Movement songs are a quick and easy way to get your child moving inside when it’s cold outside! The use of videos can help the whole family learn the moves and pair the words with those movements. As you and your child begin to learn the songs, try turning the iPad around and dancing to the songs without the video! Check out this page for a list of great songs.

Areas of Development:

  • Communication: Music targets communication in many ways and can be easier for your child to attend to. Model singing along with the songs, as well as singing them without the video, to help foster your child’s understanding of the words and the actions paired with those words.
  • Fine Motor: Gross motor development works hand-in-hand with fine motor development. Skills such as imitating actions, crossing midline, clapping, and hand movements (think Baby Shark) can help promote foundational fine motor skills in a fun and engaging way!
  • Gross Motor: Movement songs are a great way to target many skills vital to gross motor development, such as body awareness, motor imitation skills, and coordination skills. Movement songs are a fun way to provide structured movement breaks with the “demands” coming from the ever-appealing iPad, promoting engagement and participation.
  • Social-Emotional: Music is a great way to promote joint attention with our kids. Engaging in the moments with your child can provide that model while also promoting the shared joy of silly movements.
  • Cognition: You can help your child work on following commands and verbal directives through song! Some movement songs get faster as they go, requiring faster reaction time (Stand Up, Sit Down). They also add additional steps and movements, challenging your child’s verbal and movement processing.

Upgrade: Once your child has mastered movement songs, you can progress to yoga. Yoga for kids is a great way to work on breath control, postural stability, and overall strengthening, as it requires your child to hold various positions for longer periods of time through isometric movements. Use of yoga cards such as Yogarilla or The ABCs of Yoga for Kids can help you grow your moves! You can also use apps such as “Super Stretch,” which provides a video of children engaged in the poses. Once your child is more familiar with the poses, you can challenge them to complete the pose without even watching the video!

Downgrade: Have a dance party with your favorite song and encourage your child to freestyle! Jumping around and moving with you, even in an unstructured way, is a great way to build engagement and joint attention. Dancing and singing along to a song is a great way to work on stamina and endurance, promote regulation, and have a great time with your family!

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Blue Bird Day fosters socialization, sensory regulation, and pre-academic learning in children ages 2-7 years in therapeutic rotations that simulate  preschool and kindergarten settings. Our compassionate therapists practice a relationship-based and family-centered approach, provide parent training, and collaborate on goals and individualized intensive treatment plans for your child.

We believe in a collaborative and multi-disciplinary team approach to therapy. A team of occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, dietitians, developmental therapists, behavioral therapists, physical therapists, and therapeutic assistants are created for each child to ensure child and family are fully supported and the best possible results are achieved.  

Options for individualized, group and virtual therapy sessions are available as well. 

Want to learn more or you have a specific question? Feel free to connect with us here! 

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