BEANIE BAG DANCE & DANCE WITH YOUR TEDDY BEAR

Transcription

1

2

3

4 BEANIE BAG DANCE & DANCE WITH YOUR TEDDY BEAR Balance to a beat (BEANIE BAG DANCE) "The Beanie Bag Dance" helps children strengthen their sense of balance, identify body parts, develop listening skills and concentration. Children balance a "beanie baby" (or a bean bag) on different body parts while dancing to the music. Body parts are shoulder, head, elbow, foot, between knees and anywhere you want it. The last verse asks children to toss the beanie in the air and catch it. Try to use bean bag type pets to do "Beanie Bag Dance". Bean bag type stuffed animals work well with movement games. They are easy to hold on to and easily cling when trying to balance on body parts. Dance, listen & Do (DANCE WITH YOUR TEDDY BEAR) Explore several new and different moves. Hold it high and low, side to side, under and over, right and left. Draw a circle in the air. Have children bring their favorite teddy bear or stuffed animal from home. Small size is best. Bean bag bears or pets also work well. Make It Silly & Fun! Using beanie babies, or any bean filled animals make it easier and much more fun to do this activity. Can you make your pet do tricks like balance on your elbow? Commercially made bean bags are also available from school supply vendors. Make One Have children make their own beanie bag pet. Bean bags are easy to make. Simply take two squares of cloth, sew three sides together, fill the pouch with small beans and then sew the last side together. How about a beanie worm? Take small kid size tube socks and fill them with Lentils beans and then use string to tie off the open end. You can then tie string every few inches along the sock to hold the shape and create a worm like body. Decorate it by sewing or gluing on buttons for eyes and nose, tie on tassels for hair. Practice, Practice, Practice Some children will be able to do this activity easily while others will need practice to master the balancing skills. Praise each child for their successes and encourage them to pick it up and keep going if the bean bag falls. Keep it fun. Do It Your Way Use any favorite dance music to make up your own bean bag games. Play the music while the teacher/leader calls out a body part for the children to balance the bean bag on. The pace and degree of difficulty of the activity can be adjusted by the leader to meet the needs of your particular group. You can even try giving each child a chance to be the leader. Call a child's name and they choose how to balance the bag while the others copy them.

5 ROCK WITH ME Change Up! Use this activity song to change the mood after a quiet time of sustained work, or use it to dance off excess energy. Just a change of pace can bring a sense of physical and motional well-being. Aerobic Rock! Loosen up those muscles! Start with just hand movements and then progress to total body movement. Heart goin'? Color in the cheeks? Great for building endurance and good health!! Gather Strength! Rock your body for balance, agility, and overall body strength. Children will develop the vocabulary of body parts and a full range of movement. They'll delight in being able to move when, where and how the music dictates. Success is fulfilling! Get Moving Follow the direction in each verse:..wiggle your knees..spin your hands 'round...stamp your feet..shake your hips..rock your head..wave your hands high..hop up and down Rainy Day? Too wet to go outside, but your bodies need exercise! Good time for "Rock With Me" or other songs that involve total body movement! Can you reserve a space in the cafeteria so that two or more classes can join in rainy day PE? Put on a show.. Vary music to allow for quiet times too. Be A Rock Group! Form a chorus line and move in a front to back motion during each "Rock With Me" chorus. Let each child take turns being the leader and ask if they can create the exact movement to follow for each cue. Everybody Rock! During the guitar solo, encourage everyone to play "air guitar" or "pretend" guitar. The more dramatic the better. It's Rock & Roll! Ask children to demonstrate how they would look if they could really play guitar. Cool Down Teach kids about the importance of "cooling down" after aerobics. Have children walk around the room as they inhale and exhale deeply. Sit on the floor and stretch! Lie quietly relaxed for a few minutes.

6 GET READY, GET SET, LET'S DANCE Dancing freestyle or dancing to songs with directions, will help develop gross motor skills, balance, listening skills and encourage cooperation. Let s Go Retro Let loose and move to these fun dances from the early days of rock and roll. THE JERK, THE TWIST, THE SWIM and THE PONY are just a few of the many dances made popular in the 50's and 60's that are still fresh and fun to do. THE JERK: Pretend you have a hammer in each hand pounding nails to the beat, one hand then the other. Each time you hit the nail you jerk your back. Some describe it as a jerky monkey conducting an orchestra. THE TWIST: Twist your hips like a washing machine while drying your back with a towel. THE SWIM: Move your body while imitating swimming movements with your arms. THE PONY: Pretend you're riding a galloping pony. Explore Some More An internet search can help you find dozens of other dances from this era. The Stroll, Mashes Potatoes, The Monkey, Funky Chicken and The Bunny Hop are just a few. Most of these dances are easy to do and can be adapted for even the youngest movers. Be sure to model the movements for the children and make sure YOU are having fun. It's contagious! Make Up A Dance Help children explore their own creativity by asking them to make up a dance. Find simple examples like, how a spider, kangaroo or fish might move. Also, imitate mechanical objects that suggest movement like, a washing machine, scissors, can opener, etc.. Make up a name for your dance like, "The Frog Hop", "The Alligator Stomp" or "The Digging Shovel". See if you can remember your dances the next time you do movement activities. Make a simple video of your dances and share it with parents and siblings. Moving Is A Must! Dancing is a fun and exciting way to get exercise. Moving the body can also relieve stress and help children with focus and concentration. It's a great way to change the pace. Use movement games as a transition to the next lesson or after sitting for long periods of time. Other important skills developed are balance, directionality (up, down, etc.), following direction and listening.

7

8 CIRCLE SQUARE RECTANGLE TRIANGLE