How can I get my kids moving to develop some gross motor skills?
Toddler gross motor skills are highly important for your child’s development, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Dancing to music is a favorite activity at my house and we do it frequently. It’s so easy to dance to music, it takes no time to set up or prepare, and it really helps to improve gross motor skills.
It’s funny because a year ago, I think I had danced with my kids once or twice in their entire lives. I always thought you needed special dancing music, or maracas, or something. That is, until I discovered Pandora.com. No, this isn’t a sponsored post or anything, I just can’t believe it took me so long to finally check out Pandora and see what it is all about. If you are clueless like I was, just go to their website. Everything is pretty self-explanatory.
My absolute favorite Pandora station for dancing is the Disney station! Little Bear knows how to find Pandora all by himself and it’s usually on the Disney station. I make sure the family room is all tidied up and we all start dancing once the music starts playing.
I’ll be honest, I started dancing to music as a way for me to get more exercise in my life. I just don’t have time for a strict exercise regimen at a specific time of day. I like dancing though (as long as my kids are the only ones that can see me) and dancing to fun Disney songs gets my heart rate up. After a few weeks of the most awesome exercise plan ever, I realized that my kids were getting some great gross motor skills development. Smiley Man was waving his arms all around, and Little Bear was doing jump twists. Suddenly, I appreciated my exercise routine for me and for my kids.
So, if you are looking for a fun way to practice gross motor skills for toddlers or preschoolers, then find some fun music and dance away.
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I was hoping to see some pictures of you dancing, Kirsten :)
Sorry, those pictures are highly classified. Trust me, no one wants to see pictures of me that look like a chicken with its head cut off. They’re just not pretty. ;)