Well, it's taken a while to post - but Cordelia and I recorded our first YouTube video a few weeks ago.

We want to share one of the dances we do almost daily. It uses the Tactile pattern from the Brain Dance, created by Anne Green Gilbert of the Creative Dance Center in Seattle.

The Tactile pattern practices touch and stimulates your largest organ: your skin. It's a great way to bond with your little one (by you tapping/brushing their body) or for little ones (Especially toddlers and preschoolers) to learn appropriate touch (by tapping/brushing their own body). Sometimes I have students say "it hurts!" while practicing tactile, which makes it a great teaching moment for a handful of lessons:

- treat your body in a way that feels good

- what feels good to you might not feel good to someone else

- if you squeeze/scratch/tap your body so hard it hurts, that's not a nice way to touch another person

In this video, I'm singing a super silly song. I'm not even sure I've got the words (which seem made up) correct. I learned it from the Wee Sing in Sillyville movie that my brother and I used to watch as kids. Throughout the song we use tapping, tiptoe fingers, and brushing as the 3 types of tactile stimulation. But you can mix it up any way you like - adding squeezes, scratches, and more!

Here's a cheat sheet:

A ram sam sam (tapping)

Goolie Goolie Goolie Goolie Goolie (finger tiptoes)

Ram sam sam (tapping)

A ruff-y, a ruff-y (brushing)

Goolie Goolie Goolie Goolie Goolie (finger tiptoes)

Ram sam sam (tapping)

Here's some ideas for switching it up:

Try it on different body parts (belly, arms, legs, head)

Try it at different tempos (fast, slow, or a new speed for each line of the song)

Did you enjoy this video? If so, let us know in the comments below. Or better yet, share a video of you and your little one dancing & singing to this song and tag it #soulcenteredmovement

We can't wait to see you dance!