Beat bootees - supporting children's well-being and learning by methods applying music and physical activity

Learning difficulties of children and young people have increased in recent years and learning results have declined. It is known that family background has an increasing influence on competence results. Recognizing the need for support, highlighting the child’s challenges, and support is important even before school age.

Music, physical activity , and dance promote children’s learning, linguistic, cognitive and social skills, as well as increase their overall well-being. Such activities should be an essential part of all children’s everyday life from the beginning. However, the low physical activity of children and young people, the significantly reduced attentiveness with music as a hobby, and the uneven implementation of these at a critical stage of development are a cause for concern.

The Beat-bootees -project promotes children’s well-being, learning, inclusion and equality in a multidisciplinary way by developing an art-pedagogical operating culture among professionals working with children in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and pre-primary education. The project develops, pilots and tests everyday pedagogical methods and tools that combine music and physical activity, such as dance. The methods can easily be taken as part of the ECEC day without the educators’ previous background in music or physical exercise. In addition, the project develops and pilots assessment methods that can be used to identify children in need of motor support, and thereby support the development of motor skills with relevant and motivating methods.

As a result of the development work, the project will produce a package of methods and materials available to everyone, as well as familiarize educators working with children nationwide in the use of the methods and materials. The materials take into account non-Finnish speaking users. The project is carried out by experts from the JAMK University of Applied Sciences, the Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia, and the University of Eastern Finland, who will carry out multidisciplinary development work from the perspectives of music, dance, music therapy, the promotion and application of children’s physical activity, and development of motor skills and need for motor skills support.

With the project, professionals working with ECEC and pre-primary education aged children and their families have significantly better skills and opportunities to observe children’s need for motor support, and promote the inclusion, well-being and learning capabilities of all children with methods applying music and physical activity.