Healthy Movement Habits for Children During Lockdown

Author: Kimberly “Kimi” Ramos, Executive Assistant Director

What is physical activity and how much should children be getting?

Physical activity is any type of movement and includes, but is not limited to, playing sports, walking, playing, and stretching. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides guidelines on physical activity to promote overall health and well-being. Children ages 3-4 should be active throughout the day, receiving a total of 180 minutes a day of physical activity. Of those 3 hours, 1 hour should be of moderate to vigorous-intensity exercise. School-age children (ages 5-17) are instructed to participate in at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity. Activities that strengthen muscles, such as doing push-ups or climbing, as well as activities that target bone strength, like jumping or running, should be included in this regimen at least 3 days per week.

As a result of school closures and physical distancing measures brought upon by COVID-19, meeting these physical activity guidelines has been difficult for children and their families. Consequently, physical inactivity puts children at risk for developing heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and mental health issues.

“Because the opportunities to be physically active seem to be more restricted, it is even more important to plan in every day the ways to be active and to reduce the time spent sitting for long periods. Put simply, it is a critical time to ensure we all move more and sit less. ”
— World Health Organization (WHO)

How can I help my child get active?

Now more than ever it is critical to establish routines and behaviors that will keep children happy, healthy, and active. Below are recommendations to promote healthy movement habits for your children at home:

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  1. Incorporate physical activity into the daily routine.

    Use electronic media, such as workout videos, dance music playlists, and more to encourage movement. For example, use the site Build Your Best Day with your child to create a schedule of fun and imaginative movement activities and to educate them on the importance of being active throughout the day. Set a time for the entire family to get involved— everyone benefits from movement.

2. create your own games at home.

Play-based activities like an obstacle course consisting of household objects are not only exciting, but help your child develop skills such as throwing, catching, kicking, posture and balance. In addition, incorporate running, skipping and jumping so children will get out of breath. These higher intensity actions promote healthy lungs, reducing the risk of developing respiratory diseases.

3. Break up extended periods of sitting.

Extended periods of sitting should be broken up every 30–60 minutes. Do a set of 20 jumping jacks every commercial break. Use a timer to remind your child to move every hour. Encourage them to stand up, stretch, or walk around for five minutes. GoNoodle on Youtube offers a multitude of brain and movement break videos that will surely get your child pumped.

4. Spend time outdoors.

Being confined at home poses the risk of Vitamin D deficiency. If your local guidelines allow it, get active outside. Take your child on walks, do free-play at the park, or teach them a new sport. Remember to do so safely by staying 6 feet apart from individuals outside of your household.

5. Limit screen time.

Children ages 3-4 are recommended to engage in no more than 1 hour of sedentary screen time while children ages 5-17 should have no more than 2 hours. If your child cannot get enough of the screen, opt for co-viewing, or watching something together. Co-viewing shows and cartoons with younger children provides opportunities for learning and bonding. Also, consider how screen time can interfere with high-quality sleep. Keep devices out of your child’s room as they sleep and avoid screen use before bedtime.

6. Talk about COVID-19 with your child.

Your child may not understand why everyday life looks differently now and as a result, may have difficulty adjusting to restrictions and limitations brought upon by the lockdown. It is important to talk with them honestly and directly about COVID-19. Read our previous blog post for helpful tips on how to do so.

7. Sign up for online activity classes.

Enroll your child in one MAGIC’s online movement classes. In our 30-minute long classes, children develop fundamental movement skills and build social relationships.

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For more resources on how to promote healthy movement habits, visit

Sources

Guan, Hongyan, Okely, Anthony D, Aguilar-Farias, Nicolas, Del Pozo Cruz, Borja, Draper, Catherine E, El Hamdouchi, Asmaa, Florindo, Alex A, Jáuregui, Alejandra, Katzmarzyk, Peter T, Kontsevaya, Anna, Löf, Marie, Park, Wonsoon, Reilly, John J, Sharma, Deepika, Tremblay, Mark S, & Veldman, Sanne L C. (2020). Promoting healthy movement behaviours among children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(6), 416–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30131-0

World Health Organization. (‎2019)‎. Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age: summary. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/325147. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO

Combining My Passions: Dance and Disabilities

Author: Corrine Robinson, MAGIC Instructor

Where Did I Start?

At the age of four, I started doing lots of various after school activities, but it was dance that captured my heart and at eight I zeroed into making myself the best dancer at my small studio for the next 10 years. I had discovered the one thing that gave me a place to breath and feel “normal”.  I studied all styles of dance and went to competitions around the state. I knew that dance would forever be the place I felt the most comfortable with me.

For me teaching was always something I have been drawn to since a young age, however I never knew what I could offer youth in terms of academics would be quite lacking. As I was not what most would call a “good” student. I fell behind in most all subjects, my writing was two years behind all my fellow classmates, and my reading level was three behind. To say the least, I did not have it easy, and I felt I was not only getting failing grades but failing myself. In my sophomore year of high school I was given the greatest news I could ever hope for and I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). To me, this meant I wasn’t failing or dumb, but I just have unique way of learning and could improve if I work with myself, and not against my brain’s special abilities.

Adulting

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Oddly enough, I did not enter college with the mindset of dancing for a degree, it was in my second year that I realized how much I missed and needed dance in my life. Then, it was not until my third year of college that I decided that I wanted to pursue teaching dance. Once deciding this, I set my goals to graduate from the Dance Department at my university. I knew that I wanted to give other kids the same safe space I had growing up (and with no homework). If I could be that safe place or person to even one person that would to me mean more than earning a giant salary.

Although I knew dance is what I wanted, I also felt drawn to the special education field as well. While restarting my dance career, I started taking classes in the Special Education Department or SPED for fun and to fulfill graduation requirements. I loved learning new techniques and information on ADD and other disabilities. I noticed myself as drawn to this as I was dance, because learning not only more about my own disability but others made me want to share and help people who might be going through what I did for 15 years. That’s when I knew I had to combine both of the subjects I carry close to my heart— dance and disabilities.

In Comes Magic

When I realized that I wanted to take both of these two subjects and combine them, I immediately started researching to see if  there are places or people who already do this, and if so how can I be a part of it? I happened to come across a job listing for a place that met all the prerequisites I wanted. I right away reach out to learn more details and if I could work for the company. It was MAGIC. The reason why I really wanted, and still want to work with this company is that they truly mix the two loves of my life into one and expand the opportunities of so many youths. Though times have been hard in the year of 2020, they have still been able to adapt and reach so many kids who may not even been able to experience MAGIC before due to location or availability, but now have all the opportunity to have the love and joy of having dance class. For the past two years at this company it has taught me, not only of various ways to spread the joy of dance; but also to not put dance into a box that only fits one mold. Dance is ever-changing the same as MAGIC and will continue to do so far into the future. I am thankful to all the families and employees who I have met along the way, and to future kids I will meet as well. I am ever grateful that I found that ad that led me to this experience.

Giving Tuesday 2020 Recap

Author: Kimberly Ramos, Assistant Executive Director

Giving Tuesday falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and encourages support for charitable organizations through contributions.

Thanks to you, 100 online movement-based classes will be provided to students at no cost to families.

We are amazed and thankful for the generosity shown to MAGIC Dance Arts, Inc. during our Giving Tuesday 2020 campaign. We received $5,676.49 in donations through our first ever online auction, website, and Facebook. That money will go toward funding virtual movement-based classes at no cost to families. These contributions will make a huge impact during these difficult times in which children and families are sheltering-in-place at home, with little to no access to opportunities for social and emotional development. As a result, our classes are critical to teaching young children motor and communication skills to foster creative expression. Donations from Giving Tuesday will make this possible.

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Giving Tuesday is over, but the giving does not have to stop. We challenge you to carry on with generosity through the new year, not just with monetary donations, but with time and acts of kindness. Find out how you can make a difference with MAGIC by visiting: https://www.magicdancearts.com/take-action

MAGIC parent and board member Jacqueline talks about the important role that MAGIC plays for students and families.

How MAGIC prepared me to be a Speech-Language Pathologist

Author: Kimberly “Kimi” Ramos, Executive Assistant Director

“What does dance mean?”

A student asked me and I was taken aback. I had been an Instructor at MAGIC Dance Arts for 4 years at the time. Yet, in the moment, I struggled with formulating an appropriate response. "Move your arms and feet to the music,” I answered after a few seconds, swaying my body to demonstrate. “Ok!” he said with a smile and scurried across the dance floor.

The student in the story was not new to MAGIC. In fact, he had probably been to class at least 15 times before. He must have heard the word “dance” hundreds of times prior to that incident. MAGIC instructors welcome students by asking if they are ready to dance at the beginning of each session, instruct students to dance during the beloved freeze dance activity, and say goodbye with the dreaded “dance class is over” announcement. As a result, it never dawned on me to explain what “dance” means.

I still recall this interaction often. It highlights the challenges faced by children with communication disorders and the important role that we as educators and professionals have in supporting language development. As a student pursuing her Master’s in Education with a concentration in Speech-Language Pathology, I often think about ways to foster and facilitate language in students’ everyday lives. It strikes me how communication is not something only to be worked on in a therapy room, but in every type of setting— even a dance class. Now, halfway through the last year in my program, I can very clearly see how my journey with MAGIC was a perfect progression toward my career pursuits. The following are lessons that MAGIC students and families have taught me and ultimately shaped me into the soon-to-be clinician I am today.

Lesson #1 Behavior is communication.

We express ourselves in many ways other than the words we speak. When children with language and learning disorders are not able to verbally express themselves, they may act out to convey their wants, needs, and feelings. As a result, I have learned to find meaning in every response. When a student runs away from a circle time activity, I think what is he trying to tell me? He may be trying to escape or avoid the activity, seek attention, or satisfy sensory needs. All of these needs are valid and deserve to be addressed— whether that means granting the need or redirecting the student to a more appropriate behavior that satisfies that need. MAGIC has allowed me to meet a diverse array of students, with an even more diverse array of needs. Consequently, I have learned to understand and interpret their behaviors in efforts to support the expression of their wants and needs in more functional ways.

Lesson #2 Make concepts as explicit as possible.

Children with developmental disorders often have difficulties with abstract language. As a result, it is crucial to use concrete and direct language to describe things. This involves instructing students to do exactly what we want them to do. If I tell a student to “march,” I cannot immediately expect her to know what that means. It’s a word with multiple meanings and isn’t typically heard on a regular basis. Therefore, I must do some analysis: How can I explicitly and directly describe the actions involving in marching? March! Bring your knees up to your stomach and stomp your feet down hard. It takes practice to think more critically of our words— to truly say what we mean and mean what we say. However, doing so will do leaps and bounds for supporting students’ understanding of unfamiliar and challenging concepts.

Lesson #3 Creative expression is important for learning.

Creative expression allows children to communicate their thoughts and feelings, without the need for words. Forms of creative expression include painting, drawing, writing, singing, playing and—of course— dancing! Through creative expression, children interact with the world around them in a different way by internalizing information and responding via an alternative mode of communication. Through dancing along to music, children develop coordination and balance. Singing and listening to the lyrics of a song support language and literacy skills. All these are ways in which children learn functional skills outside of a typical structured therapy session, while also having fun!

Lesson #4 Collaboration is key.

In MAGIC, I often worked alongside fellow instructors to lead classes. Sometimes, I would facilitate class with the help of behavior therapists at behavioral therapy centers or special education teachers and paraprofessionals in a classroom setting. It was important to not only engage with students, but also the adults that work with them. Including the adults in the dance activities and lessons allowed them to explore movement and expression for themselves. This is incredibly important because in order to maximize student understanding of a given task at hand, we as educators must be able to complete a task and describe it accordingly (see lesson #2). I’ve also worked with parents— giving suggestions to facilitate language, informing them on behavioral observations I noted during class, and summarizing their child’s progress in class. Collaborating with all the adults in a student’s life is critical in order to support the generalization of motor, social, and communication skills across all settings.

My hope is that these lessons shine some light on the challenges our students face and the steps we as educators, caregivers, and other professionals can do to support communication and language.

All for One and Dance for All: Teaching Social and Emotional Skills through Movement

Author: Kimberly Ramos, Executive Assistant Director

On October 4, 2020, our Head of Curriculum & Instruction attended a one-day workshop held by Dance for All (DFA), a program that teaches the importance of social and emotional skills through creative movement in individuals with developmental disorders.

“I was very impressed with the content of the Dance for All training, and it was refreshing to see people from across the country doing similar work to the work we do at MAGIC. I am very excited to share the SEC (Social, Emotional, and Cognitive) skills I have learned with the rest of our teachers. Integrating these skills into our already inclusive Curriculum will take our students to the next level of learning that fosters more self-awareness, creative expression, and community building.” 

-Cassandra “Cass” Cabales, Head of Curriculum & Instruction

This training is a social-emotional learning program based on the concepts of creative therapeutic movement. It is designed to provide participants with tools to skillfully facilitate therapeutic dance/movement classes for special needs populations. Participants will develop skills for group facilitation, classroom management,dance/movement and rhythm facilitation, social, emotional and cognitive goal identification, social skills based discussion, and positive and specific communication skills. Participants will be provided with 8 theme-based lesson plans and a manual that includes guidelines, lesson plans and resources to assist in training participants in effectively lead their own dance classes.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is important to teach young children and adults how to develop a healthy identity and view of the self, maintain positive relationships with others, understand and manage emotions, and make caring and appropriate decisions. Dance for All teaches participants how to address these social and emotional skills of students in their own programs. Topics covered by the training include identifying emotions, developing bodily awareness, and engaging in self-regulation strategies.

MAGIC curriculum enhances the 5 domains through creative expression to improve overall child development.

MAGIC curriculum enhances the 5 domains through creative expression to improve overall child development.

At MAGIC, we believe that it is never too early to start teaching children these critical skills. Our curriculum emphasizes creative expression and movement is a means through which our students can share their thoughts and feelings, as well as connect with their peers. The training facilitated by Dance for All, a community-based organization, allowed us to collaborate with like-minded individuals and organizations, explore new ways to creatively engage students, and further develop our curriculum to address the social, emotional, and cognitive needs of our students.

The one-day Dance for All facilitator training is held twice a year. For more information regarding the innovative and insightful program, check out Dance for All’s website or email info@uclartsandhealing.org.

Others resources on Social and Emotional approaches for children with developmental disorders

  • Beadle-Brown, Julie, Wilkinson, David, Richardson, Lisa, Shaughnessy, Nicola, Trimingham, Melissa, Leigh, Jennifer, . . . Himmerich, Julian. (2017). Imagining Autism: Feasibility of a drama-based intervention on the social, communicative and imaginative behaviour of children with autism. Autism : The International Journal of Research and Practice, 22(8), 915-927.

  • Corbett, Blythe A, Swain, Deanna M, Coke, Catherine, Simon, David, Newsom, Cassandra, Houchins-Juarez, Nea, . . . Song, Yanna. (2014). Improvement in Social Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders Using a Theatre-Based, Peer-Mediated Intervention. Autism Research, 7(1), 4-16.

  • Guivarch, Jokthan, Murdymootoo, Veena, Elissalde, Sara-Nora, Salle-Collemiche, Xavier, Tardieu, Sophie, Jouve, Elisabeth, & Poinso, François. (2017). Impact of an implicit social skills training group in children with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability: A before-and-after study. PloS One, 12(7), E0181159.

  • Lemberger-Truelove, Matthew E, Carbonneau, Kira J, Atencio, David J, Zieher, Almut K, & Palacios, Alfredo F. (2018). Self-Regulatory Growth Effects for Young Children Participating in a Combined Social and Emotional Learning and Mindfulness-Based Intervention. Journal of Counseling and Development, 96(3), 289-302.