At Lirum Larum Leg, we genuinely strive to assist children's guardians, ensuring they can easily and clearly create inspiring environments where play becomes a source of hygge, fun, presence, and immersion.
Thus, it is with joy that we, in cooperation with the experts, Fie Hørby and Mie Kaae from Blackbird Institute, will provide you weekly with tips and inspiration for life with children.
Below, you will find their second tip on how to easily create breathing spaces in a busy day.
Create Cohesion and Joy
"At Blackbird Institute, we work with three different neural 'templates,' which are important to help our children develop so that they become broad boulevards in the brain, namely:
- Inner calm
- Cohesion
- Joy
Boulevards are also called the active circuit connections, which we want to solidify as structures and experiences in our children’s brains. In this way, we help them connect with themselves and others in a joyful manner.
For both adults and children, these three templates represent competencies and qualities that are vital to integrate into our everyday lives, as they enhance our quality of life. Tip #2 illustrates how family life can embrace cohesion and joy by giving it more space in daily life through dance and movement. 2-3 times a week is enough to notice a change. The body, after all, is a shortcut to connection and empathy."
"Tell me something, and I forget it.
Show me something, and I may remember it.
Give me an experience, and I never forget it."
- Søren Kierkegaard
Invite Energy to Dance
When your children are bursting with energy, embrace it and go with it, rather than against it. Instead of sending the children out to play or letting off steam, use the energy to create cohesion and joy of life.
Tip #2: Dance as often and as much as you can.
Forget about choreography and making it look perfect. Most children love to dance and jump right in as soon as they hear music. Turn up the music and let the joy of dance spread. Everything counts. Maybe your children know lots of song games, maybe you’re an old breakdancer, or perhaps you’ve never been the dancing type - it all matters less. The goal is to move, laugh, and dance together for as long as you can!
Dancing affects our bodies and minds in an incredibly positive way. Beyond being healthy and fun to move and get your heart rate up, research shows that our mirror neurons are activated when we see others dance. This means you catch the mood and dance joy your children express while dancing - and vice versa. Through dance, emotions are contagious and simultaneously create empathy. So - dance as often and as much as you can.
“My children have tons of energy, and we wake up early - even on weekends. By 9:00 AM, we’ve typically already jumped and danced to several songs, and the little ones have brought out dress-up clothes. This routine repeats around 3:00 PM and sometimes again after dinner. We love to dance, even though none of us adults would dream of 'dancing' like this when at a party. However, it always brings lots of joy and togetherness to our family. When it’s time to clear the table at night, and no one feels like helping, turning up the music makes it much easier, and everyone pitches in. A bonus is, of course, that there often is a good hour of calm afterward.” - Mette, mother of four
For inspiration, here are a few great tracks from our children's playlists:
- "Pretty Girl" Maggie Lindemann
- "Conga" Gloria Estefan, Miami Sound Machine
- "Can’t Stop the Feeling" Justin Timberlake
- "The Golden Age" The Asteroids Galaxy Tour
- “Op med ho’det” Natasja
Blackbird Institute is a therapeutic institute that offers education in relational competence, family counseling, and family therapy. The institute was founded by Fie Hørby and Mie Kaae.
Fie Hørby is a psycho- and family therapist and mother to Rumle, 16 years old, Liv, 11 years old, and Isak, 0 years old. She has, among other things, written the bestseller “Drop Parenting!” and the book “About Teenagers - For Parents.”
Mie Kaae holds a degree in psychology and communication, is the author of the book "What Do You Really Want?" and is trained in dance and body therapy. Mie is also a mother of three - Marvin, 12 years old, Linus, 10 years old, and Havanna, 2 years old.
Read more about Blackbird Institute here
