First dance lesson for children ages 3,4, and 5
September
09
Teaching young children to dance is truly superfluous.
As any preschooler will tell you: "I already know how to dance!"
And they do!
As the leader you can just provide the music: play your own drums and bells or use recorded music: classical, rock, hiphop, reggae, anything.
I use music I like since I have to hear it over and over again. I also have some specialty songs to get us started; and some music that goes over big with the kids
(Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Spiderman, SpongeBob Squarepants).
So, if you are not ready to just turn on music and dance (BTW, dance with your children, they love it, it's fun and it's good for you).....but if you need some structure here is how I
start my class with new students.
Below is an an outline of my introductory dance class. Following that are detailed descriptions of each activity (in parantheses and italics I have added informational
comments).
Outline:
Introduction: talking and listening, sitting
or standing
Warm-up:
O McDonald
Walk, walk, walk and stop
Freeze Dance
Practice:
Circle/Clap names
Animal dances
Concept: ocean, beach, water, summer
Ocean animals
Ocean dance: freeze, free and/or
prop dance
Cool Down:
Starfish
Description:
Introduction:
Hi, friends, my name is Elizabeth and we are going to be dancing today. But I'll bet you already know how to dance.....(most kids nod and start to explain).
Who knows how to dance ballet? How about tap dance? Jazz dance? Does anyone here know how to breakdance or do hip hop? How about Irish dancing....(you get the
idea....this can go on for a long time with kids raising their hands, shouting I can do that....finally I say):
There are a lot of kinds of dancing. Does anyone here just put on your favorite song and jump, spin, and dance around the living room? Well, we will be doing some of that.
But first, what do we use to dance? Do we need a book? a guitar? do we need a pencil or a piano? (giggles, shaking of heads)
No, we need our bodies and space......did you bring your bodies? Your feet? Your head? Excellent ....let's get started.
Warm-up:
To the tune of O McDonald I sing.....
O McDonald had a ,,,,,,, BODY !
E I E I O
and on that body she had a head E I E I O
and the head moves here and the head moves there
the head moves everywhere
O McDonald had a BODY !
E I E I O
While singing I move my head and may slip in directions like "you can move your head up and down" Some kids will model you, some will stare at you some will dance all
around the room.
Next verse:
O McDonald had a body...E I E I O
and on that body she had a ...(wait for a child to supply suggestion), .. orcontinue: HAND E
I E I O
and the hand moves here and the hand moves there
the hand moves everywhere
OMcDonald had a BODY !
E I E I O
and so on till you get through the whole body or till the kids are losing interest. They will mention eyes, ears, tongue....all good....they may mention unmentionables...I do not
react...use your own judgement.
Walk, walk, walk and stop
a recorded song I have (but you can do it yourself with a drum) goes like this:
Well, you walk and you walk and you walk and stop.
And you walk, and you walk and you walk and stop.
You walk and you walk and you walk and stop.
And you walk and you walk and you walk and stop.
Now, gallop, gallop, gallop and stop
Gallop, Gallop, gallop and stop
you get the idea. substitute any movememt: jump, skate, tiptoe, march.
(I have this song on my ipod which I downloaded from a CD that my husband made from a cassette which my partner made from an album which we cannot locate and do not
remember what it was called or who it was by.....so I cannot give anyone credit but I have used this song over and over with many, many ages and there are some kid songs out there that are
similar.)
Freeze Dance
There are many prerecorded freeze dances but you can use any music and freeze it yourself. When the music is on you dance when the music is off you freeze.
Practice:
Circle and clap names:
Sit and put your feet in the center. legs long so you've made a circle. Than take turns.
Each child may clap his or her name then get up and do a movement around the circle returning to his seat so the next child may have a turn.
This is one way to get to know names. It is also a chance for individuals to shine and express themselves and for you to assess abilities (to yourself). At least one
child will probably introduce and animal move like dog or cat which leads you to..........
Animal Action
a famous song in the preschool world that will lead you through a series of animals moves.
Or sing it yourself:
C'mon everybody, come down to the zoo
We're gonna do a dance like the animals do
Animal action is so much fun
Animal action, move like an...........elephant
everyone moves like an elephant
Next verse
C'mon everybody, come down to the zoo
We're gonna do a dance like the animals do
Animal action is so much fun
Animal action, move like an...........horse
Use a book, or music cue, or lead into the concept with a final verse about fish.
Concept:
Where does a fish live? Right, the ocean. Have you ever seen the ocean? What other animals live in the ocean, or on the beach. Brainstorm with the children. Try
doing the moves of ocean animals, jiggling like a jelly fish, leaping like a dolphin, flying like a seagull, crawling like a crab.
Dance to ocean music: Under the Sea, or whale sounds, or surfing music. This could be a freeze dance or a free dance (no stopping).
Continue as desired.
Spice it up with blue, purple and green scarves and "BE" the ocean.
Or introduce hoola hoops and use them as surf boards or beach balls or a hole you dig in the sand.
Cool Down:
to quieter music, could still be ocean theme, be a starfish, on the bottom of the ocean and stretch your arms and legs and breath
One reason dance tis good for us:
Exercise “optimizes your mind-set to improve alertness, attention, and
motivation…prepares and encourages nerve cells to bind to one another,
which is the cellular basis for logging in new information….spurs
development of new nerve cells from stem cells in the hippocampus.”
from Spark: the Revolutionary New Science of Exercise
by John Ratey, M.D. (also
wrote Driven to Distraction)
It makes us smarter!
