Creative Movement and Dance
Activity 1: Dance Creation (back to top)
Age: K-l
Activity: Teacher will playa selected piece of music and the children will make up their own dance.
Materials: Music, CD player
Preparations/Preparations/Safety Precautions: Teacher needs to make sure there is plenty of room for the activity to take place so children do not hit or run into each other as they are creating the dance.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Visual Arts The subject in Dance- Skills and Techniques) The student understands chorec; graphic principles, processes, and --structures -The actual standard
The students creates a series of movements with a beginning, middle, and end. National/ Standards for Art Education (Visual Arts The subject) Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures- Content standard. Students improvise, create, and perform dances based on their own ideas and concepts from other sources-
Achievement standard
Activity 2: Sign Language to Music (back to top)
Age: K-l
Activity: Teacher will teach children a song using sign language.
Materials:Music and sign language chart
Preparations/Safety Precautions: None
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Visual Arts The subject in Dance- Applications to Life) The student makes connects between dance and other disciplines -The actual standard for the subheading
The student knows how to express a visual image through movement. National Standards for Art Education (Visual Arts The subject ) Understanding dance as a way to create anc communicate meaning- Content standard. Students observe and discuss
how dance is different from other forms of movement- Achievement standard
Activity 3: "Head to Toe" By Eric Carle (back to top)
Age: K-l
Activity: Teacher will read the book, "Head to Toe" and children will act out the movements within the book.
Materials: "Head to Toe" by Eric Carle
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Teacher needs to make sure there is enough room for children to act out the book.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Theatre The subject in art- Skills and Techniques) The students acts by developing, communicating, and sustaining characters in improvisation and formal or informal productions -The actual standard for the subheading. The student creates animate and inanimate objects through the movement of the human body. National Standards for Art Education (Theatre The subject) Acting by assuming roles and
interacting in improvisations- Content standard. Students imagine and clearly describe characters -Achievement standard
Activity 4: "Down on the Farm" Line Dance (back to top)
Age: K-l
Activity: Children will listen to the song, "Down on the Farm" by Kenny Chesney, and the students will learn a line dance.
Materials: "Down on the Farm" by Kenny Chesney
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Teacher needs to make sure there is plenty of room for students to learn the line dance.
Standards:National Standards or Sunshine State Standards:
Sunshine State Standard (Dance The subject in art- Aesthetic and Critical Analysis) The student applies and demonstrates critical and creative thinking skills in dance -The actual standard for the subheading The student understands that dance is sequential with a beginning, middle, and end. National Standards for Art Education (Dance The subject) Understanding choreographic principles, processes, and structures- Content standard. Students demonstrate the ability to work effectively alone and with a partner- Achievement standard
Activity 5: Literature and Parade (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Introduce the lesson by playing a recording of "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Ask the children if they recognize the music. Sing the song with the children. Explain that this is a very old song, which was popular during the time of George Washington. Read the book Yankee Doodle, by Richard Schackburg. This is an illustrated version of the song. Discuss the illustrations with the children, pointing out the marching, uniforms, flags, and colors. Introduce the discussion about parades by asking how many children have been to a parade. Discuss children's experiences with parades. Ask the children why we have parades. Ask if children know what was being celebrated at the parades they have attended. Plan a parade to celebrate George Washington's birthday. Children can make hats out of newspaper. The hats can be decorated with paint or markers using red, white, and blue. Children can then have a marching parade wearing their hats and singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy." The children could parade to another classroom.
Materials: A recording of the song "Yankee Doodle Dandy," the book Yankee Doodle by Richard Schakburg, newspaper, markers, crayons, paints, and any other art materials that could be used to make hats or instruments for the parade.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Teacher needs to discuss with children the importance of staying together during the parade and discuss that the hats are to be worn on their heads and should not be used for any other purposes.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Cultural and Historical Connections) The student demonstrates and understands dance in various cultures and historical periods. The student explores movement in response to the sounds and music that reflect a specific culture. Sunshine State Standard (Music - Skills and Techniques) The student sings, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. The student sings simple songs (e.g., folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment.
Activity 6: Hokey Pokey (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Ask the children if they know the song Hokey Pokey?? If they do, have them hum the song for you. Have the children form a big circle. Sing the song as a class and perform in the movements. Continue as desired. This song reinforces the concept of left and right.
Materials: The song "Hokey Pokey."
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Make sure that there is an adequate amount of space in between the children as they perform in the movements of the song.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Skills and Techniques) The student identifies and demonstrates movement elements in performing dance. The student performs movement with kinesthetic awareness (i.e., how the body moves) and concentration at high, middle, and low levels in space. Sunshine State Standard (Social Studies - People, Places, and Environments) The student understands the world in spatial terms. The student knows areas that can be classified as regions.
Activity 7: Movement Center (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Provide a soft, comfortable place for one or more children to listen to and make beautiful music. Provide movement props like scarves, streamers, and lengths of fabric. This center must have ample space if children are to freely dance and move about.
Materials: Record and tape player, records, tapes, musical instruments, scarves, streamers, books (about music, musicians, dancers, and songs), selection of paper and writing tools to encourage children to write or draw about their music or dance experience.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Make sure that there is an ample amount of space so that children can move around without hurting themselves or others. Children also need to be aware of the proper uses of all the props that are in the center.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Skills and Techniques) The student identifies and demonstrates movement elements in performing dance. The student moves to various sounds, including rhythmic accompaniment, and responds to changes in tempo. Sunshine State Standard (Music - Skills and Techniques) The student performs on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. The student performs expressively with appropriate dynamics and tempos on classroom and ethnic instruments.
Activity 8: Field Trip to the Ballet (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Take children on a field trip where they can hear music and see dance performed. Taking the children to a ballet is an excellent way to show children the importance of music and dance. This activity can round out any music or movement program.
Materials: Field trip materials (parent permission slips, emergency cards, attendance, etc.).
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Teacher needs to arrange the field trip. They need to be sure that they have adequate number of chaperones for the number of students attending the field trip. Teacher also needs to discuss with the students the rules of the field trip and rules while attending the ballet.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Creation and Communication) The student understands dance is a way to create meaning. The student understands how gestures and movement communicate meaning. Sunshine State Standard (Music - Applications to Life) The student understands the relationship between music and the world beyond the school setting. The student knows appropriate audience behavior in a given music setting (e.g., religious service, symphony concert, and folk or pop concert).
Activity 9: Guest Perform Cultural Dance (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Invite family members and community volunteers who dance. This is a good way to have family members share their cultures' music and dance and it exposes children to a variety of cultural dances.
Materials: None
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Teachers need to discuss with children appropriate behavior that should be displayed while a guest is in the classroom.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Cultural and Historical Connections) The student demonstrates and understands dance in various cultures and historical periods. The student understands how dance expresses and embodies elements of culture. Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Cultural and Historical Connections) The student demonstrates and understands dance in various cultures and historical periods. The student knows the similarities and differences that exist between dance patterns of various cultures.
Activity 10: Moving with a Parachute in Creative Ways (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Get a small parachute (if unavailable, use a tablecloth or sheet). Tie knots at the corners and midpoints to signify places and something to hold. Use with a small group of children to reinforce spatial, directional, and temporal concepts.
Materials: Small parachute (or a tablecloth or sheet), lightweight objects such as a balloon or ball to bounce on top of the parachute.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Demonstrate to children proper ways to use the equipment. Teacher should discuss the rules for the outside activity prior to starting it.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Physical Education - Advocate and Promote Physically Active Lifestyles) The student understands that physical activity provides the opportunity for enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and communication. The student knows various ways to use the body and movement activities to communicate ideas and feelings (e.g., creative movement).
Sunshine State Standard (Physical Education - Physical Education Literacy) The student demonstrates competency in many movement forms and proficiency in a few forms of physical activity. The student adapts movement to changing environmental conditions.
Activity 11: Exercise to Music (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Have children participate in large motor actions like walking, hopping, swaying, marching, and galloping while listening to music. Model the actions and then have the children try them on their own.
Materials:Record and/or tape player, records or tapes, and an area with lots of room.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Make sure that children can participate in this activity in an area that has an ample amount of space. For example, this activity could take place in the music and movement center. When participating in this activity, make sure that children are far apart from one another to reduce the risk of accidents.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Skills and Techniques) The student identifies and demonstrates movement elements in performing dance. The student knows simple locomotor movements (e.g., walk, run, hop, jump, and leap) and compound locomotor movements (e.g., gallop, slide, and leap). Sunshine State Standard (Physical Education - Physical Education Literacy) The student demonstrates competency in many movement forms and proficiency in a few forms of physical activity. The student demonstrates basic locomotor skills (e.g., hop, walk, run, jump, leap, gallop, skip, and slide).
Activity 12: Role Play (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Children enjoy moving like animals, vehicles, or characters in a favorite movie or story. Children can participate in this activity on their own or this activity can be teacher-guided. If this activity is teacher-guided, the teacher can ask the children to move like a familiar animal or pet, vehicle, or familiar community helper such as a firefighter. Children can also enact a favorite nursery rhyme, pantomime an activity or feeling, or they can pretend they are an object moving to nature, such as a tree swaying in the wind. Allow children to be creative with this activity.
Materials: Record and tape recorder, records and tapes.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Children need to have an ample amount of space for this activity this includes their own personal space in which to move. By extending their arms out around them, children can define their personal space, which others must respect.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Applications to Life) The student makes connections between dance and other disciplines. The student knows how to express a visual image through movement (e.g., move like a cat, an ocean wave, or a cloud). Sunshine State Standard (Theatre - Skills and Techniques) The student acts by developing, communicating, and sustaining characters in improvisation and formal or informal productions. The student creates, individually and in groups, animate and inanimate objects through the movement of the human body (e.g., pantomimes living and nonliving objects such as rocks, trees, and celestial objects).
Activity 13: Hula-Hoops: Slow and Quiet Movement (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Play the tape Swan Lake and watch the children dance, however the music moves them. Students can move around hula-hoops in slow and quiet ways. After participating in this activity indoors, the activity can move to the outdoors where children can dip their hula-hoops in a bubble solution and can practice moving slow and quietly to create bubbles.
Materials: Hula-hoops, record or tape player, the tape or record of Swan Lake, and bubble solution.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Make sure that this activity is done in an area that has an ample amount of space so that children have enough room to move with their hula-hoop without hurting another student. Discuss the proper use of the hula-hoops with the children before starting the activity.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Skills and Techniques) The student identifies and demonstrates movement elements in performing dance. The student moves to various sounds, including rhythmic accompaniment, and responds to changes in tempo. Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Skills and Techniques) The student identifies and demonstrates movement elements in performing dance. The student performs movement with kinesthetic awareness (i.e., how the body moves) and concentration at high, middle, and low levels in space.
Activity 14: Finger Play (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Have the children participate in this activity as a whole group. Let children pick out their favorite songs to sing that involve finger play and hand motions too. Children will know plenty of these songs, so if you don't know it, let them demonstrate the song for the class. Some examples are: Five little monkeys sitting in a tree, Mr. Thumbkin, and The Itsy Bitsy Spider.
Materials: No materials are needed for this activity.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Discuss appropriate behavior during this circle time. During this time, children need to respect every students ideas and creativity.
Standards: Sunshine State Standard (Music - Skills and Techniques) The student sings alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. The student sings simple songs (e.g., folk, patriotic, nursery rhymes, rounds, and singing games) with appropriate tone, pitch, and rhythm, with and without accompaniment. Sunshine State Standard (Dance - Creation and Communication) The student understands dance is a way to create meaning. The student understands how gestures and movement communicate meaning.
Activity 15: Story Reading and Dramatization (back to top)
Age: K-1
Activity: Read a story/play to children. It should have a simple plot at first. Children can then act out the play while teacher or another student reads the story. The focus of this activity is to have students use their body to act out the story. This can also extend into dramatic play center by providing costumes or props. The students can even create props in the art center.
Materials: Story
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Teacher needs to select a book with a simple plot and a variety of characters. Students may need assistance at first with acting out the story.
Standards: National Arts Standards (Theater) Acting by assuming roles and interacting improvisations. Students assume roles that exhibit concentration and contribute to the action of the classroom dramatizations based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature, and history. Sunshine State Standard (Theater-Skills and Techniques) The student acts by developing, communicating, and sustaining characters in improvisation and formal or informal productions. The student creates, individually or in groups, animate and inanimate objects through the movement of the human body,
Activity 16: Dance and Freeze (back to top)
Age: Pre-K & up
Activity: The instructor plays several snippets of music. Each will be different in character, and the students are encouraged to move "the way the music sounds. Stress the importance of freezing INSTANTLY, in whatever position you find yourself in.
Materials: Different types and styles of music, music player
Preparations: Finding all different types of music, and making sure they sound different.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: None
Standards: PE.A.1.1.7, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, DA.A.1.1.4 & DA.A.2.1.1
Activity 17: Dance Collage (back to top)
Age: K-3
Activity: Students flip through magazines and cut out pictures of people dancing. When finished, then ask students to glue the pictures on a large piece of paper. For older students, you may want to encourage them to organize the pictures into groups based on the different situations or reasons for dance that are presented in the pictures (wedding, make yourself happy, exercise, meet people, to provide entertainment, cultural significance.).
Materials: Magazines, scissors, glue, paper.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Discussion about the different reasons people dance. Read a book about a person dancing for a certain reason (wedding, exercise etc.)
Standards: MU.C.1.1.1, DA.B.1.1.1 & DA.C.1.1.1
Activity 18: Dance like Me (back to top)
Age: Pre-K & up
Activity: Have students think of a simple movement pattern. Have one student at a time to come up to the front of the class and perform it for the class, and then explain to the class how to perform the movements. Have the class repeat the movements that the student presented. Continue until all the students had a chance to present their movements.
Materials: Space for moving
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Discussion about respecting others, encouraging and how it makes you feel when someone laughs at you. Go over some rules such as if you make fun of another person you will have to sit out of the activity.
Standards: PE.A.1.1.7, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, DA.A.1.1.4 , DA.A.2.1.1.3 & DA.A.2.1.1
Activity 19: Dancing to Music (back to top)
Age: K & Up
Activity:Students will listen to a variety of music and design an appropriate dance presentation. This activity encourages students to appreciate, and examine different styles of music as well as create dance presentations that are specifically related to the music.
Materials: Different music, music player
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Discussion about respecting others, encouraging and how it makes you feel when someone laughs at you. Go over some rules such as if you make fun of another person you will have to sit out of the activity.
Standards: PE.A.1.1.7, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, DA.A.1.1.4 & DA.A.2.1.1
Activity 20: Dancing with Props (back to top)
Age: K & Up
Activity: Allow students to freely experiments with the variety of movements that are needed to make the variety of props move. Explore one prop at a time. After a while, ask students to pick a prop that they liked the best and create some sort of movement presentation with that prop.
Materials: A variety of props: scarves, balls, string, hula hoops, pylons, batons, sticks, streamers, flags, rings, bean bags.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Finding all the materials provide. Discussion about the materials provided, how to handle them, what they are, etc. Also talk about respecting others, and encouraging them.
Standards: PE.A.1.1.7, PE.A.2.1.5, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, DA.A.1.1.4 & DA.A.2.1.1
Activity 21: Marionette Dance(back to top)
Age:K-2nd
Activity: Explain to students that marionettes are a type of puppet that have strings attached to different parts of their bodies. The puppets move by the puppeteer pulling on the strings. Ask students to pretend that they are marionettes. Call out one body part and a direction (eg: arm, up) at a time and have the students move as though the string attached to the body part is being pulled in the direction called out. Call out directions that would encourage students to practice their balance, as well as their use of the space around them class.
Materials: Space for children to move
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Read a book about marionettes.
Standards: HE.A.1.1.1, PE.A.2.1.5, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, & DA.A.1.1.4
Activity 22: Mirror, Mirror (back to top)
Age: K-3rd
Activity: Have a student pretend to be a mirror image of someone and do the same motions: One student will be using his or her right hand, the other his or her left. Involve the whole group by encouraging pairs of students to do other movements, each time with one student pretending to be the mirror image. Then have partners change roles.
Materials: Space to Move
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Read a book about mirror images
Standards: DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, DA.A.1.1.4 , DA.A.2.1.1 & DA.A.2.1.1
Activity 23: "Skip to My Lou" (back to top)
Age: Pre-K -K
Activity: As a group, stand in a circle and clap hands (as you sing the chorus). Hold hands and walk into the circle, raising joined hands as you meet in the center; back out to your original position, lowering hands (as you sing the verses). Repeat.
Materials:: Skip to My Lou song, and music player, space to move.
Preparations: Play the song Skip to My Lou so children can learn the words. Find a space with plenty of room to move
Preparations/Safety Precautions: None
Standards: PE.A.1.1.7, PE.A.2.1.5, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, & DA.A.1.1.4
Activity 24: "La Raspa" (Mexican Hat Dance) (back to top)
Age: K-2nd
Activity: Stand with one foot in front, heel on floor. Hop and change feet: left in front, right in front, left in front; (pause); right in front, left in front, right in front. (Left vs. right is not important, children simply alternate feet.). Partners link arms and skip around each other in one direction, then change arms and skip in the opposite direction. Repeat.
Materials: Mexican music, music player
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Room to move
Standards: HE.A.1.1.1, PE.A.1.1.7, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, & DA.A.1.1.4
Activity 25: Moving like Waves (back to top)
Age: Pre-K-2nd
Activity: Pass out wave bottles, so children can remember how waves move. Play Wipe Out, tell students to move like a wave, listen to the beat and move like a wave would move to that beat. Direct the class to move in unjular motions, like waves. Tell them to move up and down with the melody. At the drum solos, it's "Low Tide", so the waves are very small and don't move much, but they still move the same way.
Materials: Song Wipe Out, music player
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Discussion about moving without bumping into people. Read a book about waves, and how they move.
Standards: PE.A.1.1.7, PE.A.2.1.5, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, & DA.A.1.1.4
Activity 26: Fly Butterfly, Fly (back to top)
Age: K-2nd
Activity: Have your students lay on their bellies. And begin to tell this story. As you tell the story, students are to act out the story: There was a beautiful caterpillar that love to (crawl) all around. He would crawl in the trees, on the streets, on the buildings and all around. But one day the caterpillar got very sleepy and decided to (take a long nap). He began to (snore)very loud. A while later, his (eyes popped wide open)and he found that he couldn't move. He (rolled)all around but couldn't get free. He (rolled and rolled all around). He was surrounded by a shell that kept him from moving freely. He then (popped his left arm free). He (popped his right arm free.) He popped his left foot free). He (popped his right foot free). And then he (stood up). He noticed that he was a BUTTERFLY! He began to (flap his colorful wings slowly). And then... AT THIS POINT BEGIN THE MUSIC BY CHOPIN... And say "TAKE OFF!" The students should take off by flying all around the large space. During the A section of the music the students fly. During the B section of the music have the students walk slowly to catch their breath :) and when the A section starts again have them Take Off again. At the end of the piece have the children fly back to where they began. The children love this lesson and I do too. I just made up this lesson to pass the last few minutes of class. And the students ask to do it time and time again
Materials: Music player, Waltz No. 1 in Eb (MAJOR Op.18)
by Frederic Chopin, large space to move
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Read a book about the life of a caterpillar and butterfly
Standards: HE.A.1.1.1, PE.a.1.1.7, PE.A.2.1.5, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, DA.A.1.1.4 & DA.A.2.1.1
Activity 27: Line Dancing (back to top)
Age: K & up
Activity: Get students enthused about the activity by first letting them vote for the music they want to move to that day. Tell each person they have a few minutes to make up a movement to perform to eight beats of the song. Let them know that at the end of the few minutes, they will be asked to "teach" their movement to another person in the class and then eventually the whole class -- so they need to come up with something! Have all students stand on a line, facing the same direction, with enough space in between each other to move safely. Ask for a volunteer to come in front of the line and teach their movement to the class. Have each student teach their move with time in between for practicing and putting the steps together. Have the whole class dance the dance to the music.
Materials: CD/cassette boom box; music.
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Space for moving, and discussion about respecting others feelings.
Standards: PE.A.1.1.7, PE.a.2.1.5, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, DA.A.1.1.4 DA.A.2.1.3 & DA.A.2.1.1
Activity 28: Martian Hop (back to top)
Age:3rd
Activity: While playing the song "The Martian Hop", call out easy square dance moves (swing, do-si-do, pinky swing, high fives, etc.). Then when the Martian noise comes on, sing along with Martian antennae, wiggling back and forth, and moving up and down. It's the Martian spirit that counts!
Materials: Music “The Martian Hop”, music player
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Teach children basic square dance moves (do si do, swing, etc., space to dance
Standards: PE.a.1.1.7, PE.A.2.1.5, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, & DA.A.1.1.4
Activity 29: Body Letters (back to top)
Age: 3rd
Activity: Put students in pairs. Have students decide how they will use their body to form letters of the alphabet, students can make a letter by themselves or with their partner. Teacher will call out a spelling word, students will make the word with their bodies.
Materials: Space to move, list of spelling words
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Brainstorming session about how children can make letters using their bodies. Review of the spelling words for the week.
Standards: HE.A.1.1.1, LA.C.1.1.1 & DA.A.1.1.3
Activity 30: Animal Move (back to top)
Age: K-3rd
Activity: The player who is 'it,' stands at the front of the room and calls out the name of a mammal, bird, fish, or reptile, and a movement. For instance, the leader might call out, 'Horses fly. Birds crawl. Salmon swim.' When the leader states the correct relationship, the class must move accordingly. In the latter case, they would make a swimming movement. When an incorrect relationship is given, the children should not move.
Materials: Space to move
Preparations/Safety Precautions: Knowledge of how animals move, read a book about different animals, and how they move.
Standards: PE.A.2.1.5, DA.A.1.1.1, DA.A.1.1.2, & DA.A.1.1.