Dance

Spaghetti DanceDirections Lie down on the floor with your child very stiff and straight. Imagine you are uncooked spaghetti and roll over and over. Now imagine you are being put into hot water to cook. Feel your bodies getting softer and softer. ...

Chiffon DancingDirections Provide yourself and your child with chiffon scarves. Throw them into the air and watch them float down to the ground. After each scarf has settled, imitate the scarf movements in the air and down to the ground with your...

Punchinello Activity for a group of children Age group: 30-40 months Duration of activity: 15 minutes Try this "Monkey see, monkey do" activity the next time you have a bunch of young, restless children to entertain. Have children form a circle....

Directions Get everyone involved in this group dance. Put on some lively music that everyone likes and clear a big open space. Someone start as the leader by making up some interesting, funny steps that everyone can follow along with for a few m...

Poem DanceDirections Choose a favorite poem and read it aloud. Select a few of the ideas, words, or images in the poem and express them in movement with your child. Some ideas will suggest how to move and others will suggest a mood, feeling, or e...

If Toys Could DanceDirections Ask your child to collect a few of her favorite toys. Set them down with you and your child and talk about what would happen if each toy could move and dance. How would they dance? Let your child show you how each of...

Space DanceMaterials Balls or balloons Electronic music (e. g., The Planets by Horst) Directions For this activity, children represent the sun, moon, and planets, and imagine they are in space above and around the Earth. Using balls or balloons ...

Body SculptingDirections Ask your child to pretend that he is a soft lump of play dough and that you are the sculptor. Gently move your child's body into different shapes and positions. Then try bending, turning, and lifting your child's body. Ne...

ABC ShapesDirections Review the letters of the alphabet that your child knows and recognizes. Start with the most familiar letter of the alphabet and have your child make the shape of the letter with his body. It helps to show your child a pictur...

Inside-Outside MovesDirections Illustrate the difference between inside and outside with a box. Have your child get inside and explore the movements that are possible. Next have your child move outside the box, staying close to it. Alternate betw...

Balloon DanceDirections Attach air-inflated balloons to short lengths of string. Have your child hold the balloon away from her body and move around it, trying not to get too close. Still holding the string, toss the balloon into the air and let ...

Circle DancingDirections Identify with your child all the things in and around the house that are circular. These may include wheels, plates, balls, clock faces, coins, cookies, and doorknobs. Roll a coin and a ball and watch them travel. Have yo...

Silly WalksDirectionsFirst of all, ask your child to walk around in her normal, everyday walk. Now try walking very high, very low, very wide, very narrow, very fast, and very slowly. Think of other ways people walk and try them out. Now ask your...

Leggy DanceDirectionsPlay some bright, rhythmical music. Stand facing your child and point out the different parts of the legs and feet. Now discover all the ways each part can move: bend the knees, wiggle the toes, circle the ankles, arch the fo...

Action WordsDirectionsIntroduce these words to your child and both of you do the actions together STRETCH, LEAP, SLIDE, RUN, CRAWL, FALL, SPIN, and TURN. Once your child understands what each word means and how to do the action, put on music and ...

Rope ShapingDirections Find a jump rope or a length of cord. Make a simple shape with it on the floor. Ask your child to move his body into the same shape. Repeat by making other interesting shapes with the rope. Now reverse the order of the acti...

High Space, Low SpaceDirections Go outside with your child and talk together about the space around us. Distinguish between high space up in the sky, low space (down on the ground), and medium space (in the middle). What living things move in the...

Touch TwisterDirections Identify body parts with your child: knees, elbows, neck, fingers, toes, wrist, ankles, and nose. Choose a part and then try to touch another body part with it; hand to heel, nose to knee, or heel to bottom. Do this activi...