We know from our monthly community dances and from the dance residencies we help sponsor in local schools that participatory arts like contra dancing and singing are invaluable for kids of all ages. It’s great to see research that confirms what we understand intuitively.
Take a look at this Review and Analysis published by the National Endowment for the Arts! And also… Consider how to get this information into the hands of folks* who may want more assurance that increasing the use of the arts can benefit children’s learning in language and literacy, math and science, and — most importantly — in social-emotional development. (*Parents, teachers, school administrators, and civic leaders at the local, regional, state, and national level.)
Below is the direct link to the NEA document file posted on Arts.gov. Check out the illustration on page 9 of the .pdf (p.vi of the report), showing a dance figure we often do at our BFS community dance!
https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/arts-in-early-childhood-dec2015-rev.pdf