Write Dance is a progressive music and movement programme for the development of pre-writing and writing skills in children
Write Dance is an innovative programme introducing 
handwriting by using music, movement and exercise. How can a subject that children usually dislike most, become the thing they may even like best in school? Handwriting can be so boring, not only for the child, but for the teacher too. Whereas Write dance is a dynamic, creative experience, rather than a dull writing class. It involves dancing and movements, music, rhymes, songs, games, stories, role-play and many different sensory experiences.
In Write Dance you can never do anything wrong! Playful practising and a huge variety of different exercises lead to remarkable results. It starts from the age of 3 and can continue till the age of 12. Even teachers seem to really enjoy, provided they have the courage to dance around the room! In fact this is expected of them, as they have to demonstrate all the movements. The exercises can be done with sand, mud or clay, shaving foam or soap, paint, chalk, crayons, pencils, pens, water, sponges: all kinds of different materials. It can be done on a bare table, the floor, on paper, blackboard, the gymnastics room, indoors, outdoors: a wide range of possibilities.
It has been found very helpful for children with special educational needs, from learning difficulties to dyspraxia. It includes many good exercises to harmonise and connect the two brain halves and thereby improves cognitive learning and physical coordination. Many of the movements are done first with the whole body and later on with two hands simultaneously. This greatly improves both large and fine motor skills, providing the children with a strong foundation for writing.
This programme can even work like a form of therapy, also emotionally, making children feel happy and comfortable with their bodies. With children who feel shy and have fear of failure, doing Write Dance helps them becoming more self-assured and free. Children who are a bit stiff and overly structured; it supports them to loosen up. Children who are chaotic and over active; it helps them to regulate their energies and create their own structure. Write Dance also helps to improve concentration and the exercises have a strong self-correcting effect.
I’m a certified instructor of Write Dance and have completed the one year training in Holland by Ragnhild herself. I now teach educators how to do Write Dance with children and how to introduce this method in their schools, offering workshops and trainings both in Holland and abroad, in Dutch and English. To learn more about what Write Dance involves, go to the website http://www.schrijfdans.nl by Ragnhilde Oussoren, the woman who created Write Dance.
Rainbowriverstone 