"SMALLIES" JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!!!
I have to begin with an apology... This post should have been published last Friday but due to some unforeseen circumstances I could not complete writing and publishing. Forgiven? I hope! 😀
Now let us go right into it!!!
I am not claiming to be an expert with preschoolers. This post is based on my personal experience working with preschoolers for the past six years. And when I say 'working' it really has not exceeded a period of about sixty minutes at a time - with the same set of pupils. So, in short, me sef be LEARNER!
Usually, a Dance teacher gets just about that length of time (or less) with that age - be it for Ballet, Jazz, Tap or Creative Dance. On a 'normal' day, sixty minutes could feel not too long but when working with smallies who naturally have a short attention span, sixty minutes could feel like an everlasting struggle. Trust me, I have been there... SEVERAL TIMES! I used to dread going to a school that took me about two-hours drive, not just because of the distance, but because it meant I was starting my day with one hour of uncertainties that I was not prepared to face. So the big question really is - CAN I SUSTAIN A DANCE CLASS FOR CHILDREN AGED 3-5YEARS SUCCESSFULLY? Short answer - YES... Depending on how you evaluate the word SUCCESS in this case.
Hence, let us start out with evaluating success in this regard;
1. You have been able to convey at least one dance technique or dance step to the pupils. This can be weighed by looking round to see them actually perform the move(s).
2. You have been able to make your pupils smile and possibly laugh during your class.
3. You have been able to wear them out!
Please note that I am not trying to say that children this age are incapable of learning more, my point is that even at what you consider your worst teaching days, you should give yourself a little credit that you have attained some magnitude of success. It ain't easy.
So, how do I engage my dance students? How can I make my time with them fun and progressive? A few tips here:
1. ALWAYS OVER-PREPARE.
In the case of teaching 'petite-feet' dance, always have as many options as possible; options for fun and the main technical stuff. This is so that you never get stuck. And even when you get stuck you would know you have given it everything. For example, it is paramount your class starts out with warm-ups and should end with stretches, so have various warm-up and stretching formats ready for different parts of the body. I always start with "The Wiggles" - basically just shaking every part of your body, first in isolation then all together. That is just to 'wake up' the body. Then I get into warming up sectional body parts like upper body, lower body and upper and lower body together. Try not to stay too long warming up so it does not seem like you don't have anything else - but also don't rush it. Find a balance. I would suggest 10% of the class time is fine for warm-up, and another 10% at the end of the class for cool-down/stretches. Here are some warm-up concepts you can play with;
(a.) Rainbow Arms - We make the movement of drawing a rainbow by placing arms in second position, then taking one palm through a semi-circular motion (going slightly over your head) to tap the other palm. When doing this, we call out the colors of the rainbow. Each color goes twice so we do fourteen stretches here.
(b.) Yummy Breakfast - Here, we sit with our thighs closed, legs stretched out and our toes pointed. I ask what the most common breakfast meal is and they would usually say bread and butter amongst other random foods. With this one, I use both legs to represent two slices of bread. Then we name many things we can put inside it like butter, jam, peanut butter, chocolate spread, eggs.. etc. So we begin to slap our 'spread' unto the slices of bread. This is done by using our palms to slap our thighs and legs as many times until they get tired. Go fast, go slow. Just make it fun. The idea is to wake up and warm up our legs. If they pick noodles, you can begin to place your hands on your legs and make a 'snake' motion to depict noodles. And if cereal, you can cup your palms on your legs like you are scooping the cereal into the bowl. If the pupils you teach only mention akara and ogi, or fried yam then I wish you all the best! 😆
(c.) Pretty Feet-Naughty Feet - I have seen this done in different ways. I make mine quite simple. We just say "PRETTY" and we point our toes, then we say "NAUGHTY" and we flex them. Some teachers use GOOD FEET, SLOPPY FEET. Be creative.
(d.) I've got juice in my tummy!!! - This is totally core/ab work for the little ones. You sit with thighs closed and legs stretched out. Placing your palms face down on your thighs, slowly recline leading with your back. Aim is to get your back to the floor with your abdominal strength alone and also to come back up in the same motion. Keep your palms on your thighs through out. Now, this is tough for them so take it really slow and encourage them to squeeze. You start the move out by asking if anyone wants juice. Let them name the fruit. So you begin in this manner, "I've got juice in my tummy! Have you got juice in your tummy? Who wants some juice? What juice shall we have today?" Response, "Orange!!!" Teacher, "Okay, let's get our orange juice out! Squeeze! Squeeze!! Squeeze!!!" Since this could get tough, do not do this more than five times.
(e.) Animals in water - I use the dolphin and seal stretches. For the dolphin, what you are doing is lying on your tummy with your arms stretched to the side, your legs and your head off the floor. Your body balances on just your mid-section. This stretches out the back. To alternate, you can have them place their hands under their chin like they are posing for a picture. This can be done up to ten times. The seal stretch is more stable. Your lower body is on the floor as you lie on your tummy. But your arms carry your upper body's weight. This gives the back/spine a deeper stretch. Do for ten to fifteen seconds.
(f.) Splits! - There is no hiding from splits when you teach dance. It is fun for those who are naturally flexible, but could be painful and undesirable for those who are not. The main thing is it still has to be done. For your second position splits, let them sit with legs wide open and arms also in second position. Children ages 3 and 4 may not have mastered their left from right so guide them through. Ask them to touch their right foot with their left hand and using their toes, count how many chocolates or candies they eat in a day. They should not exceed five because of their five toes but for fun, allow them keep counting. Repeat on the other side. Then make them 'wait for the candyman' to deliver the goodies. This is done by placing your elbows on the ground still in a split position. For children who aren't flexible enough, allow them place their hands to the ground rather than their elbows. Stay stretched in this split position for fifteen to twenty seconds. Do not over-compensate this stretch because they really do need to get used to stretching their inner thighs for flexibility. But be cautious so that they do not damage their muscles too.
2. CARTOONIZE YOURSELF.
Why do children love cartoons? There are a number of reasons researchers claim: Their narratives are very imaginative and fantastical, they are funny, they are educative, they are colourful, and they have catchy sound effects/music. This is the best clue to success with teaching tiny tots. Be imaginative with your teaching methods. Tell fun stories of how Princess Ballietta decided to take her first Ballet class at age two because her mother told her it was the most beautiful dance in the world. Change the pitch of your voice as many times as you can while showing them the warm-ups and even the technical part of their dance. Think deeply before going for the class. Be creative.
3. INVEST IN FUN MUSIC!
It is funny to think people come into business without intending to spend. Errr.... How??? Not possible. You must invest in yourself and your business in other to be the best version of the you God intends. When creating your expense budget, make sure you include music. When it comes to Kids' Dance Class music you have to be ready to spend. You can search online for free stuff from now till forever but what you would find is plain instrumentals that could get boring over time. You have to BUY! Go on iTunes, search using keywords like "KIDS DANCE/BALLET/JAZZ MUSIC". That was how I discovered Karen MacIver and Kimbo Children's Music. There are albums made and sold for the purpose of making dance classes fun and educative for your pupils. These songs even teach technique (in case you blackout while teaching. Hahaha!!!) so you cannot be lost. They go for as low as N1,500 per album and they are worth it.
4. CONFIDENCE IS KEY.
All I have stated above would be pointless if you go into your class without confidence. Kids can smell a lack of confidence and don't let that be your undoing. Confidence certainly could come from years of experience but even if it is your very first class, find your confidence in what you have learnt from other people and the skill you have diligently acquired. Appropriate, accurate and continuous knowledge plus proper application equals progress.
Hey Dance teacher, remember that preschoolers are simply smaller human beings. So they have feelings/emotions and moods like you too. There would be days when you would have given your best and really tried all you can but some of them would just not be in the mood to learn. Let them be. Time will pass... You were made for this. God specially designed you to touch the lives of these children through your love for dance and the ability to influence. Go in like you've got this, because you actually have got this in the bag! 😘
Much much love to all genuine teachers of Dance...
Now let us go right into it!!!
I am not claiming to be an expert with preschoolers. This post is based on my personal experience working with preschoolers for the past six years. And when I say 'working' it really has not exceeded a period of about sixty minutes at a time - with the same set of pupils. So, in short, me sef be LEARNER!
Usually, a Dance teacher gets just about that length of time (or less) with that age - be it for Ballet, Jazz, Tap or Creative Dance. On a 'normal' day, sixty minutes could feel not too long but when working with smallies who naturally have a short attention span, sixty minutes could feel like an everlasting struggle. Trust me, I have been there... SEVERAL TIMES! I used to dread going to a school that took me about two-hours drive, not just because of the distance, but because it meant I was starting my day with one hour of uncertainties that I was not prepared to face. So the big question really is - CAN I SUSTAIN A DANCE CLASS FOR CHILDREN AGED 3-5YEARS SUCCESSFULLY? Short answer - YES... Depending on how you evaluate the word SUCCESS in this case.
Hence, let us start out with evaluating success in this regard;
1. You have been able to convey at least one dance technique or dance step to the pupils. This can be weighed by looking round to see them actually perform the move(s).
2. You have been able to make your pupils smile and possibly laugh during your class.
3. You have been able to wear them out!
Please note that I am not trying to say that children this age are incapable of learning more, my point is that even at what you consider your worst teaching days, you should give yourself a little credit that you have attained some magnitude of success. It ain't easy.
So, how do I engage my dance students? How can I make my time with them fun and progressive? A few tips here:
1. ALWAYS OVER-PREPARE.
In the case of teaching 'petite-feet' dance, always have as many options as possible; options for fun and the main technical stuff. This is so that you never get stuck. And even when you get stuck you would know you have given it everything. For example, it is paramount your class starts out with warm-ups and should end with stretches, so have various warm-up and stretching formats ready for different parts of the body. I always start with "The Wiggles" - basically just shaking every part of your body, first in isolation then all together. That is just to 'wake up' the body. Then I get into warming up sectional body parts like upper body, lower body and upper and lower body together. Try not to stay too long warming up so it does not seem like you don't have anything else - but also don't rush it. Find a balance. I would suggest 10% of the class time is fine for warm-up, and another 10% at the end of the class for cool-down/stretches. Here are some warm-up concepts you can play with;
(a.) Rainbow Arms - We make the movement of drawing a rainbow by placing arms in second position, then taking one palm through a semi-circular motion (going slightly over your head) to tap the other palm. When doing this, we call out the colors of the rainbow. Each color goes twice so we do fourteen stretches here.
(b.) Yummy Breakfast - Here, we sit with our thighs closed, legs stretched out and our toes pointed. I ask what the most common breakfast meal is and they would usually say bread and butter amongst other random foods. With this one, I use both legs to represent two slices of bread. Then we name many things we can put inside it like butter, jam, peanut butter, chocolate spread, eggs.. etc. So we begin to slap our 'spread' unto the slices of bread. This is done by using our palms to slap our thighs and legs as many times until they get tired. Go fast, go slow. Just make it fun. The idea is to wake up and warm up our legs. If they pick noodles, you can begin to place your hands on your legs and make a 'snake' motion to depict noodles. And if cereal, you can cup your palms on your legs like you are scooping the cereal into the bowl. If the pupils you teach only mention akara and ogi, or fried yam then I wish you all the best! 😆
(c.) Pretty Feet-Naughty Feet - I have seen this done in different ways. I make mine quite simple. We just say "PRETTY" and we point our toes, then we say "NAUGHTY" and we flex them. Some teachers use GOOD FEET, SLOPPY FEET. Be creative.
(d.) I've got juice in my tummy!!! - This is totally core/ab work for the little ones. You sit with thighs closed and legs stretched out. Placing your palms face down on your thighs, slowly recline leading with your back. Aim is to get your back to the floor with your abdominal strength alone and also to come back up in the same motion. Keep your palms on your thighs through out. Now, this is tough for them so take it really slow and encourage them to squeeze. You start the move out by asking if anyone wants juice. Let them name the fruit. So you begin in this manner, "I've got juice in my tummy! Have you got juice in your tummy? Who wants some juice? What juice shall we have today?" Response, "Orange!!!" Teacher, "Okay, let's get our orange juice out! Squeeze! Squeeze!! Squeeze!!!" Since this could get tough, do not do this more than five times.
(e.) Animals in water - I use the dolphin and seal stretches. For the dolphin, what you are doing is lying on your tummy with your arms stretched to the side, your legs and your head off the floor. Your body balances on just your mid-section. This stretches out the back. To alternate, you can have them place their hands under their chin like they are posing for a picture. This can be done up to ten times. The seal stretch is more stable. Your lower body is on the floor as you lie on your tummy. But your arms carry your upper body's weight. This gives the back/spine a deeper stretch. Do for ten to fifteen seconds.
(f.) Splits! - There is no hiding from splits when you teach dance. It is fun for those who are naturally flexible, but could be painful and undesirable for those who are not. The main thing is it still has to be done. For your second position splits, let them sit with legs wide open and arms also in second position. Children ages 3 and 4 may not have mastered their left from right so guide them through. Ask them to touch their right foot with their left hand and using their toes, count how many chocolates or candies they eat in a day. They should not exceed five because of their five toes but for fun, allow them keep counting. Repeat on the other side. Then make them 'wait for the candyman' to deliver the goodies. This is done by placing your elbows on the ground still in a split position. For children who aren't flexible enough, allow them place their hands to the ground rather than their elbows. Stay stretched in this split position for fifteen to twenty seconds. Do not over-compensate this stretch because they really do need to get used to stretching their inner thighs for flexibility. But be cautious so that they do not damage their muscles too.
2. CARTOONIZE YOURSELF.
Why do children love cartoons? There are a number of reasons researchers claim: Their narratives are very imaginative and fantastical, they are funny, they are educative, they are colourful, and they have catchy sound effects/music. This is the best clue to success with teaching tiny tots. Be imaginative with your teaching methods. Tell fun stories of how Princess Ballietta decided to take her first Ballet class at age two because her mother told her it was the most beautiful dance in the world. Change the pitch of your voice as many times as you can while showing them the warm-ups and even the technical part of their dance. Think deeply before going for the class. Be creative.
3. INVEST IN FUN MUSIC!
It is funny to think people come into business without intending to spend. Errr.... How??? Not possible. You must invest in yourself and your business in other to be the best version of the you God intends. When creating your expense budget, make sure you include music. When it comes to Kids' Dance Class music you have to be ready to spend. You can search online for free stuff from now till forever but what you would find is plain instrumentals that could get boring over time. You have to BUY! Go on iTunes, search using keywords like "KIDS DANCE/BALLET/JAZZ MUSIC". That was how I discovered Karen MacIver and Kimbo Children's Music. There are albums made and sold for the purpose of making dance classes fun and educative for your pupils. These songs even teach technique (in case you blackout while teaching. Hahaha!!!) so you cannot be lost. They go for as low as N1,500 per album and they are worth it.
4. CONFIDENCE IS KEY.
All I have stated above would be pointless if you go into your class without confidence. Kids can smell a lack of confidence and don't let that be your undoing. Confidence certainly could come from years of experience but even if it is your very first class, find your confidence in what you have learnt from other people and the skill you have diligently acquired. Appropriate, accurate and continuous knowledge plus proper application equals progress.
Hey Dance teacher, remember that preschoolers are simply smaller human beings. So they have feelings/emotions and moods like you too. There would be days when you would have given your best and really tried all you can but some of them would just not be in the mood to learn. Let them be. Time will pass... You were made for this. God specially designed you to touch the lives of these children through your love for dance and the ability to influence. Go in like you've got this, because you actually have got this in the bag! 😘
Much much love to all genuine teachers of Dance...
Tamara Ajasa,
DanceMusicologyConcepts, 2018.
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