Change how your primary school's playground looks... forever!
Posted on 16/06/2017
Being around a lot of schools has exposed us to the good, the bad and the ugly of primary school life. Just standing in any school playground exposes a whole bunch of different scenarios.
We’ve seen whole year groups working together on the school veggie patch or fights between peers, fit kids who can run for hours chasing a ball with their friends or kids who simply can’t keep up with their friends and sit alone at lunch. We’ve seen teachers playing sport with kids at lunchtime (because they love their job and have time to do so) or stressed out, time restricted teachers hurrying to and from the copy room. There have been kids with special needs who struggle to integrate with their peers in mainstream classes or special needs students who we see practicing their dance moves with peers from other classes. We’ve noticed children lacking the flexibility to kick a ball or the coordination to sprint quickly and those who have the strength and coordination to contribute to their team’s sporting success. Then there are the kids that constantly lack the inspiration or imagination to create, produce and contribute confidently to class discussions or those who lack the focus or self discipline required to complete an allocated task (cue frustrated and defeated teachers).
As primary teachers and school dance program providers, we’ve seen how a dance program can change the way your primary school playground looks in a positive and enduring way (we often find a conga line of dancing/singing kids forming behind us as we walk across the playground to the hall). We know that there are many more factors that contribute to a positive pedagogical environment than just a dance program, but we are firm believers in the huge effect that dance programs have on schools.
In the playground, we’ve seen kids look forward to dance and students’ practicing their dance moves in the playground at lunch (especially those Year 5/6 boys trying to perfect their helicopters).
Teachers have openly said to us, “wow, I can’t believe how well Bobby Smith does in dance, he has trouble focusing in class but he loves learning through dance – it’s his thing”. Kinesthetic learners can grasp concepts in our classes that they may be otherwise struggling to understand. I know that I learnt my 8 times tables extremely quickly thanks to dance.
If you would like to see a positive change in your Sydney primary school's playground, chat to us today!
Parents have caught us on our way out of school to tell us that their son finally kicked a goal in footy on the weekend because of the stretches he learnt in dance or that their daughter can now do a cartwheel and they’ve been dealing with cartwheels around the kitchen all weekend. Students develop the fitness and FMS skills needed to run around and play with their friends at lunch and the spatial awareness to enable them to develop accuracy and precision.
In the classroom, students are creative, focused, self-disciplined and inspired because they have not only burnt off excess energy in dance, they have also activated the brain networks that deal with attention, imagination and memory (Greene, 2008).
Our programs give teachers more time (and a shorter to-do list) because we completely cover the dance curriculum. Teachers feel proud of their students when they watch them perform and achieve through dance. We’ve been so fortunate to see so many schools and school communities involved in our programs. Relationships between the students, teachers, principals, parents and community are strengthened through dance thanks to the benefits it provides.
We can’t wait to keep educating kids for happy and healthy lives and doing our part to support teachers in their ever-demanding job.
Are you a Sydney primary school teacher who would you like to change the look of your school's playground? Book your no-obligation free chat or free trial today for a dance program tailored to your school now!
References
Greene, M. (2008). Commentary: Education and the arts: The windows of imagination. Learning landscapes, 1(3), 17-21.
