Have fun dancing with your kids.
Use fun song and dance ideas for kids to get them up and moving at parties. In classrooms, music and dance activities provide the perfect energy outlet for days when bad weather keeps them indoors. Musical activities help even shy kids to express themselves. Children learn to build self-confidence and tap into their creativity during musical group sessions.
American Idol Audition
Children sing and dance along to tracks by their favorite American Idol performers and perform it against a "stage" backdrop made from colored paper or sheets hung on the wall. Song choices include tracks like Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," and James Durban's version of the Muse hit, "Uprising." Basic requirements for this activity are a karaoke machine or music player and a microphone. Let each child choose a favorite song to sing, with or without backing music, and ask the all the children to vote for the best performance. Optional extras include dress-up clothes like hats, wigs, feather boas, evening or club wear for girls and boys and imitation musical instruments such as cardboard guitars. American Idol songs for this activity are available from music stores or as downloads from online vendors.
Musical Statues
The children's game of musical statues is related to musical chairs. Statues is an easy-to-organize song and dance activity that needs little preparation or equipment. You need space for the children to move around safely and freely, a source of music, such as a digital music player, and a song with a catchy chorus and easy-to-remember words. Children dance and sing along until the music stops, then freeze into statues. Each time the music stops, those who move are eliminated and sit down for the rest of the round. The last child left dancing and singing is the winner.
Follow the Leader
The teacher or a child takes the roll of "caller," announcing dance steps set to music for the whole group to imitate. Choose a set of not more than ten simple actions, such as "jump up, freeze, step to the side, spin around and put your arms in the air." Pick a medium-paced popular song or instrumental track and change the caller frequently, giving each child a turn to shout instructions, to keep all the kids engaged in this activity.
Illustrated Alphabet Dance
To teach younger children the alphabet in a song and dance activity brings this lesson into the realm of play, while instilling the basics of reading and writing. The teacher or group leader performs the whole song, making letters of the alphabet with her body, and ends with the line, "Now I know my A - B - C's, next time won't you sing with me?" inviting the class to join her in the next round. Kids dance around as each letter while singing along, unaware they are memorizing their lesson. Encourage the kids to make capital versions of the letters, since lower case are harder to form. The words and music for this song are available at U.S. government NIEHS Kids' Pages Website.
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