Teaching Toddler Dance Certification Course
Module 1: Toddler Foundations
Lesson 1-1: What does it mean to be a teacher?
Lesson 1-2: How should child development guide our teaching in the dance classroom?
We’ll cover child development specifics for each age group in later modules. Here’s a quick overview of how child development should help guide our thinking when planning and teaching dance classes for toddlers and preschoolers. And did you know dance can also have a huge impact on a child’s development?
Our next video is a quick overview of brain development in toddlers and preschoolers.
If you’d like to dive deeper into this topic, it can be fascinating! I’ve included links to a few online articles that I thought were great in providing the right level of detail on brain development and how it affects children at different ages. This is a three-part series. (The third article is the most relevant to this topic, but the other two provide good information too.)
Ever wonder what’s going on in your kid’s developing brain?
How you shape your child’s developing brain
A brief overview of the developing brain: How you can help your kids thrive as they grow
Lesson 1-3: Making Class Fun and Imaginative
This is SO IMPORTANT for teaching this age group! I hope if nothing else, taking this course will make your toddler and preschool dance classes more fun and imaginative. Whether we’re teaching a regular class, while social distancing, or online, we need to bring magic to our classes.
When our classes are filled with imagination and creativity, our young students pay better attention and are much more engaged. They can’t wait to come to class and they can’t wait to do the next dance activity.
Lesson 1-4: Progressions in Technique for Ages 18 Months to 5 Years Old
There’s no video for this module. I wanted to give you access to our three curriculum guides from Once Upon A Ballet. You definitely don’t need to use these for your own classes (especially if you already follow a well established dance curriculum or syllabus). But I always find it useful to compare a curriculum or syllabus to the one I’m using to see if there’s anything I can learn from it and possibly incorporate into my own.
With that said, you are more than welcome to implement these in your own school or classes.
For contemporary dance schools: Our curriculums are for a more ballet-based creative dance class, but we don’t introduce turnout until age 4 (the third curriculum below). So if you have or teach in a school that focuses on contemporary or modern dance, you can certainly use these as an additional resource but ignore the turnout in the third level.
Dance with Me Curriculum (18 to 36 months, with a parent or caregiver)
Once Upon a Ballet 1 Curriculum (3 to 4 years old)
Once Upon a Ballet 2 Curriculum (4 to 5 years old)
Videos of exercises from each curriculum guide are provided in modules 2, 3 and 4 (with each respective age group).
Additionally, here is a quick example of progressions in technique. (It is an older Once Upon A Ballet guide, so it does include more age groups than that which are included in this course. But I still think it’s useful to see the progression from one level to the next laid out!)
Lesson 1-5: Identifying and Connecting with Each Learning Style
There are 4 main learning styles: visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic. Many students learn best through a combination of each, but usually have one style that is their dominant learning style.
When we understand our students have different learning styles and therefore learning needs, we can more effective teach and communicate with them—even as toddlers and preschoolers!
Remember, learning isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your students will fall into a variety of these learning styles. A single student may even fall into more than one learning style. When you have conversations with your students (and their parents in the case of a toddler class), ask them about the things they like to do. This will not only help you form a connection with your students (and their parents); it will also help you learn about your students’ learning styles.
How Do You Know Your Students’ Learning Styles?
Visual Learners
Excel at visual activities (such as art)
Enjoys books that include illustrations (such as pictures, graphs, maps, etc.)
Is good at recognizing and recalling people, words, and places
Is interested in objects around him or her
Does best when provided an example of the task he or she is working on
Tips for Teaching Visual Learners
Demonstrate exercises and activities
Use vivid imagery when describing an exercise or activity
Auditory Learners
Excels at auditory activities (such as music)
Frequently sings, hums, or talks when playing or in class
Does well when following verbal instructions
Enjoys talking and having conversations with others
Listens to all the instructions before starting on a task
Asks a lot of questions when working on tasks or activities
Tips for Teaching Auditory Learners
Make sure you explain the exercise or activity verbally in addition to showing it
Make up rhymes, songs, or stories for activities
Talk through anything that may be difficult for the student
Have your students say instructions or steps after you
Tactile Learners
Enjoys coloring, drawing or scribbling
Is good at remembering what he or she has “read”
Works best alone in a quiet space
Does best when writing down instructions to follow for a task (which is a little out of our age group, but still worth noting)
Tips for Teaching Tactile Learners
Props are this type of student’s best friend, they will help them associate steps, activities and exercises with something (helping them to better remember and internalize the steps)
Kinesthetic Learners
Excels at physical activities (such as sports)
Has a hard time sitting still while learning
Enjoys hands-on activities
Enjoys active learning activities like drawing or study games
Prefers to jump straight into a task and get started
Tips for Teaching Kinesthetic Learners
Encourage your students to learn a step or activity by doing it with you as you demonstrate
Make sure activities are fun and include a lot of games in class
Props are also helpful in helping kinesthetic learners channel their energy into something as they are learning
Lesson 1-6: An Introduction to Dance Concepts
Here’s a quick introduction to dance concepts. We cover these in more detail in modules 2, 3 and 4—with exercise for each concept for each age group. For now, I’d like to give you a brief overview, whether it’s an introduction or a review for you!