Dance, Health and Physical Education Are Best When They're Together!

Dancing your way through Phys-ed and Health

As a student, I remember hating health because it was strictly textbook. I remember one year my teacher bringing in a skeleton and for me, that was my favourite health related memory. Fast forward to high school Phys-ed class and it was all about memorizing the material for the exam and doing the physical tests to pass the class (not including that I had gym 1st period and hated to sweat!!) 

Second year of university something in me changed, I began to love physical activity and everything about the human body. I became healthier, I got into a gym, I read, I studied. I became a Zumba Instructor and lost, in one year, 115 pounds. The only physical activity I used to enjoy was dance. Now I could dance in Zumba and see the benefits of movement on my body, mind and spirit. 

I have been able to bring Zumba to many of my kids in school during placement and as volunteer, both for elementary grades and many visits to high school grades as well. 

Zumba is nice for me to teach to the younger grades in particular because it is all about moving the body. Students who are studying the human body in science, in particular the cardiovascular system, love doing Zumba! We stop in between moving to feel our heartbeats, calculate our heart rates and see the differences in our bodies from beginning to end! Students learn that moving can be fun and is important and are able to relate what they're learning in health about their hearts into real life. Zumba, acting as a physical release, can also contribute to the mental well being of students and the benefits they feel they can bring back to learning about mental health illnesses in health. 

Zumba gets kids moving - Bring it into the classrooms

The picture above was taken in my last placement where students and I danced a series of movements and after were able to see the difference in our heart rate and breathing rate.

Another activity that can be related to dance and health is when learning more about the human body (which also happens in science). Students will learn about the parts of their body and how they can take care of themselves, being active is one of the ways. Students who learn about certain bones, or systems can create movements and explore how each part of their body moves. This can be done in small groups or individually. Each student can pick one specific part of their body and move how they think their body part would/ can move.

Another activity related to health that students can bring dance into is when studying diseases. They can create a series of movements and study the disease. They can then present these powerful pieces, by using the dance actions cards, to the class and then explain why they chose the certain movements. How did the movements they pick help represent the disease or illness they chose to study? For example, if students chose diabetes, some of their movements could be to melt, shudder or others. They will then explain their new found knowledge on the disease chosen. 

Students can also study the benefits behind dancing on their own health and create a report based on their findings as an introduction to the acitvity. They can then present their findings to their peers and in groups that have similar benefits, join together to create a series of movements and dance.

Here are some other articles where bring dance, zumba, and physical movement into health and physed is so important!!

https://www.thepespecialist.com/dance2/

https://www.childtrends.org/programs/dance-for-health/