Why does a baby class involve so much movement?
Jen Cooper of Little explains what is happening behind the swings, dips and whooshes
Jen described movement as a way for babies to learn where their body parts are and where their body is in space. There can be quite a lot happening behind a simple game
Little offers baby and toddler classes combining movement, music and sensory play. Jen Cooper describes how those early movements help children get to know their bodies
I used to think of sensory play as things to touch and explore. Jen described two less familiar senses: knowing where our body parts are, and knowing which way up we are. Suddenly the movement in a baby class made a little more sense.
I asked what proprioception means
“It’s the sense of where our body is in relation to itself.”
A hand reaching towards a foot is one example. Jen described babies gradually building that sense of their own bodies.
I asked what the vestibular sense does
“Vestibular sense is the sense of where the body is in space.”
Being upright or tilted is familiar to us, but something a baby is still learning.
What does that look like in a class?
“All those fun, exciting movements that babies love.”
Jen connected movement with learning about balance, and emphasised doing it safely.
I would ask what a movement helps my baby explore, and how the teacher adapts it to them
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