There’s no doubt that the creative movement routines in the Move ‘N Groove Kids programs are a fun and imaginative way to instill a positive attitude in your little ones towards exercise. Fostering healthy habits is only the beginning though – the dances also inspire children to develop in myriad other ways, encouraging creative expression, cognitive development, self-confidence, and a broadened aesthetic sensibility. Creative movement is a valuable tool for all ages, as educator Susan Griss demonstrates. 

 Susan’s method of teaching through creative movement is firmly rooted in her background as a dancer and choreographer. Her 1998 book Minds in Motion: A Kinesthetic Approach to Teaching Elementary Curriculum is still widely acknowledged as a go-to source for this off-the-beaten-track method of education. Funded by the New York Foundation for the Arts, she’s taught a number of classes concerning creative movement as a language for learning, using it to teach courses as diverse as math, science, literature and social studies.

Drawing on the largely nonverbal ways in which we all initially experience and learn about our world – feeling, pulling, touching, throwing – Susan aims to utilize this underused resource to increase comprehension, expand the concept of language, provide multicultural insights, channel energy and promote educational and social skills. Whether it’s teaching kids about sound waves through chains of touch or the history behind the Underground Railroad through reenactment, the applications of creative movement in educational environments are widespread, and only just beginning to be explored. For more information, visit Susan’s website at http://www.mindsinmotion.org/home.html.