Pow Wow Dance
Skills:
Physical: upper and lower limb coordination, gross motor skill, balance
Cognitive: sustained attention, selective attention, visual processing, working memory
Social: awareness of personal space
Number of participants:
one or more
Equipment:
none
Description:
- children clap their hands, and bend their knees
- children then squat down to the ground and hit the ground with their hands rhythmically
- finally, children stomp their feet on the ground rhythmically
- when children are ready, they put the steps together
History:
Indigenous people typically wear regalia when completing this dance. The regalia is symbolic of the Indigenous person and represents their family, their nation, and from where they come.
Wheelchair friendly?
Yes, children using wheelchairs can clap along to the music
Modifications to make the activity easier:
Change the environment: have the child hold onto a parent or adult during the activity to decrease physical demand
Change the task: change the size of the steps to be smaller to decrease physical demand
Modifications to make the activity harder:
Change the environment: have the child complete the activity on soft ground (i.e., grass field) to increase physical demand
Goal examples:
- child is able to complete the entire routine with friends, 3 times consecutively with little to no prompting
- I can dance with my friends
