A pilot study of the benefits of dance and movement in supporting pre-school development in Family Hubs in Derby City

Children raised in poverty, or close to the poverty threshold face contiguous disadvantage, with financial insecurity impacting not only their access to adequate nutrition and housing, but also to suitable play spaces and educative experiences. Furthermore, despite their desire to provide for their children, parents struggling with financial insecurity often lack the time, money and/or experience to support optimal development.
In combination, these factors serve to constrain holistic development in the early years and subsequently contribute to academic underachievement and the maintenance of generational social stratification.
This project sought to investigate whether the provision of free creative activities for children aged 0-5 could help to boost children’s cognitive, linguistic and physical development, whilst also introducing parents to engaging low-cost / no-cost activities to use with their children at home.
The findings of this study, supported by both qualitative and observational data, suggest that participation in the sessions yielded significant benefits across multiple domains, including social interaction, relationship-building, confidence, community identity, language development, and cultural engagement. Although the long-term effects of the programme were not within the scope of this study, existing literature suggests that interventions of this nature have profound implications for early brain development, parenting practices, resilience, and educational outcomes. Consequently, initiatives like Move Me! should be recognised as valuable early childhood interventions with the potential to support both individual and community development.