Scarf Sway Dance
What you need
- a few scarves or light fabric scraps
- music from a phone or speaker
- open floor space
How to do it
- Clear a bit of floor space and put some music on.
- Give them a scarf each and wave, swirl and sway to the beat.
- Try slow swishes for quiet parts and big swoops for loud parts.
Why it matters
Moving big and small to match the music builds body awareness and the pause-and-listen control they'll need for following instructions later.
What they're learning
- body awareness
- swaying, swirling and reaching with a scarf teaches them how much space their body takes up, which helps with moving safely around furniture and other children.
- listening for change
- noticing when the music speeds up or slows down and changing their movement to match is an early form of following spoken cues.
- balance control
- swaying without toppling builds the core balance they'll rely on for running and climbing.
What to look for
Changes their movement speed when the music speeds up or slows down.
A tip
Let one song run right through rather than skipping tracks. The changes within it give your toddler more to react to than a new song every minute.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: hold their hands and sway together with no scarf at all
Harder: freeze like a statue every time the music stops
More like this
Browse
Gross motor activities · Activities for 1 year olds · Activities for 18 month olds