Children benefit from unique movement therapy

The spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, which places UW–Madison resources in service to the larger community, recently settled over an elementary school playground when a 9-year-old girl became the preferred target of the school bully.

Every day the bully would chase and threaten her. She dreaded recess. In her therapy session with Rena Kornblum, however, the girl developed a strategy to change the situation. The next time the bully chased her, she didn’t run away. Instead, she complimented the bully on his swift turn of foot and offered to time him as he ran across the playground.

“That was the last time he chased her,” Kornblum says.

Kornblum, a lecturer in the Dance Program, is the author of the Violence Prevention Through Movement curriculum, a vital component of the therapist’s toolbox to channel children’s aggression, strength and energy into socially acceptable behavior.

In 1995 Kornblum coupled dance/movement therapy with violence prevention to help schools address the alarming increase in violence. Her prevention curriculum teaches individuals how to calm down, manage stress, empathize with and show caring for others, control impulses, increase concentration and redirect aggression.

Drawing upon her experience with children and families dealing with abuse, autism, learning disabilities, emotional problems and more, Kornblum has published “Disarming the Playground: Violence Prevention Through Movement and Pro-Social Skills” (Wood ‘n Barnes: 2002), a manual and tape series.

Kornblum says that violence prevention begins with increased awareness of nonverbal behavior. Yet, she says, it’s an area that educators on all levels often overlook.

“About 80 percent of our relationships, whether personal or professional, are determined by body language. Yet people in our society are left on their own to learn the rules of nonverbal communication,” she says.

To combat this situation, Kornblum teaches the Violence Prevention Through Movement curriculum several times a week at Lapham Elementary School on Madison’s east side. This semester she also is teaching a UW–Madison course on the subject.

The university students in Kornblum’s class work with her at Lapham School. One of the games they play with the children is “Spaceship,” which aids problem-solving and behavior management, and can undermine prejudice.

For these students, their teachers and parents, working with Kornblum’s Violence Prevention Through Movement curriculum has made an enormous difference.

“There are fewer outbursts and tantrums. Tattling has decreased, and frustration tolerance has increased. The children are able to calm themselves down and come up with positive problem-solving ideas when things aren’t going their way. In general, the class seems confident in their ability to handle most situations safely,” Kornblum says.

For her university students, volunteering at Lapham gives form and substance to what they learn in class.

“This is definitely showing me what therapy is all about,” says Katy Reidenbach, a senior in child development. “I’m exploring possible career paths, and one thing I’m really seeing is the role that movement therapy can play in violence prevention, and as part of a total program of therapy.”

“Today, we need multicultural communication every day,” Kornblum says. “Individuals who can read bodies as well as words will have a step up. In light of these troubled times, a knowledge of nonverbal communication and violence prevention can be lifesaving skills. It’s important that we pass them on to the students, and that we all pass them on to the larger community.”