Here are some cool tips and links for dancing in the classroom every day.
Safety First
But first, let’s talk shop. Here’s a free poster of my Dance Rules for the Classroom:
Discuss the rules with your children. After joining in the dance, rule number 2 is: Stay in your own space or spot. Why? So you don’t bump or hurt the next guy while you’re dancing. It might seem obvious, but kids have to say it and think about it.
Don’t talk, twirl, touch others, or thump your feet. Why are these rules important? Because they help you stay safe, and they make it possible to hear and enjoy the music.
Above all, be respectful! Be kind, caring, helpful, considerate, and thoughtful. That’s the mother of all rules.
Warm-Up
From experience, I’ve learned that it’s best to practice without music. With the kids sitting at the meeting area, have them stretch their arms upward, hold, and then stretch down with their elbows lowermost, and repeat. Stretch again, but this time, twist the wrists. Then, twist and snake the arms.
Next, show the kids two dance steps. The first is a simple march. You or a child can demonstrate marching softly, so you’ll be able to hear the music when it plays. For now, you’re still practicing without sounds.
The second move is: Step to the right, and bring your left foot next to it, step to the left, and bring your right foot next to it; step-together, step-together…
Add Music and Stir
Remind the kids that when we add music the rules are the same: no talking, no turning, and no touching. Just move in your own, personal space.
At last, crank it up! Play an MP3 using an iPod with speakers, or a Smartboard, or even a good old boom box with a CD—not too loud at the beginning, so the kids will stay on task.
Put a finger to your lips and motion for the class to stand, march softly, and stretch slowly up and down. This sets the tone that dancing is fun and also safe.
As the kids show they’re responsible, you can give them more freedom. Let them free-dance within their space at the meeting area, while still following the rules. If a child needs extra space, let him dance a bit off to the side. You can also have kids dance in spots around the room, or in a line that circles or snakes around the classroom. Eventually, if they can do it safely, allow kids to free-dance and even move around the room as they please. That’s a glorious thing to behold.
Dance in the Content Areas
Would you like to integrate dance with academics? For reading, you can play music that goes with your story’s mood, setting, or cultural background. If you read Come On, Rain, you can play the blues. For Rainbow Fish, play “You’ve Got a Friend.”
Social Studies offers plenty of dance opportunities. You can play patriotic songs or indigenous tribal music. Kids can bring in music from their original homeland, and describe their culture and dance steps. For added punch, Google photos of these places, or native dances, on your SMART Board.
Play jazz in February for Black History Month, and women composers or singers in March for Women’s History Month. Play pop music or classical to open up a range of cultural experience.
There are tons of science MP3s, like the retro and quirky The Balance of Nature, from Nature Songs by Marais and Miranda.
Any Song Will Do
It’s fun to learn while you dance, but the truth is, the dance is the thing, and any music will do. Whether it’s in the class, or in the gym, or in the schoolyard with a boom box, dance is not only fun, it’s essential.
Nothing beats the shared memories of dancing with your kids. It gets the wiggles out and lets life in.
Please, share with us your favorite tips and links for dancing in the classroom—we can never get enough!
Renee Dawn has been a New York City public school teacher for over 20 years. Her approach is creative, combining the common core, music, dance, meditation, conversation, and a big dollop of laughs. Please stop by her TeachersPayTeachers store, Pinterest, and her blog, Teacher Ink, for more tools to teach, calm and inspire kids!
Stephanie says
September 6, 2015 at 2:08 pmI love that you give kids such a fun way to get active in the classroom and connect dancing to different content areas. I also think having them practice before turning on the music is genius! I think my high schoolers would even benefit from a practice round before they possibly got caught up in the music.
Renee Dawn says
September 6, 2015 at 2:27 pmThanks for stopping by and leaving your comments, Stephanie. You are so right about high schoolers. Remember the Stand and Deliver movie? The most unforgettable scene was of those kids stompin' and clappin'!
Loving Math says
September 6, 2015 at 3:27 pmI love this post! I have used dance in my math class before and the kids absolutely love it. I usually see former students that are now in high school and they tell me how they still remember some of those concepts because of the music. I love how Dawn posts Dance Rules 🙂 Great for kinesthetic learners. Thanks for this wonderful post!
Renee Dawn says
September 6, 2015 at 3:52 pmThanks for sharing that, Loving Math. It's funny how music sticks in your memory. When my students couldn't remember their sight words, I wrote a sight word song and let them sashay around the room singing the spellings.
MrsRoltgen says
September 6, 2015 at 9:06 pmWhat fun ideas, Renee! Music is so important in the classroom!
Renee Dawn says
September 6, 2015 at 11:47 pmI agree–music is such a positive force! I'm always looking for more fun ways to bring in music and dance.
Pam says
September 7, 2015 at 2:11 pmLove…love…love this post! So many great ideas. Thank you, Renee!!
Renee Dawn says
September 7, 2015 at 3:22 pmThanks Pam, for your over-the-top love! I love your enthusiasm : )
Retta says
September 7, 2015 at 4:32 pmGreat post! I loved dancing with my kids in class, and your post brought it all back! The best brain break ever! After reading your post, I just got up and danced to "Shake It Off"! I've been sitting at this computer too long! Haha!
Two Boys and a Dad Productions says
September 7, 2015 at 7:32 pmThanks for sharing your ideas about dancing. They're great. Can we count this as P. E.? Seriously, just trying to get my PE minutes in for the month! But it's also a great way to do BOB time (BOB time is for blood on the butt…sitting for too long makes all the blood pool at the bottom of your body…so we need breaks to move around and recirculate that blood so dancing is perfect!).
Renee Dawn says
September 7, 2015 at 7:33 pmYou're right, Retta! It's funny, but we have to remind ourselves to take brain breaks–and teach kids how to remind themselves!!
Renee Dawn says
September 7, 2015 at 7:38 pmTwo boys, you are too, too funny! I think you just wrote the intro to the next health best-seller, titled BOB. But seriously, when kids (or big folks) sit for too long, it's just wrong.
Gail Hennessey says
September 7, 2015 at 9:34 pmGreat to see you in Minds- in-Bloom as a guest blogger, Renee. Love your colorful covers.Love your ideas about dance.
Gail Hennessey
Renee Dawn says
September 7, 2015 at 9:56 pmThanks so much for your kind words, Gail! I'm thrilled to be at Minds in Bloom–it's a wonderland for teachers, or anyone who's around children.
Sandra says
September 8, 2015 at 3:22 amI love dancing in the classroom…I use Just Dance in my classroom…I find them on YouTube and then project them onto the board! I had kindergarten last year and 2nd grade this year and both have loved them! There is just dance for kids which was better for the little ones…and then Just Dance! The songs are songs they hear on the radio! Some favorites were What makes you beautiful, what does the fox say, gummy bears (just dance for kids), and despicable me (just dance for kids).
Renee Dawn says
September 8, 2015 at 9:11 amThanks for a great tip, Sandra! My school district blocks YouTube on school computers. They do allow SchoolTube, but it's not quite the same. Many programs allow you to convert YT videos into MP4s, to watch anywhere.
TiePlay Educational Resources says
September 10, 2015 at 1:39 amYour ideas are fabulous, Renee Dawn!
Learners surely need to get up and move around these days, especially with loads of sitting around for many common core objectives.
I once used a CD with music and dance movement directions for my Kindergarten class. At first, the kids were reluctant to try. The first few days of doing the dances were fraught with weird moves, gestures and even panic.
Then, after a couple of weeks, my kids got used to moving and began to be dancing fiends. They loved dancing. After a few weeks, everyone knew the moves so well. We felt like we were a dance team!
The use of music and movement is a great addition to the atmosphere of any classroom and is very much needed!
Best,
Lynn from TiePlay Educational Resources
Renee Dawn says
September 10, 2015 at 9:11 pmLynn, thanks for posting that. Parents and teachers need to reintroduce dance to a wired generation.