creative movement

Creative Movement and Preschool Dance Music Playlist Winter 2016

January 7, 2016 by Erika Leave a Comment

Creative movement music is so fun when you find it! But so hard to find. So, here’s a list of what I’m liking in my classes right now. Make sure to check out the links to find out what I use the songs for in class!

Late Last Night by Joe Scruggs

The Goldfish by Laurie Berkner

I Really Love to Dance by Laurie Berkner

Boots by Laurie Berkner

Rhinos and Elephants by Mannheim Steamroller

Amanda Panda by Mannheim Stemroller

The whole Imagining Dance album by Nenad Duplancic

Run Llama Run by John Debney

Fireflies by Owl City

Happy by Pharrell Williams

Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color For Your Eyes by Kristin Andreassen

Time For Your Check Up from Doc McStuffins

Doc McStuffins Theme Song

In Summer from Frozen

…AND any other Disney movie/show song that your kids are really into. Chances are, the other kids in the class will find it motivating, too. Just make sure you use these sparingly so that they stay exciting!

Good luck!

What are you playing in class right now?

The Rainbow Fish

January 7, 2016 by Erika 3 Comments

Teaching dance classes with books is one of my favorite pastimes. I love how a story can motivate movement in children! The Rainbow Fish is a fun story for 3-8 year olds, and I always end this lesson talking about how we can share our dancing with others. Here’s the lesson:

Show pictures of several sea creatures and talk about how they might move (for the printable visuals, click here)

Fish: Wiggle your head

Octopus: Wiggle your arms and legs

Crab/Lobster: Tiny and sharp steps

Sea Turtle: Slow, sustained/smooth movement

2. Turn on music and guide the children through an improvisation of how these sea creatures move.

3. Read aloud Marcus Pfister’s The Rainbow Fish. Whenever the book says the word “fish” all the children must wiggle their head like a fish. Rainbow fish learns that he can make the other fish in the sea happy by sharing his scales. What can you share that makes other people happy?

4. We all have bodies to dance with and we are going to create a dance that we can share with our teacher, and if you remember, you can share it with your mom or dad when you get home. Assign the children into two groups: either one’s or two’s. All of the one’s go out into the space and make a sea animal shape (any frozen shape will do). All the two’s, when I say go, dance into the space quick and sharp like a crab and then make a different sea animal shape. Alternate one’s and two’s using the various sea animals we learned.

5. Place several mats around the room. These will represent the islands in the sea. When I turn on the music, everyone will dance around the room without touching the mats, wiggling your arms and legs like an octopus. When the music stops, you must freeze in an octopus shape and be touching a mat. (Repeat with other sea animals). More than one child may touch a mat. As you repeat, the instructor can be the “evil eel” and take away two or three mats each time until there are only a few left.

6. Have children do a Good-bye dance. Line up on one end of the space and, while playing music, have each child one by one dance across the room, practicing what they can share with their parents about how sea animals move.

And if you’ve got extra time, enjoy these printable Rainbow Fish coloring pages!

Teaching Ballet Positions

December 30, 2015 by Erika 1 Comment

I love ballet. I always have. However, I teach recreational ballet. To six year olds. And I have to keep reminding myself of that fact! There are all kinds of developmental considerations when teaching turn-out, and that’s another post for another day. But here is my favorite way to teach ballet positions. We use this rhyme:

1, 2, 3, look at me!

1, 2, 3, look at me (show ballet feet positions 1st, 2nd, 3rd, then releve balance 1st)

1st, 2nd, 3rd, fly like a bird (show ballet feet positions 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Hop to right and left with back leg in arabesque)

1, 2, 3, turn quickly! (show ballet feet positions 1st, 2nd, 3rd, turn around quickly – feet and arms any shape)

Plie, releve, get ready, STAY! (plie and releve in 1st, make a ball down low, balance in releve arabesque)

Animal Conditioning

December 30, 2015 by Erika Leave a Comment

After warm-up in my preschool gymnastics classes (and sometimes in dance, too), I do a conditioning portion of class. One of our all-time favorites is “Animal Conditioning. Each animal has a picture in my bag. One at a time, students pick a picture out of my bag and we do that animal’s movement across the floor. I usually say, “When I say go, crawl like a snake (waddle like a penguin, hop on one foot like a flamingo, etc.) all the way to me. Give me a high five, then go back to the red line (starting line)”. Then I make any student who left before I said “Go!” return to the starting line and wait for the cue. Here are the animals!

Get the free printable here.

Turtles move down low and slow. How slowly can you crawl all the way to me?

Snakes slither on their bellies. Can you crawl like a snake?

My favorite kinds of penguins are fairy penguins (crouch down low) and emperor penguins (stand as tall as you can). Fairy penguins are the smallest kind of penguin. How small can you get? Emperor penguins are the biggest kind of penguin. How big can you get? Test their memories by calling out: Fairy! Emperor! Fairy! Emperor! Emperor! Fairy! etc. When you say Fairy!, they should crouch down low into a tucked position. When you say Emperor!, they should get on tip toes with arms up in a v.

Then, waddle like a penguin all the way to me! Give me a high five, then go back to the start.

Horses love to gallop quickly. Show me gallops with your knees up high. Then, try straight legged gallops (or chasses).

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Movement Rhymes

December 30, 2015 by Erika Leave a Comment

How many times has this happened to you? We’re exactly twelve minutes into dance class, parents are peeping through the windows, and seven three-year-old dancers in pink leotards are chasing a ball they found in the corner of the studio. I’m sitting in the middle of the room doing butterfly stretch with Mollie, who is apparently the only student listening today. No matter how I ask, command, or beg, the others refuse to come to the circle or stretch! Do I give in and let them play ball? Do I ignore the rest of the class and give Mollie my undivided attention? Do I just go into the corner and cry? 🙂

The above situation has happened far more times than I’m proud to admit… But, I’ve got a solution for you! It’s time to redirect! One of my favorite ways to redirect is with a movement rhyme. Dancers love them. Parents think their child is learning something constructive. And I am secretly teaching new skills to unsuspecting preschoolers. Here are a few of my favorites:

Run, run, run, jump! Turn around.

Reach up high. Touch the ground.

Kick your feet. Clap to the beat.

Run, run, run, and Giant leap!

Skip like a butterfly in a circle

Crawl down low, like a turtle

Waddle like a penguin, very quick

Now, show me your trick!

Freeze down low, low, low

Now last thing we grooooooow, grow!

March, march, march, march, Turn around.

Reach up high. Touch the ground.

Wiggle your head and point your feet.

Sit right down. Spin on your seat.

Bear walk, bear walk, across the floor.

Run, run leap, over towards the door.

Chasse, chasse, arms out strong.

Kick your feet, toes out long.

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