A dance program for toddlers

Even though there has been a growing interest in embodied approaches in education, practical experience has shown that dance and body expression are often neglected in the education system, especially during the toddlers' period, from the first to the third year of life (Geršak, 2015; Kralj & Videmšek, 2019; Zajec, Videmšek, Štihec, Pišot & Šimunič, 2010). The paper focuses on enhancing the toddler's motor, social, and communicative skills with a dance program. The author also addresses why and how we dance with toddlers. In countries, where toddlers attend kindergartens, they are very important environment to promote children’s engaging in movement, learning about themselves, and establishing a relationship with others through movement and creative dance. The author would like to highlight the importance of dance in early childhood and expand on existing approaches to working with young children in kindergarten.