Dance: An Effective Stress Buster for Children
Best School in HSR Layout | MS Dhoni Global School Bangalore
The lockdown has significantly impacted the lives of people. Besides numerous other problems, the house-arrest has been too taxing for most of us. No outdoor activities, no vacations and the increased stress levels have done much damage already. However, contrary to what might have been perceived, children too are being largely impacted by it.
Unlike adults, they are not aware enough to voice out their stress or frustration but the lack of outdoor activities and connection with the outside world causes stress in children as well. Often this stress shows up as mood swings or extreme frustration in children. Severe consequences can be temporary lack of appetite, disinterest in day-to-day activities and crankiness.
Now that we know it well that children too are being impacted by this house-arrest, what can be done? Of course, watching movies with them, playing with them may help but we must also not be ignorant to a healthy lifestyle. Thus, incorporating exercise in their daily routine can keep them active and elevate the positivity in them. But most parents would agree that it’s no easy job to get your kids to exercise everyday.
Well, here’s a tried and tested rescue! Dance. Most children love to groove to the beats of catchy songs. And with the rise of the internet and their increased engagement with it, you’d agree that your kid hums to songs you don’t even know existed.
Dancing not only efficiently reduces stress levels but also helps one stay active, healthy and fit. Besides being a stress-buster tool it also helps develop senses and creativity in children.
As a primordial form of expression, dance is that gift to humans, especially children that help connect to their inner strength and value. It also helps in improving concentration power considering the myriad of distractions the young ones have on their plate. At times when children learn to express, dance helps them connect their emotions with their body and soul. It further serves as a personalized display of what’s inside their mind. Thus, let them groove to beats, let them sway and shake, let them dance!
In fact, studies show that dancing has had positive impacts on one’s mental health. It is proven to aid improved physical and psychological health.
Dancing rewards one’s physical health in multiple ways. It can increase metabolism thereby increasing children’s usually low appetite. Dancing improves bone health and physical strength. It can also help one get good sleep and may even be beneficial for augmented muscle flexibility. Besides the significant external benefits, dancing is boonful for one’s inner self as well.
As a method of emotional expression, dance helps in stress reduction and spurs creativity. It also provides children with a safer medium to vent out their emotions. Regular dance sessions can evolve as a form of self-awareness and relief in times of stress. It also acts as a way of helping children connect to themselves and know who they really are.
Above all, dancing supplies with undeterred focus and clarity to every activity they do. This makes children emerge as more observant and appreciative of the subtle pleasure they derive from it. The more a child moves and masters his/her body control, the less stressful they will feel.
Dance Helps In Stress Reduction
The more scientific cause as to why dancing helps relieve stress or acts as a stress buster is because the body releases neurotransmitters and endorphins when someone dances. These two hormones help alleviate stress. Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the brain that transmit impulses throughout the body. Endorphin, on the other hand, is the ‘feel-good’ hormone produced in the brain that is responsible for improving the mind’s perception of the world and surroundings in an optimistic way and thus help reduce stress. Eventually, when your body feels good, it is likely for your mind to feel good as well.
An enthusiastic dance session is capable of releasing these helpful hormones in a child’s body which further helps in stress reduction leaving them happy.
In times like these, when outdoor games and physical activity is almost negligible in young children, it is extremely important to incorporate any activity that gets them to stay fit and active. The lack of it may induce addiction to television and other gadgets which in turn harm in a number of ways overtime. Dancing is not only a fun endeavour for kids but also is an effective way of keeping them active and fit. It also works towards elevating one’s self-confidence over time.
We, at MS Dhoni Global School, recognized amongst the best schools in Bangalore, believe that dance is an activity that offers a stage for exploration, improvisation, and expression through movement. It is an amazing way to help children stay away from unhealthy activities that may raise concern overtime. It also keeps them away from the worries and anxiety of emerging from the lockdown blues and helps to improve their mood and alleviate stress.
Besides, we, at MSDGS, believe that dancing can also be a big-time help in breaking the mundane lockdown chores and bringing liveliness into the children’s world. So let your little ones engage in any form of dancing that they like to pursue, and let them unleash the beautiful world of creativity and expressions.
