Literature Review: Dance and Movement in Early Childhood Development

Introduction

Research on early childhood development overwhelmingly recognizes movement as fundamental to physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Within child development frameworks, dance and structured movement activities are a specific form of motor-based engagement that integrate physical activity with rhythm, social interaction, and cognitive challenge. This literature review synthesizes current empirical research on how dance and movement activities impact various developmental domains in toddlers and preschool-aged children, including motor skill development, executive function, social competence, and self-regulation.

Motor Skill Development

Fundamental motor skills such as balance, coordination, and spatial awareness are foundational capacities that support later complex physical and cognitive achievements (González-Devesa et al., 2025). A recent systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effects of structured dance programs on preschoolers found consistent evidence that dance activities improve fundamental motor skills compared to control or standard curricula. Across randomized clinical trials and comparative studies, preschoolers who engaged in dance programs demonstrated statistically significant improvements in static balance and body coordination (Hedges' g = 0.43, p = .021), suggesting that regular dance practice supports core aspects of motor development in early childhood (González-Devesa et al., 2025).

These motor benefits align with broader research on physical movement’s role in early childhood. Skills such as balance and gross motor coordination are linked to exploratory play and movement behaviors that enable children to interact more effectively with their environments, further supporting cognitive and social development. While studies vary in intervention duration and intensity, the accumulating evidence indicates that structured movement programs like dance can make measurable contributions to motor skill trajectories in preschoolers.

Cognitive and Executive Function

Beyond motor outcomes, research increasingly demonstrates that dance and movement activities may support early cognitive development, particularly components of executive function (EF) such as cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory. A large randomized controlled trial exploring DanceSport interventions with preschoolers (ages 4–6) reported significant improvements in several executive function measures post-intervention. Children in the dance intervention showed gains in cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory compared to control peers, and these effects varied by age group, with older preschoolers demonstrating greater gains in some EF domains and younger preschoolers in others (Liu et al., 2025).

These findings mirror broader reviews indicating that movement-based cognitive challenges — such as recalling choreographed sequences or synchronizing movement to rhythm — inherently require working memory, attentional control, and self-monitoring. Dance thus offers a unique mode of embodied cognition where physical, rhythmic, and social elements co-occur, creating conditions conducive to executive skill development (Liu et al., 2025; see also Shen et al. as cited in systematic review evidence).

In a broader context, systematic reviews of movement behavior interventions in preschoolers have found that cognitively engaging physical activities — including street-dance training — can produce meaningful improvements in inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory, though effect sizes vary and are influenced by the intensity and design of the activity (Movement Behaviors Systematic Review, 2025).

Social and Emotional Development

Dance and movement activities often occur in group contexts, blending physical coordination with social interaction. This multimodal engagement can foster important social competencies, including cooperation, turn-taking, emotional expression, and interpersonal synchrony. Lobo and Winsler’s classic experimental study of a creative dance and movement program with Head Start preschoolers found that children participating in the dance intervention exhibited increased social competence and reductions in behavioral problems compared to control peers. Their program — involving elements such as space exploration, rhythm, and embodied play — offered structured yet expressive movement opportunities which were linked to positive social outcomes.

Recent research underscores similar patterns. Reviews of dance and social development note that coordinated group movement activities provide occasions for synchronized action, nonverbal communication, and shared emotional experience — all elements associated with prosocial behavior and emotional regulation in young children (Borowski, 2021).

Emerging interventions such as the Rhythm and Movement for Self-Regulation (RAMSR) program explicitly target social-behavioral skills through rhythmic coordination games that encourage inhibitory control, emotional regulation, and group synchrony. Evidence from RAMSR evaluations suggests that structured rhythm and movement activities can enhance self-regulation while also building teacher confidence in implementing these practices within everyday routines (Williams et al., 2023 as described in teacher implementation literature).

Moreover, recent randomized trials that use rhythm and movement interventions in preschool settings have demonstrated improvements in prosocial behaviors and reductions in internalizing and externalizing difficulties, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts. These findings highlight how movement programs may reduce behavioral risks and support holistic psychosocial development.

Dance as Multimodal Development

The developmental significance of dance extends beyond isolated domain effects to its role as a multimodal behavior. Dance integrates rhythmic auditory processing, sensorimotor coordination, social engagement, and cognitive challenge — all of which are active areas of neural development in early childhood. Reviews of dance’s developmental trajectory from infancy suggest that dance-like movement emerges naturally early in life, predating formal instruction, and may serve as a behavioral window into broader developmental mechanisms including rhythm perception, memory, and interpersonal synchrony.

This perspective aligns with the concept that dance is not merely a physical or recreational activity, but a developmentally rich practice capable of scaffolding multiple skills simultaneously. It draws on rhythmic entrainment, mirrored movement, and social synchrony — processes that are linked with neurodevelopmental functions supporting attention, self-regulation, and social cohesion.

Limitations and Gaps in the Literature

Despite promising evidence, several limitations remain in research on dance and movement in early childhood. First, many studies vary widely in design, length, frequency, and intensity of dance activities, making direct comparisons and precise estimates of effect difficult. Second, few long-term studies track developmental outcomes beyond immediate post-intervention periods, limiting conclusions about sustained impacts. Third, although systematic reviews suggest benefits for cognitive and motor skills, effect sizes for some outcomes are modest and may depend on intervention dosage and implementation quality (Movement Behaviors Systematic Review, 2025).

Additionally, most research to date has focused on structured intervention settings rather than naturally occurring movement activities, leaving open questions about how dance can be operationalized effectively within everyday early childhood routines without specialized specialists.

Conclusion

The current body of research indicates that dance and movement activities support multiple domains of early childhood development. Structured dance programs enhance fundamental motor skills, contribute to executive function growth, and can foster social competence and emotional regulation in preschool-aged children. These benefits are observed across diverse program models, from creative dance interventions to rhythm-integrated self-regulation programs, and are underpinned by dance’s multimodal nature that integrates physical, cognitive, and social engagement.

Collectively, the evidence underscores the developmental value of incorporating movement and dance into early childhood curricula and supports their use as tools for holistic growth. Continued research with standardized protocols, longer follow-up periods, and ecologically valid classroom implementations will deepen understanding of how best to use dance as a developmentally powerful practice in early childhood settings.

References

• González-Devesa, D., Blanco-Martínez, N., & Varela, S. (2025). Effects of dance programs on fundamental motor skills in preschool children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science.

• Liu, X., et al. (2025). The effects of early childhood DanceSport intervention on executive function in preschool children: A randomized controlled trial. Scientific Reports.

• A Preschool Rhythm and Movement Intervention: RCT Evidence for Improved Social and Behavioral Development. (2026). Behavioral Sciences.

• Dance Improves Motor, Cognitive, and Social Skills in Children With Developmental Cerebellar Anomalies. (2021). Motor, Cognitive, and Social Outcomes.

• Borowski, Study on Dance and Social-Emotional Competence (2021). Current Psychology.

• Williams, et al. (2023). Rhythm and Movement for Self-Regulation (RAMSR) program effects and teacher implementation confidence.

• The Development of Dance in Early Childhood. (2025). Developmental Perspectives on Dance.