Dandling
June 8th, 2006 by vincebates
Charles Keil and Patricia Shehan Campbell, in their ebook on their Born To Groove website, talk about dandling–basically holding a child on your lap and singing songs, making rhythms, playing finger games, etc. I had my one-year-old daughter on my lap this evening and we were singing songs as we often do. We played “eensy, weensy spider” 15 times in a row. After each repetition she would say “again”. I switched to a different song, but she would probably have sung that one quite a few more times. I really enjoy those moments because I can see the joy in her face. I agree with Keil and Campbell that this sort of action is vitally important to children (and adults as the “dandlers”) and that with TV and other media and “busy” parents it is becoming a lost art. One other point: I am realizing the importance of being responsive to the needs and wants of my kids, really attempting empathy. They don’t view the world at all like I do and, therefore, parenting is less prescriptive and more interactive than I might have thought at one time. As a music teacher I think that this sort of give-and-take relationship should continue throughout schooling.
