Dance For Early Years Teachers

[Guest]

This afternoon I have been on a training session for Dance for Early Years Teachers.

 

Just had to say it was FAB.

 

The course was laid on by Creative Partnerships and supported by the Leicestershire Dance Network and delivered by Louise Katerga.

 

The course involved getting children to work together or as a whole group, using hoops, balls, material, parts of the body etc etc.

 

Such wonderful ideas were given and for once all age appropriate to the children i.e. 2 - 5 years.

 

A colleague and I attended together and our heads are now buzzing with fab things that we can introduce next term. We have enough knowledge now to keep us going for the whole year!!! We even went straight to the resourse centre and purchased 12 hoops and small balls.

 

If ever you get a chance to go on this free course, please, please do it is so worth it.

[Guest]

Hi Brenda,

Good to hear you found the course so inspirational.

Any chance you could post one or two ideas?

Thanks

Leila

[Guest]

With hoops:

 

1. One child makes a funny shape and the other child has to hang the hoop onto them somewhere.

2. Child crouches down small and the hoop is placed on childs back to balance.

3. Children pass the hoop over each others body - one stands in the hoop and the other lifts it up over their body. When it gets to their head the child in the hoop holds the hoop and takes it down the other childs body.

4. Instead of spots for children to stand on give each child a hoop to stand in. They can then lift it up to their waid and pretend to be a space ship/car etc and move around the room holding the hoop in place without bumping into other children.

 

Balls:

 

1. Get children to hold the ball between them and move around the room without dropping it.

2. Get them to place it on parts of their body and keep it their without dropping it. (i.e. hip to hip) etc. It was interesting to see where the grown ups put the balls!

3. Place balls on a large piece of material and ask the children to move around them/between them etc in slow/fast or any movement they like.

 

Material:

 

1. As 3 above.

2. Also use stretchy material and get the children to pull it tight/up down/in/out etc

3. Use scarves to make letter shapes in the air and then go to the ground and use paper and pencil to'write' that letter, back up again another letter back down again (O,W,Z etc)

4. Stretch the material out and get a child to go underneath it and push up making a shape (cow with horns etc) all children can have a go.

5. Pull material tight off the ground and ask a child to walk over it pushing it down with their feet.

 

Warm up/cool downs

 

1. Get the children to think of something to do. We didi clap hands, bend knees, stamp feet, and roll shoulders. Put this to a beat, i,e, 8 of each. Do this as a routine for warming up. When cooling down do the same routine but very quietly so when clapping hands do not really meet, stamp feet very softly etc.

 

Hope this helps. I'm off running now so will try and post more if my mind can think of them. SOOOOOO many to get out of my memory box!!!!!

[Magenta]

Some lovely ideas there, thanks.