Move to music with children and seniors

Difficulty Medium

Duration 30 minut

Type of activity Long term activities

Season Any

Occasion Any

Suitability Without limits

Locations Indoor

Tools

rhythmical instruments

colorful ribbons or scarfs

Goal

Participants are equally welcome to dance with smaller or bigger movements, or to simply rest, enjoy the music and dance through their imagination. The most important thing is that participants pay attention to what their body needs and listen to their own limits.

Intergenerational benefits

Understanding and relationship building

Understanding and relationship building

The activity promotes the understanding and appreciation of the attitudes, opinions, and experiences which different generations bring to the relationships, understanding and avoiding generational stereotypes and fostering tolerance of different lifestyles and an appreciation for cultural heritages, traditions and histories.

Intergenerational learning and skill sharing

Intergenerational learning and skill sharing

The activity promotes learning and skill sharing among younger and older generations. It involves the sharing of positive resources that the young and old have to offer each other, especially the experience with novelties of modern times and valuable life lessons as well as cultural and familiar traditions.

Health and wellbeing

Health and wellbeing

The activity promotes physical and mental well-being. It has a positive impact on the quality of life (feeling of self-worth and a reduction in loneliness and isolation, promotion of physical and cognitive activity).

Personal impact

Personal impact

Developing soft skills (like empathy, confidence, communication abilities, learning skills) and developing their own strengths and talents.

Cognitive skills

Cognitive skills

Supporting mental / brain-based skills we need to do anything from the simplest to the most complex tasks:perception, attention, memory, motor skills, language, visual and spatial processing, executive functions.

Community involvement

Community involvement

The activity increases confidence and involvement within the community. It offers a starting point that could have a positive impact within the community.

Step by Step

  1. Divide the participants in two groups. The first group will play the music; the second group will dance to the music. The groups can be mixed (children and seniors together in one group). There should be enough space for free movement.
  2. Give the participants of the first group colorful scarfs or ribbons. Give them time to feel and play with them a little.
  3. Show them how they can twirl and move the scarf above their heads or next to them.
  4. Now hand out rhythmical instruments to the participants of the second group.
  5. Answer any questions regarding how to play a particular instrument (sticks, triangles, cymbals, drums, tambourines, fruit shakers, self-made instruments or other rhythmic objects).
  6. Instruct the group with the instruments to play a song to which the second group is going to dance.
  7. After a few minutes of performing, let the groups change the tasks.
  8. Alternative: let the groups play and dance-out different feelings, such as silly, angry, lonely or happy. You might say, "Can you make up a song and dance that shows me you are feeling happy? What about one that shows me you are feeling afraid?"
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