The music turns on, the scarves are passed around, and the parents, caregivers, and kids go wild. Toss it. Twirl it. Throw it and catch it. And we kick off every month with it at Creating Together.
Benefits of Scarf Dancing
So what is scarf dancing and what makes it so great?
Most kids love dancing and involving a scarf makes it even more fun. Whether your child is a baby or toddler, there are so many great benefits to scarf play. KinderMusik, an organization committed to empowering young children to learn through music, describes a number of benefits to dancing with scarves (KinderMusik.com):
- Sparking imagination as we explore all kinds of ways to play with our scarves
- Teaching directional tracking as we visually track our scarves’ movement
- Improving eye-hand coordination as we play catch or peekaboo
- Increasing vocabulary as we verbally describe what we are doing with our scarves
- Sharpening listening skills as we move our scarves based on musical or verbal cues
- Practicing inhibitory skills as we start and stop our movements with the scarves
It may not sound like much, but kids love it – and there are so many different games that can be brought into the mix, to keep in changing each month.
Scarf Games and Activities to Try at Home
12 Educational Games to do with scarves at home, from Birth to Age 4 – ParentHub.com
Scarf Play at Home – KinderMusik.com
Scarf Activities for Kids – TheInspiredTreehouse.com