Beginning Your Preschool Dance Class with a Storytime
Beginning Your Preschool Dance Class with a Storytime
I think as teachers, many of us have our favorite ways to begin a preschool dance class. We bring our students into the classroom, mark the role sheet, then what?
For me, I almost always begin my youngest classes with a brief (3 to 5 minutes) storytime. It’s what has worked best for me in most of my classes. I think it works because it immediately gives children something to focus on. It helps shy or reserved students move their focus from their own fears to the story—the class. It allows any later-comers to trickle in without missing any movement or dance.
There are a few things I’ve learned from doing a quick storytime to begin my preschool dance classes. I’ll share them with you here:
Keep your storytime short.
The key here is it needs to be quick. Only a few minutes. It’s almost an extension of role call. I have my dancers enter the room. I ask them how they’re doing as I mark the role. Then I pull out a storybook.
Keep it moving.
I have some books that I will paraphrase in order to keep the story moving fast enough to keep my young dancers’ attention.
Do judge a book by its cover.
A big, beautiful hardcover children’s book is going to immediately spark your students’ interests. And if you have a small budget, no worries! Visit a thrift shop, children’s consignment shop, yard sale, or used book store. You’ll be surprised at what you can find in great condition. You could also ask parents if they have any books to donate.
Know your students.
If you have the freedom to choose your own themes from one class to the next, get to know your students’ interests. Are they fairies and princesses? Unicorns? Dinosaurs?
Keep it age-appropriate.
Remember your youngest students are developing so fast! What might be interesting to a 2-year-old may not be interesting to a 4-year-old. Four-year-olds will have a much longer attention span than 2-year-old, and they will be able to follow a more complex story than 2-year-olds.
Know your teaching style.
For some teachers, beginning with a storytime may not be the right fit. Give it a try. If it seems forced, try beginning your preschool dance class another way. I’ve always loved stories. I loved when my dad read stories to us before bed each night. I loved “library” class in elementary school because we got to sit and listen to a book being read. One of my favorite things about ballet was getting to dance a story. And now that I have children of my own, one of my favorite things to do is read stories to them. So for me, beginning class with a short story is our transition from the outside world into the story our dance class will take us through.
A note for choosing books for toddlers:
Before I had kids of my own, I struggled with this a little. My advice is to keep it super simple if you’re teaching toddlers. For my fairy tale-themed toddler classes, I love the series of fairy tale board books by Les Petits Fairytales. They’re very basic but my toddlers have loved them. They are great for getting their attention, teaching them a story, and giving them a preview of what’s to come!
If you’re not teaching to a fairy tale theme, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear are great for toddlers. Start with these. A caterpillar eats food, builds a cocoon, and becomes a butterfly. The book teaches fruits, counting, and days of the week. Brown Bear, Brown Bear is a series of colorful animals. Think about it. Toddlers are learning colors and animals. Even in my fairy tale classes for toddlers, I keep it simple.
Are you teaching virtual dance classes for kids?
From my experience, beginning virtual dance classes with a storytime draws students in just as well as in classes at the studio.
What happens after storytime? I have my students make a circle and we do a welcome song followed by either a BrainDance warm-up or a more standard circle stretch warm-up. (Virtually, we skip the circle and go straight to the welcome song.)
* The BrainDance warm-up is something I’ve rediscovered and am LOVING. When I plan it as a series of movements that create a story, I think it actually works better than a circle stretch warm-up for a virtual class. It seems to keep my students’ attention better. If you’re interested, check out my recent article, Getting Started with BrainDance.
Happy Dancing!
Ashley Hartford
Founder + Owner, Once Upon a Ballet
Want to know more about me?
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