7 Themes for Preschool Dance in Summer

We’ve had a few hot days already this spring in Colorado (as well as snow!) Those warm days have had me thinking about summer!

So today, I want to share with you seven of my favorite themes to use in preschool dance for summer, plus an idea or two for each. :-)

Garden Bugs is perfect for transitioning from spring into summer. I love the versatility of this theme. You’ve got worms and bugs underground. There are beautiful flying bugs like butterflies and dragonflies. Fireflies are a fun one too—especially with the lights dimmed and letting your students dance with glow sticks. You can also use images of flowers, plants growing, and a full garden of vegetables. This is a really fun one to lead your preschool students on a little movement exploration through an imaginary garden. You can get them involved by asking them to imagine what kinds of bugs they are and what kinds of plants they see. Finally, “Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt” is a beautifully written and illustrated book perfect for adding a little inspiration for your students. You can read it to them over several classes as you explore your garden movement theme.

Another theme is Oceans or what you might also call Under the Sea. What do I love about this one? I love the topic itself. (Did you know I wanted to be a marine biologist until I was 5? Yep! I saw the Nutcracker and marine science had no chance.) I also love the versatility. You can easily adapt it to your students’ interests—from mermaids to coral reefs to sharks to Arctic waters—you’ve got lots to choose from!

My next theme is one I think we can all scream for—Ice Cream Shop! You can pretend to visit an ice cream shop, truck, or stand. My own students have loved role playing that they are out getting ice cream on a hot summer day. This works great for a free dance, or even traveling across the floor. Students do a traveling step across the floor like marches or picked up runs. They travel to the (imaginary) ice cream stand where they can tell you what flavor of ice cream they choose. Students also love dancing as ice cream sundaes or banana splits. Have them be the different elements as they go through centre barre step or jumps. I love how easy it can be to use circle spot markers as scoops of ice cream for so many movements and obstacles. You can incorporate counting really easily here. (A great preschool skill!) and if you like incorporating stories, “Ice Cream” from Frog and Toad All Year is such a sweet story! (My kids love this story. They think it's SO funny when Toad's ice cream melts on him and he gets covered with sticks and brush! It really is a cute story.)

Piggybacking on the last one, Lemonade Stand is another theme perfect for summer! Honestly, I really like this one as a summer camp. It’s super fun when it comes to decorations and crafts. You could have an actual lemonade stand prop to use during class and in a mini showcase for parents at the end of camp. You can usually find things like plastic lemonade pitchers, as well as bright, summer-themed cups and other props to fit the theme. Plastic lemons, limes, and other fruit make really cute props and spot markers. Finally, what better way to end your camp (or session!) than with an ice-cold glass of lemonade? (Maybe pink lemonade!)

What would summer be without a Beach Day!? You can take this theme a couple of different directions. First, you could focus on animals on the beach and natural elements like sand dunes as waves. Second, you could have a “day at the beach”. Think of what activities your preschoolers would have fun doing. Here’s an idea: If you’re doing this theme in a regular session of classes, several weeks before your beach theme begins, ask your students what they think about the beach. What would they like to do at the beach? Have any of them been to the beach? This can give you some ideas that your specific students might enjoy!

If you live near mountains and far from the ocean, a Let’s Go Camping-themed class might be perfect for your preschool dance class! Take a follow-the-leader “hike” with various dance movements around the room. What animals might you see in a forest or mountains? See them and do different movements for each. Pretend to set up camp. Take a splash in a river. Dance around the campfire. (There are some very cute toy campfires out there you could use for this!) Pretend to make s’mores. And if you’re doing this as a camp, why not end it with real s’mores?

Finally, with warm weather all around, a Rainforest theme is always fun in summer. Explore exotic animals and the layers of the rainforest. You can use the image of the different layers of the rainforest to explore the concept of levels with your students. This theme also lends itself well to exploring speed. You have fast flyers like Macaws and other birds for students to move quickly as. Then move slowly like a sloth! Pretend to cool off in the Amazon. Have fun swinging and swaying like monkeys. Spin like a winding python.

What do you think? Have you used any of these themes with your preschool dancers?

And did you know these themes are ALL included in our Little Dancer Curriculum for ages 1.5 to 7? (Plus there are 17 more theme options!)

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