When kangaroo bounces she won't go alone.Her little one comes in a pouch all his own.Snug, with his mama, along for the ride,He can peek out and he can hide!Baby jumps out of his pouch with a bound!See how he bounces and bounces around.Jump, Joey, jump with a hippity hop;Back to your mama, then leap in and stop!Two for one you ask? Why, yes! It's a children's music and movement class and an adult aerobic class all rolled into one! Today we were bouncing around like kangaroos and my heart rate was goin'!
But there's so much happening with this little poem that I really wanted to take time and break it apart so you can understand all the important work it invites.
Jumping is reported to
increase bone density (
no matter your age!) . And beyond that dimension of the physical, for young children and adolescents who experience growth spurts, jumping can give children information they need to know about the new dimensions their bodies...It tells helps them understand where they begin and end.
One more side affect from jumping is deep pressure applied to the joints between the spine, knees, hips, etc. Stress hormones are worked out by deep pressure. This can have an affect of calming or focusing for the child. Children might be better primed for learning after a series of jumps! The best recipe for that would be a short burst of jumps followed by a pause then more jumps and another pause....etc. (Whereas just doing lots and lots of jumping can really wind up a bunch of kids...look out!)
And that's exactly what we did with the music today! "Jump, jump, jump...then back in mama's pouch (with a big deep pressure hug) and sway, sway, sway......then jump......"
There's even more good stuff in this activity about the Kangaroos. The "peek out" and the "hide" section is so much fun for children...that's usually a clue that they are "working". If your little one jumps in your lap and you hide them with a big, deep hug and they can peek out and hide it's a way for them to know it's OK to bound away and jump back in when they realize their world just got bigger then they had ever imagined! When children are about 18 months old (the line is grey and fuzzy, it's not exactly 18 months!) they will recognize themselves in the mirror. This is a milestone in their understanding of themselves as separate from you. Though it takes much longer for this concept to be fully realized (well beyond 3 years old), it is a moment that must be treated gently and with the lesson of trust. Their confidence and self esteem will grow stronger if they know you will be there when they come back from the scary edge of the universe for some reassurance and love. It tests a parent's observation skills, patience and creativity when no one can predict the moment they will take the two steps back to the kangaroo pouch with clingyness and whining!
Only this is certain:
Parenting is hard work!
Keep up the jumping!
Love,
Yvette
Mirror play helps toddlers work on finding out about their bodies; naming body parts like eyes and nose, figuring out that you can move your own eyebrows, understanding emotions, and working on the concept of being a separate person from their primary caregiver. That's a big job!
