By Connie Bergstein Dow, author of Dance, Turn, Hop, Learn! and One, Two, What Can I Do?: Dance and Music for the Whole Day
Editors Note: During this unprecedented time Redleaf Press is working to support the early childhood professionals and the families they work with to keep young children engaged, happy, and on track developmentally. Our authors are sharing their expertise, tips, and strategies for educators to share with families like the below post from Connie Bergstein Dow on how to guide a virtual dance party. We are also providing free weekly activities sent via text messages taken straight from our resources. Learn more and sign up for Early Learning Activities from Redleaf Press. Look for more tips, strategies, and guidance from our experts in the coming weeks.
Here are two playful activities for young children that are packed with benefits and will also use up some of that wonderful kid energy. I designed them so that they could be done together on a video call for parents and teachers to lead a group of children in a virtual dance party.
Both encourage large motor skill practice, learning new words, understanding the meaning of the words kinesthetically (by doing them), waiting for prompts in the songs to hone listening skills, and practicing responding to instructions and cues. The activities also allow each child to contribute their own creative ideas to the group.
I have taken two popular children’s songs, The Ants Go Marching and Old MacDonald Had a Farm, and changed the lyrics to add large movements and make them interactive and fun. All you will need is a space that allows the child to hop, jump, gallop, slither and waddle, and a camera or computer if you are doing a virtual dance party.
LET’S ALL TRY IT NOW!
Practice singing the verses below to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Make sure your child knows the meaning of each of the action words in the song. If you are planning a video dance party, you could send the words ahead of time to each participant. There are as many possible verses as there are animals, so encourage the children to think of more animals and how they move, to add to the song and dance. Here we go!
Can you jump like a little frog? Let’s all try it now.
Can you jump like a little frog? Let’s all try it now.
Jump, jump here. Jump, jump there,
Here a jump, there a jump,
Everywhere a jump, jump.
Can you jump like a little frog? Let’s all try it now.
Can you waddle like a little duck? Let’s all try it now.
Can you waddle like a little duck? Let’s all try it now.
Waddle, waddle here.
Waddle, waddle there.
Here a waddle, there a waddle.
Everywhere a waddle, waddle.
Can you waddle like a little duck? Let’s all try it now!
Can you gallop like a little horse? Let’s all try it now.
Can you gallop like a little horse? Let’’s all try it now.
Gallop, gallop here, gallop, gallop there,
Here a gallop, there a gallop,
Everywhere a gallop, gallop.
Can you gallop like a horse? Let’s all try it now.
More verses:
Can you swim like a little fish?
Can you fly like a little bird?
Can you pounce like a little cat?
Can you slither like a little snake?
Can you stomp like a dinosaur?
Can you crawl like a little crab?
Can you dart like a bumblebee?
Can you hop like a chimpanzee?
Can you glide like a great big whale?
THE KIDS GO MARCHING
As in the previous activity, practice singing the verses below to the tune of The Ants go Marching. Make sure your child knows the meaning of each of the action words in the song. If you are planning a video dance party, you could send the words ahead of time to each participant. Optional: Ask each child to find a colorful ribbon, cloth, or crêpe paper streamer, or scarf to hold while dancing. Here we go!
The kids go marching all around, Let’s go, let’s go,
The kids go marching all around, Let’s go, let’s go!
The kids go marching all around,
back and forth and round and round,
And they all fall slowly down, to the ground, then stand up, 1,2,3!
More verses (substitute these words for marching)
The kids go hopping
The kids go stomping
The kids go galloping
The kids go jumping
The kids go sneaking
The kids go backwards
The kids go turning
Add more ideas!
To end the song/dance, the last time they fall to the ground, use this for the last line, slowing down the words:
And they all fall slowly down, to the ground, it’s the end, 1… 2 … 3!
About the Author
Connie Bergstein Dow has forty years of experience performing and teaching dance to young children and adults in the United States and Latin America. She holds an MFA in dance from the University of Michigan. Connie is the author of Dance, Turn, Hop, Learn! Enriching Movement Activities for Preschoolers, One, Two, What Can I Do?: Dance and Music for the Whole Day, and several articles about dance. Learn more about Connie on her website www.movingislearning.com.