Dance and Movement

A Star Is Born! Your Child Enjoys Performing Now, but It May Not Last

Pretend play is still very important to your four- to five-year-old child, and acting is one aspect of that. Your child may act out a favorite scene from a book or movie, or he may ask you to sit and watch as he performs an original idea. He also enjoys expressing himself through singing and dancing to music. Interestingly, researchers Lan Nguyen Chaplin and Michael I. Norton found that preschoolers are not usually shy about performing in public, but by middle school, most children avoid it. They felt it had to do with the children's ability to understand that other people have different opinions and thoughts from them. For some reason, once we understand that other people are separate from ourselves, we become shyer about performing in front of others. Knowing that this may happen to your child, enjoy his performances while they last, and encourage him to keep up his singing, dancing, and acting skills!

Has your child achieved the following Dance and Movement developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all of the skill(s) he has already mastered to date.