For children 3 to 7 years
CONTENTS
This teaching resource contains a video of each dance (here is an example and another example), recorded music to dance to (here is an example), and a pdf book giving the dance instructions, song words, teaching notes, and some fascinating background material (here is a sample page and another sample).
THE DANCES:
Carnavalito (Bolivia)
Boogie Woogie (New Zealand)
Beans (New Zealand)
The Train (The Netherlands)
The Bird Dance (Switzerland)
Polka of the Rabbits (France)
Cuddly Koalas (Australia)
The Window Dance (England)
Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
Pop Goes the Weasel (home-made game)
Farandole, basic (France)
The King Goes Marching (Netherlands)
Brown Girl (Caribbean)
Jibidi (France, remade by a Finn)
Free dancing (Welsh music)
The Bear’s Dance (Israel)
Luna cu Solo (Curaçao)
Seven Jumps (Alsace)
O Musikos (Greece)
Frère Jacques (France)
Poonto Poonto (Greece)
The Scary Hole (Northern Europe)
Round the Barley (generic)
Oh the Grand Old Duke of York (English)
Pop Goes Weasel (Holland)
Hashual (Israel)
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Here are dances and musical games for high spirits and for different moods,
• dances to go round gathering everyone for dancing, and one for tired children,
• dances in which cold hands can clap,
• dances where a child is chosen and then chooses someone else,
• dances with arches or follow-the-leader,
• dances about animals, trains, and scary holes,
• dances with songs, including lyrics in French,Greek, Maori and Spanish.
• Children are led (by stages, as they are ready!) into movement skills important in sports as well as the basic rhythms and steps of European dancing.
• They absorb concepts, language, number, spatial awareness, plus patterning and structure that are important but you can’t see.
• They catch musicality and get a highly motivated start into music listening skills,
• They get chances to lead and to think on their feet, all the while having carefree fun and vigorous exercise with their whole little community.
Explore! Feel free to experiment too. Be the Pied Piper – lead on!
