Why Is Body Language Important In Children?
Body expression in children enables them to grow as human beings and learn to know the potential of their body.
The language of the body is an innate universal and natural language of our species; however, infants and toddlers need, through observation, assimilation, and imitation, to learn to behave like us.
In this text we will help you understand what body language is for children.
The importance of body language in children
It is known that human beings communicate through gestures and mimics.
Sometimes it is not necessary to speak or make sounds for others to notice that we feel bad, we are in love, with a bad temper …
The human body and the signals that our face emits say it all.
But body expression in children plays extra, very important roles for their psychomotor development.
For them, this language not only serves to make their moods known, but it is also essential to:
• Get to know your body better and what it is capable of achieving
• Develop your imagination
• Put your creativity into practice
• Know the space in which you move
• Have better control and management of your body
• Form your identity
• Feel good about yourself yourself and have greater confidence in your motor skills.
Games to develop body expression in children
To facilitate the development of body expression in your child, we reserve fun and effective games that, together, you can do at home.
In order to give the child freedom of movement, when playing these games, you must provide a wide space where they are not in danger.
Symbolic games for 2-year-olds
Imitation games, or symbolic games, consist of representing animals, things, people and characters.
Let’s say, for example, cartoons that your child likes a lot, or the usual behavior of another family member.
If it is to imitate a frog, they must jump and simulate its croaking.
If it is a horse, they will trot as they say: Hi… hee hee!
Or they can even pretend they are motors. For this they will move their hands as if they were on the accelerator, while running all over the place.
Role play for children over 5 years old
Role play is put into practice through the assimilation and imitation of a given role.
In this exercise your child will adopt the role of the nurse and you the role of the patient.
That is why you should lie down on the carpet so that he can inject you, take your pressure, heal your wounds, give you medicine, measure your fever …
Likewise, your girl can be your mother and then she will have to give you a bottle, feed you with porridge, comb your hair, dress you, fall asleep, sing to you …
Game for facial expression
To help your child develop facial expression while practicing imitation and role play, we recommend standing in front of a mirror.
Their role will be to imitate all the facial expressions that you make.
They will become sad, happy, they will be amazed, they will stick out their tongues, they will make a face …
An effective game for body expression
Finally, we have another very effective game that is the same to play with children older than 2-year-olds.
Of course, depending on the age of your child, the level of difficulty you set will be.
This game consists of going around the room in a circle: walking or running, depending on the age of the child.
As both advances, one at a certain distance from the other, they will imitate things, animals or postures.
The orders will be given by one and the other indiscriminately, we emphasize, if your child is old enough for that.
Suppose, they are walking and suddenly you say squat! and they will crouch down as they continue to squat forward.
Then you say on all fours like a cat !, and they will adopt this posture without stopping moving.
Jumping!
Walking backwards!
Swimming like puppies!
Walking like crabs!
And so on.
Mom, you should know that body language games stimulate the imagination and spontaneity of children. They make them lose their shyness and are more uninhibited.
Don’t forget to make them at home.
