Dance And Movement Techniques To Manage Childhood Anxiety

Written by Smriti Dey

Published: November 17, 2024

Table of Contents

Introduction

Know About Childhood Anxiety

Recognize Early Signs Of Anxiety

How Dance And Movement Techniques Help?

Different Dance And Movement Techniques To Manage

Dance Therapy
Zumba
Freestyle
Samba
Jazzercise
Kathak

Conclusion

Introduction

One of the best things a parent can do when the child is facing stress and anxiety is to let them explore. Engaging in various kinds of activities and different types of hobbies can help children reduce stress and anxiety. These activities and hobbies can help the child be busy with their passion while creating a healthy distraction or coping mechanism to manage and fight anxiety.

Dance and different kinds of movements that happen during the art can help children in various ways to manage childhood anxiety. Many parents think that dancing for their children can be an unhealthy addiction and a distraction, but it is completely untrue. Dancing can help children in various ways, reducing their nervousness and more. Keep on reading!

Know About Childhood Anxiety

Many parents fail to observe crucial signs when a child is suffering from anxiety. It can be possible that the child is stubborn by nature and is not acting up from anxiety. On the other hand, it can be the case that children are naturally timid and introverted.

True to the fact that there are fine lines when observing any kind of symptoms, a child is facing through anxiety. It becomes tougher for parents to observe as the child goes through various phases. It is important to understand that anxiety is not a phase and will not pass by. It will require proper guidance from parents.

Recognize Early Signs Of Anxiety

Here are some common science and symptoms of anxiety in children to recognize early:

If a child is not behaving consistently as they would out of manner and are overly nervous or overthinking about small things, it can be a sign of anxiety.
If a child is getting into the habit of hair snatching, nail-biting, or excessive sweating with loss of appetite, they are anxious.
Childhood anxiety can also show up in terms of aggression and stubbornness in children. Parents need to distinguish tantrums from these symptoms to treat their children early.

How Dance And Movement Techniques Help?

Here are a few benefits of dance and movement techniques that help children with childhood anxiety:

Constant stretching and movement can help with physical exercise, which results in the unwinding of emotions.
Proper workouts, dance, and other movement techniques can help the child release their pent-up emotions, such as aggression and grudges.
Dance also helps children with art therapy and music, combining every positive aspect as a compassionate hobby to make children confident.
Dance can also give children a stage to perform better with higher self-esteem, reducing anxiety.

Different Dance And Movement Techniques To Manage

Here are some dance and movement techniques to help children manage anxiety parents should know about:

Dance Therapy

A special dance session that is curated for therapy can include fun and easy movement for kids according to their fitness level. These therapy sessions can help children unwind and release all the tension through exhaustion and passion. These therapy sessions are more concentrated on the mind, where the children can be their authentic selves while releasing all the stress and anxiety.

There are some types of dance therapy techniques to try with your kids:

1. Mirrored Movements

Mirror movement is a fun technique in dance therapy where parents can be the mover, and the children can be the mirror. The ultimate task of children is to mirror their parents. This helps the children distract themselves while being happy and engaged in quality time. It benefits with feeling understood, seen, and connected too.

2. Circle Formations

This movement can also be called the snake effect in dance, where a group of children sit together in a circle, imitating the movements in continuation, creating a singular movement as a group. It helps children get a sense of belongingness and togetherness, inculcating creativity.

Zumba

Zumba is also a fun exercise with easy movement techniques that focus on the body's core functions, including mental fitness. Zumba is a very fun activity that can help the mind release happy cells or dopamine and reduce stress. It is also one of the exhaustive dance forms where children can easily relax themselves, easing out. The best part about this dance is that children can choose their songs, and their moves according to their will without any revised choreography.

Freestyle

Freestyle is a dance form that is suitable for elderly children. Doing freestyle consists of more complex movements and more strict body language. The amount of stretching and stunts can help children with their physical and mental fitness. Lyrical dances can help the children feel the song and release emotions through body movements. Freestyle can require a class or two and makes up for a perfect distraction with a passionate hobby for children to manage that anxiety.

Samba

If children are interested in international dances, samba can be an excellent way to socialize and reduce anxiety. Samba is mainly known as a couple dance, where children can playfully dance together and feel calm. It helps with the fear of social anxiety in children.

Jazzercise

Jazzercise is a combination of aerobic exercise, HIIT cardio, and dance fitness which can be carefully planned for children of all ages. If your child is active enough, a 20 minutes session can be very fruitful to them. It has body and mind exercise with controlled breathing to make the child feel energetic and less burdened.

Kathak

If children are inclined towards Indian art, help them with Kathak classes. Kathak classes are widely acknowledged in India as a great hobby. Kathak is an individual dance form of expressing movements depicting a story. It can help children reduce their anxiety by confidently presenting themselves in front of a crowd. It can also help children to express themselves better.

Conclusion

When combined with music and body, anything can be called a dance form. Parents don't need to encourage children to a specific dance form until they are interested in it. Dancing and jumping to music without worry can also help distract a child from their anxiety. Dance and other movement techniques can provide children with a good coping mechanism. Now that parents know so much about dance and other movement techniques and how they benefit the mind, engage your kids in these activities.