Becoming a Teaching Artist: 5 Ideas as You Begin to Teach Preschool Age Dance Classes

Dance classes for children ages 2-5. Many of us start out this way – I did! You are young and ambitious. The preschool age requires a lot of energy, creativity, and hard work. It is a fun and magical age group to teach. 

You are putting on a mini performance at each class. Here are 5 ideas to help you start your journey.

1. NDEO Standards for Early Childhood

http://www.ndeo.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=893257&module_id=55411

These standards are wonderful! It will take a few minutes to order the standards, but it is well worth it! This framework will quickly help you consider age appropriate activities for your classes.

 2. Patricia Reedy’s book Body, Mind, and Spirit in Action

Patricia Reedy of the Luna Dance Institute (Berkeley, CA) is one of the leaders in the field of dance in early childhood. Her book is an invaluable resource for new teachers – asking questions about dance education, providing information on each age group, and giving examples of overarching concepts. Purchase the book directly through Luna at:

http://lunadanceinstitute.org/publication/

 3. Wonderplay book

I love this book and have referred to it for years. It contains movement activities, rhymes, prop ideas, and other useful information for those teaching preschool age students. Purchase the book used on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Wonderplay-Fretta-Reitzes/dp/1561385751/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415658955&sr=8-1&keywords=wonderplay

4. Book to Boogie Blog

The Library as Incubator website includes a monthly column. Geared towards preschool age students and storytimes at libraries, these blog posts are useful for preschool dance teachers.

http://www.libraryasincubatorproject.org/?s=Book+to+boogie

5. Dancing Words Blog

I direct a blog about children's books on dance and books that can be springboards for dance classes. There are many wonderful options for preschool age students. Check out the books at:

http://www.dancingwords.typepad.com/

 

These 5 ideas can help get you started. I also suggest looking into workshops through the Luna Dance Institute in the SF Bay Area and the Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) in New York City. Observe other dance teachers. Observe a preschool class in action.

Brand new to teaching? Find out more with Dance Education Essentials: 55 Objects and Ideas for New Preschool-12th Grade Teaching Artists. 

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