancourt, D., Roberts, D. & Yorke, S. (n.d.) Music and motherhood: The impact of creative interventions on symptoms of postnatal depression. Retrieved September 9, 2019 from https://performancescience.ac.uk/musicandmotherhood/

Pietschnig, J., Voracek, M., & Formann, A. K. (2010). Mozart effect–Shmozart effect: A meta-analysis. Intelligence, 38, p.314-323. doi:10.1016/j.intell.2010.03.001

Shilling, W. A. (2002). Mathematics, music, and movement: Exploring concepts and connections. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(3), p.179-184. doi:10.1023/A:1014536625850 (Available through the Library’s Academic Search Premier Ebsco database)

White, B. (2012). How dance classes benefit early development. Retrieved from http://www.dancetoevolve.com/blog/bid/207943/How-Dance-Classes-Benefit-Early-Development

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