Creative Dance Lesson Plan

5-7 Year Olds

By: Kayla Walker

Gathering and General Warm Up Objective:

By the end of a 10-minute warm-up, the 5-7 year olds will be able to explore and differentiate
between high shapes and low shapes as well as angular shapes and curved shapes as they dance around
in the space practicing their favorite dancing ways using zig-zag, curved and straight pathways. The
teacher will assess the dancers by watching and encouraging them to think creatively and practice
exploring all of the different kinds of shapes as they dance around in the space and then freeze to the
stopping of a drum.
Directions-Instructor Input
including beginning and
ending signals
Children, raise your hand if you
can show me a curved and
rounded shape.
Now who can show me a sharp
shape with lots of angles and
straight edges?
Dancers, lets spread out in the
space and find a high starting
shape. When I turn on the music,
choose youre favorite dancing
ways to move around in the
space. When the music stops,
freeze in either a curved shape or
an angular shape.
REPEAT PROCESS A FEW TIMES
having them go dancing around in
slow motion, fast motion, in zig-

Student Actions and Response

Children will raise their hand and
show me a curved shape. I will
have everyone show me a curved
shape.
Children will raise their hand and
show me an angular shape. I will
have everyone show me an
angular shape.
Dancers will start to move around
when the music is on and then
freeze in either a curved shape or
an angular shape when the music
stops.

REPEAT PROCESS A FEW TIMES

changing it up and allowing them
to explore and make individual

Secondary Input Side

Coaching
Be Careful Specific Praise
Good! I see curved elbows and
curved backs. I see curved heads
and curved wrists too.
Awesome! I see lots of right
angles and sharp edges from all of
you.
Lacy, I love how you are curving
your arm and leg. Do you think
you could use your back more?
How many ways can you curve
your body?

Sophia, I love that shape. Thank

you for holding extra still and not
moving. Abby, what is your

zag pathways, curved pathways

and straight pathways.

choices.

Dancers, this time surprise me

by making an angular shape really
low to the ground when the music
stops.
Now lets do the opposite. When
the music stops, freeze in a high
curved shape. And remember to
be as still as a statue.
REPEAT PROCESS A COUPLE
MORE TIMES having them switch
up the pathways that they
choose, their levels and their type
of shape.

Children will freeze in a low

angular shape when the music
stops.
Children will go dancing around in
the space and freeze in a high
curved shape when the music
stops.
Dancers will continue to freeze in
a shape when the music stops
and go dancing when the music is
on.

favorite pathway to do? Be

careful to watch out for your
neighbor so you dont bump into
anyone.
Wow! Everyone listened so well.
Be careful not to move around
after you have made your shape.
Try and stay super still.
Awesome! Everyone
remembered to do a high curved
shape. Thank you!
Dancers, you all did so well at
following directions and making
different shapes when the music
stopped. And going dancing in
different pathways when the
music was on. Brynlee, I loved
when you moved super slow
during the slow motion and Jenna,
I loved how all of your angular
shapes were so sharp and tight.

Qualitative Technique Objective:

By the end of an 8-10 minute class period, the 5-7 year olds will be able to discern and demonstrate
a releve on two feet, balancing on one foot with the leg in pass and a tendu devant. Students will also
work on sitting technique by demonstrating turn out with legs in first and second position using the
pizza/pie technique while working with both pointed toes and flexed feet. The teacher will assess their
performance of these technical skills by watching them and making sure there are no toes in the pizza and
are turning out from the hips.
Directions-Instructor Input
including beginning and
ending signals
Dancers, lets all join hands and
make a circle in the center of the
floor. (Bring the circle in really
tight and then blow it out to make
it bigger.)
Lets all start by reaching up high
into the air, going up on our toes
and grabbing our paint bucket
from the top shelf of the closet.
Now, keeping our legs and knees
straight, lets take our bucket and
put it on the ground by our feet.

Student Actions and Response

Dancers will join hands and help
me make a circle in the center of
the floor.
Dancers will watch and follow me
as they practice balancing on two
feet in releve with their arms
reaching high above their head.
Dancers will watch and follow me
as we practice stretching forward
keeping our legs straight and

Secondary Input Side

Coaching
Be Careful Specific Praise
Oh, be careful not to push or pull
on your neighbor.

Good job! Are your knees

straight? I see some bent knees,
try and keep them super straight
and tight.

Next we are going to practice our

pass. Lets put our hands on our
hips and bend one leg up to
pass. Surprise me by making
your toe touch your knee and
balancing very still on one foot.
Okay, lets all bring our right foot
up to pass and then slide it down
our leg and dip it in the paint
bucket. Now that are foot is
covered in paint, we are going to
paint a straight line on the floor in
front us with our foot. So slide
your foot along the floor and then
pointe when you have slid it out
all the way. This is called a
tendu.
Everyone take a seat on the floor
with your legs stretched out in
front of you. And lets all put our
new shoes on to start. Can you
show me your new shoes? Ready,
go!

putting the paint bucket on the

ground. (Repeat balancing on two
feet releve grabbing different
colors of paint and bringing it
down to the ground with straight
knees.)
Dancers will watch and follow me
as we practice bring our legs up
to a pass and balancing with our
hands on our hips. We will do this
with both the right and left leg.

Good job dancers! I love how you

are pointing your toes and
keeping your new shoes on as you
do your pass.

Dancers will watch and follow me

as we practice going from a pass
position, sliding our foot down our
leg, dipping it in the paint and
sliding it out to a tendu devant.
We will repeat this several times
alternating legs and paint colors.

Those painted lines are looking

so good.
Make sure and keep your legs
straight the whole time while you
paint your line on the floor.
Hannah, thank you for
remembering to pointe your toe
as you finish your tendu.

Dancers will take a seat on the

floor and follow me as we stretch
our legs out to the front, sitting up
nice and tall and pointing our
toes.

Remember that anytime we sit

on the ground, we have to keep
our backs stretched long and tall.
So everyone sit up nice and
straight. Keep your hands to the
side of you to make it easier.
Good job dancers. I see everyone

Lets practice our turn out. Can

everyone try to turn out their legs
and make their little pinky toes
touch the floor. Then rotate back
to parallel.

Dancers, raise your hand if you

like pizza.
I like pizza too. So we are going
to try and make a slice of pizza
with our legs. Can everyone open
their legs to the side and make a
pizza slice. Lets practice that
same turn out we just did with our
legs together, but with our legs
apart.

Now that we have practiced

making the outside of our pizza,
lets put some toppings on.

Dancers will watch and follow me

and practice turning out their legs
in first position on the ground.
We will repeat this exercise
several times with both pointed
and flexed feet, making sure they
are focusing on turning out their
hips and not just their feet.
Dancers will raise their hand if
they like pizza.
Dancers will move their legs out
to a second position and practice
turning their legs out and
returning back to parallel. We will
repeat this exercise several times
with both pointed and flexed feet.

Dancers will watch and follow me

as we practice stretching forward
and to the diagonal of our pizza
slice and pretend to put toppings
on our pizza.

in the circle wearing new shoes.

Oh, is your back straight? Are
you sitting up nice and tall? Are
your new shoes still on?
Lexie, way to get your pinky toes
to touch the floor. Good job!
Be careful not to bend your
knees as you turn out your legs.

Good job dancers. Make sure

there are no toes inside of our
pizza. Keep them facing outwards.
Nobody likes stinky toes on their
pizza!
I love how everyone is keeping
their legs and knees straight! Can
you try and get your back straight
too?
Kelly, thank you for remembering
to put your hands by your side.
Careful your toes dont roll into
your pizza as you stretch
forward.
Remember to keep your knees
super straight or else your pizza is
going to fall apart.
Good job dancers, we will keep
working on that.

Depending on how much time

these exercises take, I will have
the students practice criss, cross
applesauce done by Miss Sara.

Students will perform and follow

me as we do criss cross
applesauce

Wow! I see a few people who can

touch their toes to their head.
That is awesome. Can everyone
try and do that?

Locomotor Skill Objective:

By the end of a 60-minute creative dance class, the 5-7 year olds will be able to differentiate
between skipping, leaping and sliding locomotor skills. The teacher will assess the dancers by watching
and evaluating them on these three locomotor movements as they do them in three lines across the floor.
Directions-Instructor Input
including beginning and
ending signals
Dancers, next we are going to go
across the floor in the three lines
practicing our locomotor

Student Actions and Response

Dancers will make three lines on
the side of the floor and stand in a
single file line ready to go across

Secondary Input Side

Coaching
Be Careful Specific Praise
Thank you for listening dancers.
Those lines are looking pretty
straight.

movement. Lets all go over to

the side of the room. Can I have
Hannah be a line leader, and
Eleanor be a line leader and Miss
Ashlyn be a line leader? Go ahead
and line up behind one of them.
We are going to start with our
skipping ways. Make sure you go
across the floor alternating feet as
you step and hop on one foot
going in a straight line. And lets
all put our hands on our hips as
do our skips. When you get to
the other side, stop, turn around
and get back into a single file
line. And, 5, 6, ready go!
Can someone raise their hand
and show me what a leap looks
like?
Did everyone see how Lucy ran
and then took off of one foot and
pretended like she was jumping
over something, straightening
both of her legs, pointing her toes
and keeping one leg in front of her
and one leg behind her. That is
called a leap. We are going to
practice our leaps today. You are
going to run and then pretend to
leap over the barrel. And lets all

the floor.

Dancers will go skipping across

the floor in a straight line all the
way to the other side to the beat
of my drum.
The dancers will do skips twice.
Going there, waiting until
everyone has had a turn and then
coming back.

Jamie, I love that you are

pointing your toes while you do
your skips. And Haley, thank
you for keeping your arms on your
hips the whole time while doing
your skips.

Dancers will raise their hand and I

will choose someone to show me
what they think a leap is.
Dancers will go leaping across the
floor in a straight line with their
hands reaching out to the side of
them. They will do this twice to
the beat of my drum. They will do
skips going all the way to the
side, waiting until everyone has
had a turn and then come back
doing leaps again.

Good Job Lucy, thats right.

Thank you for showing us.
Ashley, I love how you are using
the floor to jump really high off
the ground. Dancers, try and
keep both legs straight when you
do your leaps instead of bending
the front or bag leg. Lily, you
had great pointed toes when you
did your leaps. Good job!

try and keep our arms reaching

out nice and straight to the side of
us as we do our leaps. First
three girls, 5, 6, ready go.
The last locomotor skill that we
are going to practice today is our
slides. Be sure to slide your foot
on the floor and then jump,
squeezing your feet together in
the air and repeat it all the way
across the floor. This time we are
going to face this wall, keeping
our arms out to the side like we
did for our leaps and go sliding
three at a time across the floor.
First line, ready, 5, 6, here you
go.

Dancers will go sliding across the

floor in a straight line with their
hands reaching out to the side of
them. They will do this twice to
the bat of my drum. They will do
slides all the way to the other
side, wait until everyone has had
a turn and then come back doing
slides again.

Dancers, be careful not to lean

over while we do our slides.
Surprise me by keeping your back
straight and tall as you go across
the floor. Kaylee, thank you for
keeping your arms nice and still
while you do your slides. Good
job everyone, we will keep
working on those.

Creative Activities Objective:

By the end of a 10-minute creative process activity, the 5-7 year olds will be able to memorize
and visualize galloping, leaping and jumping locomotor movements as they analyze and explore three

different pieces of colored paper. Other movement, energy qualities and creative interpretations will be
demonstrated and practiced throughout this activity. The teacher will assess the students by watching
them correctly do the locomotor skills in order by just visualizing the step as they look at the colored
paper.
Directions-Instructor Input
including beginning and
ending signals
Dancers, lets all gather together
and sit on the ground over here.
Today I brought with me four
colored pieces of paper to help us
with our creative activity today. (I
will hold up the green piece of
paper first) Can someone tell me
what color this is? Raise your
hand and tell me what kinds of
things are green.
Can anybody tell me what a frog
does?

Student Actions and Response

REPEAT THIS PROCESS with the

brown, blue and yellow piece of
paper. The brown will represent
galloping like a horse. The blue
will represent leaping to the sky.
And the multi-colored will just
represent their own imagination

Dancers will continue to raise

their hand and list of things that
are the corresponding color.
They will also begin to memorize
which color represents which
locomotor movement, so they
know when they practice them in

Children will raise their hand and

tell me things that they know are
green. I will continue to pick
people until someone has said a
frog. If no one has said frog, then I
will suggest it myself.

Dancers will raise their hand and

tell me what a frog does.

Secondary Input Side

Coaching
Be Careful Specific Praise
Remember to raise your hand if
you have an answer instead of
shouting it out loud.

Good! Remember that a jump is

off of two feet and a hop is off of
one foot. So a frog actually
jumps.
You are all so creative!
I love all the different things that
you are coming up with.
Shh, shh, make sure to only talk
if I call on you.

and creativity, so they can dance

however they want and pick their
own favorite dancing way.
Dancers, lets stand up and
spread out into the space. I am
going to turn on some music and
switch off holding up the four
different pieces of paper.
Remember that when I hold up
the green one, you will jump like a
frog. When I hold up the brown
one, you will gallop like a horse.
When I hold up the blue one, you
will leap high into the sky. And
when I hold up the multi-colored
one, you can pick your own
favorite dancing way to move in
the space. You will know when I
have switched because I will hold
up the different piece of paper
and say SWITCH! Okay
dancers, lets all start in a high,
curved shape like we practiced
earlier. When I turn on the music I
want you to begin jumping like a
frog.

the space.
Dancers will watch me as I switch
off holding up the different pieces
of paper and change their
locomotor movement based on
the color of the piece of paper.
We will do this several times until
I feel like they have practiced
each one an equal amount of
times.
Throughout the activity, I will give
them random prompts to try and
gallop extra slow, or extra fast. Or
even to jump really low to the
ground. Maybe to leap in a curved
pathway, etc.

Could you surprise me by

jumping like a frog in slow
motion?
Or how about leaping in a curved
pathway?
Claire, what was your favorite
locomotor step, jumping, leaping
or galloping?
Lacy, what was your favorite
dancing way?
I love how everyone is keeping
their hands on their hips when
they go galloping across the
floor.