April is a busy month for dance teachers. Spring break is over, most likely picture day, dance competitions, and recital preparation! What about those creative movement classes that you still have to plan for?! Well I have a free lesson plan for you! Keep reading for the April Showers Creative Movement Lesson Plan. Portions of the lesson can be a great warm-up for a preschool ballet class as well!
Creative Movement
30 Minutes
Ages 3-5
Theme: April Showers
Playlist: April Showers Creative Movement Playlist
Warm-up:
April Showers- Have dancers begin on the floor and explain to the dancers that they are seeds that need to be planted. Talk about how a plant grows, from the soil to the rain. The teacher can walk around and pretend to water the seeds. After this begin the song, April Showers. Once the music starts the seeds can grow really slow, small flowers sway on the ground in the wind. When the music reaches the “storm” the flowers get blown in the wind and they dance all around the room or in their designated space. As the music starts to slow down the dancers can turn back into seeds or replant their flower in the ground. Repeat as nescessary.
Center:
Everybody Clap- Bring dancers to a circle and follow the prompts. This will re-center the class and is a great transition to the next part of class.
Locomotor:
Sing a Song of Flowers & Welcome to Spring- Begin to walk around the room and pretend to look through the garden of all the flowers. Change your locomotor steps and also march and tip-toe to the different “flowers.” Talk about the different flowers you see as well as who might live in the garden such as butterflies, bumble bees, and lady bugs.
*You can always purchase fake flowers and have them displayed around the room or in your garden
Let’s All Dance Like A Daisy- Practice more locomotor steps: chasse, battements, run leap
If All the Raindrops- Encourage dancers to sing a long as you practice hopping on one foot and gradually work into skips. Create different pathways in the room to go through the garden. Have dancers focus on diagonal and curved pathways. You can also have the dancers water the flowers in the garden by giving them watering cans.
Baby Bumble Bee & Ladybugs Fly!– Dancers turn into bumble bees or lady bugs, and fly through the garden. This can be done one at a time and repeat the song as needed.
Free Dance:
Run Into A Picture (Little April Shower)- Dancers are given the opportunity to free dance around the room and through the garden. The dancers must dance and pose on the pauses.
Cool Down:
I Can Sing a Rainbow- Tiptoe walk back to the center of the room and have a seat for stretching. Use arms to draw a rainbow above your head. Cool down dance before dancers leave.
Check out my other blog post on Spring Playlist Essentials for Pre Ballet if you need some more ideas! I also have dance teacher resources such as lesson plan pintables if you need a kit to plan your classes! If you try this lesson plan let me know how it goes in the comments below!
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