COUNTDOWN CELEBRATION Use the last week before winter break to do a New Year’s countdown! For your younger classes, put some scarves on top of your parachute and toss them in the air together while you countdown from ten. Be sure to shout Happy New Year! For your older classes, share your favorite moment from dance class so far this year. UNWRAP THE FUN Play a dance “Gifts & Giggles” game with your older students. Give each student 2 blank notecards. On one, they should write a favorite dance step. On the other, they should write a silly dance step. Mix the cards up and deal out one to every person and put the rest in the center. Don’t show your cards. On their turn, everyone can steal another person’s card or choose one from the middle. After you go around twice and every student has 2 cards, they must come up with 16 counts of movement that uses both steps on their card! FREE HOLIDAY MAD LIBS Download T’was the Night Before Dance Class to do as a class activity or to hand out to your students! Click the picture below! LEARNING GAMES for ALL AGES and STYLES
The week leading up to winter break are the perfect opportunity to game-ify your classes! The use of games encourages critical thinking and recall of learned concepts. Continued learning + creativity + fun = all the warm fuzzy feelings as your dancers head into winter break!
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SNOWFLAKE WARM-UP Do this quick warm-up in any class to get those muscles going! While seated or laying, pull knees into chest (snowball) then open to straddle with arms reaching (snowflake). Repeat 8X, then stand up. Jump apart with arms reaching to high corners (snowflake), then jump together and contract (snowball). Repeat 8X! FREEZE AND MELT Challenge your dancers' control and ability to fill the music, in any style class. Teach 32 counts of any combo or phrase. After they execute that, your dancers must reach, releve', or balance on 1 foot for 8 counts, then melt slowly to the floor for 16 counts. Then they must dance their way up for 8 counts and begin your phrase again! WHAT'S YOUR SNOWMAN NAME If you were a snowman, what would your name be? And what’s your signature step? Click the picture below to get your free printable Snowman Name worksheet. Use it during class or at the beginning of a camp to break the ice (pun intended!). As a group, figure out everyone’s snowman name and then practice the special steps together! CRAFT STORE SNOW PROPS From December through February, snow props are a dance teacher’s best friend! Look for foam snowflakes, snowman cut-outs, and yarn snowballs too. Use them in obstacle courses, parachute activities & more. For immersive and imaginative lesson plans & games that bring SNOW to life - and use props to move important dance concepts forward - check out my winter dance resources! CAN'T CATCH ME GAME Students start on the floor, with their eyes closed. Teacher then tiptoes around the room and tap a few dancers on the shoulder. Those dancers jump up and do a traveling step (the teachers pretend to be “chasing” them and “catch” them with another tap on the shoulder). Then start again, choosing different kids for the next round! COOKIE FOLLOW-ALONG SONGS It takes a little digging, but you can find gingerbread theme action songs in your music apps. Follow the words with your own dance actions! Gingerbread Man by The Kiboomers Gingerbread Man Dance & Freeze by Jack Hartmann Wobbly Man by Koo Koo (pretend to be a cookie crumbling) COOKIE STORYTELLING Read one of the many children’s books about the Gingerbread Man at the start of your dance class, and act it out with dance movements............OR get your copy of my dance-along stories for preschool & early elementary age, which come with storyboards, movement, & review cards too! BAKE IN THE LEARNING & ARTISTRY By using stories & imagination, you help to reinforce the artistry and creativity that elevates dancers from athletes to athlete-artists. Dance games have the power to unlock individuality and imagination in your students, by providing cues and a roadmap to discover their own artistic voice! Create your own, or browse the inclusive winter holiday theme games on my site! MAKE IT HOLIDAY NEUTRAL The traditional Nutcracker story takes place on Christmas Eve. For an easy switch, when using the Nutcracker story in class or dancing it out, replace Christmas Eve with New Year’s Eve! Or simply say “at the holiday party” instead of Christmas Eve in your re-telling of the story. NUTCRACKER FREEZE Search for classical Nutcracker music and Nutcracker covers on your music app. Then, play the Nutcracker Freeze! Ask your students to move in any way, following the cues in the music. When you stop the music, they freeze! Switch songs each time you stop the music, and choose different tempos or feels each time. TRADITION FOR ALL AGES AND STYLES
You can introduce elements of the Nutcracker story in any class! Dance like you are on your way to a party, in your parent-tot class. Dance like snowflakes in creative movement. Explore the Land of Sweets by doing candy-inspired moves in jazz. Take a look at my Nutcracker in A Nutshell lesson plans & Nutcracker Activities to supplement your classes & winter break camps! No matter which holiday your dance students celebrate, there's a way to have festive fun this month! Welcome to my 5-part series on how to infuse the magic and excitement of the season into your classes, while at the same time making every child feel included. Let's start with candy canes! Candy canes are for everyone! They are sold around Christmastime, but at their essence, candy canes are a just yummy treat that all kids can enjoy. Here are 4 fun and easy ways to use the imagery of candy canes in your classes, today! Play the Candy Cane Balance Game During warm-ups, while their arms are extended side in 2nd position, hang a candy cane on each student's hand, They must keep their arms strong to keep it balanced! Reward -- they get to take the candy cane home! Candy Cane Relay Instead of passing a baton, pass a candy cane! Set your dancers up to practice any skill or combo across the floor, with the next person ready on the opposite side. Dancer 1 should travel across while holding the candy cane, and then pass it to dancer 2. Dancer 2 then starts the combo traveling back the other way, and passes the candy cane to dancer 3, and so on! Candy Cane Jane A super cute and done-for-you preschool tap routine that is easy to teach? Yes, please! Teach part of this routine as a mini class combo or as a holiday dance for your studio's viewing week. Either way, you can't lose, especially since it is on sale for 80% off through December 2023. Grab your copy (which includes teacher notes and a full video demonstration) for just $2, by clicking the picture below! If you are already a Tap Teacher Member, this game is included in your Tap Lesson Plan Membership -- check your portal! Find out more about being a Tap Teacher Member, here!
Peppermint Hot Chocolate This dance game will help your students think about dance as something beyond the steps they learn in class, by helping them create their own artistic movement in a low-pressure way. For $7, you'll get the newly updated print-and-play game for tweens and teens that you can use for years to come. Click the picture below for details! If you believe that tap class is a powerful tool for every dancer, then I am right there with you! When I was growing up, tap class was the only option offered to the preschoolers at the studio I attended. Ballet and jazz were reserved for ages 6 & up, but we could begin tap at 3 years old. It was the first class I took, and it is the style of dance I have loved ever since. Looking back, it is easy to see all the benefits that tap had on my training, and how tap informed everything I did as a dancer. Tap taught me to:
Did I know any of that, at 3 years old (or even 13 years old, for that matter)? Nope. But I did know this --- Tap dance made me feel good. Tap dance was something I could feel with my body, see with my eyes, and hear with my ears all at the same time. In 25 years of teaching, tap has always been on my roster and I have had the pleasure of seeing how tap class has positively affected my students of all ages, in every style of dance that they take. Here are the benefits I've seen, in action! For preschool age dancers, tap class provides:
For elementary age dancers, tap class:
For middle school and high school dancers, tap class:
Not everyone is going to love tap the way you do (and that's ok!). But I am on the pro-tap bandwagon, because in the same way that classical styles of dance train the body to move well across all dance forms, tap dance has the same power to positively transform the whole dancer (and the whole person, for that matter)! I am sharing link to the Benefits of Tap poster with you, so that you may share it and spread the love and benefits of tap in your own community. Hang it in your studio or post it on your social media to help promote the benefits of tap! Visit my shop for more dance resources that support a creative, positive, and imaginative dance classroom. Keep in touch by signing up for my weekly tap newsletter, and join me on Facebook at dance dance HOORAY or follow me on Instagram @dancedancehooray!
Do you believe in magic? The amazed and joyful looks on your students' faces, the first time they hear the sounds that their shoes can make? That's magic! A room full of eager dancers, excited, engaged and ready to learn? That's magic! Having a system and structure for tap class that:
Now, that's A LITTLE BIT OF TAP DANCE MAGIC! A Little Bit of Tap Dance Magic is a tap lesson plan system that ready to grow with you, and your dancers, as they progress from preschool tap students to elementary age. It is rooted in child-development as well as solid foundational tap dance skills and concepts, and it was created from the lessons I've taught (and the lessons I've learned in my dance room) over 25+ years of teaching dance. THE MAGIC ELEMENT The magic in each lesson is the playful feel that is the driver of each technique or rhythmic exercise. Getting better at any tap skill requires repetition. The A Little Bit Of Tap Dance Magic lesson plans help you sprinkle MAGIC into every class by making the students so involved in the theme and the fun elements that they forget they are reviewing so they can focus on (and get excited about) progress. TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF WHAT TO TEACH WHEN The lesson plans taking out the guesswork of what to teach when by building one skill on the next, and naturally breaking down harder skills into bite-size snippets that grow with each other. The lessons can be put together to create a school-year length system, and they are also flexible enough to stand alone and be used in conjunction with your current curriculum. WHAT CAN I EXPECT IN THE LESSONS? These lesson plans use engaging themes to "tap" into imagination while working on tap dance skills, motor tools, rhythm patterns, musicality and more. The skills and combos in each are designed to step-up with your dancers, as the school-year dance season progresses. The lessons for ages 3-5 coordinate with the lessons for ages 5-7, so that if you are teaching both age groups, it is easy to stick with the theme as you transition from class to class. WHAT IF I HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS WITHIN EACH CLASS? No problem! There are many options for different skill levels within each group. You could adjust the pacing you use to teach the exercise, simplify a combo, or adjust the tempo. WHAT DO I GET? Each lesson plan includes:
So where to begin? Well, at TAP DANCE CENTRAL of course! Click this link to see the lesson plan offerings, the suggested class order, and an opportunity to SAVE and become a member! Do you have questions about the A Little Bit of Tap Dance Magic system? Send them my way! Happy Tapping! Visit my shop for more dance resources that support a creative, positive, and imaginative dance classroom. Keep in touch by signing up for my weekly newsletter, and join me on Facebook at dance dance HOORAY or follow me on Instagram @dancedancehooray!
Dancing Trees -- creative FALL dance class inspiration for elementary through high school age!10/6/2022 It's FALL! My favorite season! Trees, leaves, cool crisp days! For young dancers, it can be really fun to include things from the outside world in dance class too -- and autumn has so many sights, sounds, and ideas that can come to life through imagination in dance class. If you have not already -- head on over to my Instagram and check out the 30 DAYS of FALL DANCE FUN series. For the entire month of October, I am sharing one fun Fall idea per day that you can include in your dance classes. So far we've been inspired by pumpkins, apples, the wind, and books about fall. Today's thought - TREES - is extra special for this reason; it is an idea you can also incorporate into your classes for older teen dancers to, to inspire creativity, rooted-ness, and a growth mindset (pun intended!). Get the worksheets and movement cards for elementary, middle, and high school age dancers here! Visit my shop for more dance resources that support a creative, positive, and imaginative dance classroom. Keep in touch by signing up for my weekly newsletter, and join me on Facebook at dance dance HOORAY or follow me on Instagram @dancedancehooray!
Do you have a special way you begin every dance class? Maybe a greeting, a hello song, or a specific warm-up that you do? Rituals can provide kids a sense of security and comfort, making dance class feel like a safe and predictable place. Wrapping up your class with a special ritual can be just as beneficial. Your end-of-class tradition can give your dancers an opportunity to reflect on the work they did in class that day, build confidence and self-esteem, and promote kindness and compassion for themselves as well as their classmates and teachers. But, let's face it -- dance class can be hectic! You only have your dancers for a short period of time each week, and you have to usher one group of kids out of the room, while welcoming the next batch in right away. So, what to do? Try these easy-and-quick-to implement tips, for creating your own class-ending rituals in UNDER 30 SECONDS! CLAP FOR THE CLASS, PAT ON THE BACK If a curtsy or bow at the end of class is not your cup of tea --- it is not mine -- then try this alternative! In under 30 seconds, you can reinforce dance class manners, as well as kindness towards oneself and others! Chant aloud together: CLAP FOR THE CLASS! (everyone claps) PAT ON THE BACK! (pat yourself on the back) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU (point to each other) (Click here to see a video of this ritual in action) I will use this quick ending for my preschool age dancers as well as for my young elementary age students. 'TAP CLAP" For tap classes ages 8 & up, I employ what I call the "tap clap" method -- in a a variety of ways! Gather in a circle at the end of class, and do any of the following --
HANDS IN THE MIDDLE Gather in a circle at the end of class, and ask everyone to put one hand in the center. You can then give your class a quick positive encouragement or reminder, like "Your hard work today impressed me - I can't wait to see more next week!", and then on the count of the 3, the whole class can shout "Thank You" as you lift your hands up together. HIGH-FIVE OUT THE DOOR After your class is finished, you can stand at the exit door, while your dancers gather their belongings. Then, high-five them each on their way out the door, while you both say thank-you to each other. Bonus points if you are able to throw in a "good job on ____ this week!"! COOL DOWN COMMUNICATION Although this idea might be too time-intensive for every week, you could do a little circle chat with your students once a month, once a session, or once a semester. As you stretch or cool-down together, you could ask them to share one thing that they liked about class that day (or about what they did/achieved that day) as well as one thing that is on their "wish list" for class in the future (or a goal that they have for themselves). What we say matters, and what we model for our dancers matters too. I notice that my dancers leave happier and with more smiles when we do a special class ending.....and to me, that is the best reason to do it! Share your class rituals with me in the comments, and let me know how these work for you! Visit my shop for more dance resources that support a creative, positive, and imaginative dance classroom. Keep in touch by signing up for my weekly newsletter, and join me on Facebook at dance dance HOORAY or follow me on Instagram @dancedancehooray!
Is your back-to-dance season in full swing? Or is it just about to begin? If updating your classroom tools is on your list, then you have come to the right place! The teacher freebie I have for you today is like that famous quote, "a picture speaks a thousand words" -- but in this case, a picture can save you a thousand extra words and help you reach different kinds of learners! CUE CARDS! Ways to Use the Dance Directions Cue Cards Stop/Go Traveling Game Have your dancers practice a traveling step across the floor. Just like the game Red Light Green Light, hold up the STOP sign and say "stop" when they should balance in place, and flip to the green GO sign and say "go" when they should move! Print out extra Stop and Go signs to set up a traveling pathway on your floor. The dancers can start the step or combo at the green GO sign, travel all the way to STOP, and balance for 8 counts before starting again! Or just use the Stop and Go Cue Card, to help let your dancers know when it is their turn to travel across the floor! Shhh Emoji/Boombox -- Loud & Quiet Game These cue cards are perfect for tap class! You can use them with your young dancers as they experiment with making any tap step loud or quiet. When they see the Quiet Emoji, they should make their taps as quiet as possible; when they see you hold up the loud boombox, they should turn up the volume of their taps! For your older tap dancers, hold up the cue cards to help cue them as to when to use shading and dynamics in their tap choreography. Popsicle Freeze/Disco Ball Dance -- Classic Freeze Dance These two cue cards can be used during a classic game of freeze dance! The best part is that for your visual learners, when they see the picture change, it will help them remember to freeze or dance, along with the music. Freeze for the POPSICLE and dance on the DISCO BALL! Shhhh Sign Kids can be chatty.....and tapping feet can be loud! The Shhhhh sign will be your go-to this season to kindly remind your dancers that you are waiting for them to stay quiet, to be able to hear your next directions. Here's to a wonderful new dance season! Visit my shop for more dance resources that support a creative, positive, and imaginative dance classroom. Keep in touch by signing up for my weekly newsletter, and join me on Facebook at dance dance HOORAY or follow me on Instagram @dancedancehooray!
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