I usually teach intermediate and advanced competitive students. They are my favorite levels to work with. This year I was also given a mommy and me class. Itis supposed to be forty five minutes long. I already have thought out circle stretch time, sing alongs and some novelty dances. However, I don't think this will fill out the entire forty five minutes. Please offer some suggestions. I was thinking story time...?

I have a Mommy and Me Cd designed for moms to use at home with their little ones, however, it works great for the dance class. It is titled "MOmmy and ME, Play Group FAvorites". I purchased it at Walmart.

We usually listen to the hello song as I walk around the circle and shake everyones hand and say hello. Then a ten minute stretch, 20 minutes of moving across the floor, a ten minute creative movement game (usually with a prop ball, balloons, ribbons, etc.). THe last five minutes we listen to the GOodbye song as the students and parents dance out the door in pairs.

Hope you can use this.
Amy

I will go look for it; maybe they sell it over the net too. Some good music for little ones really can help get the creativity flowing!

We did Sally the Swinging Snake for recital number. The girls all wore white unitards and leggins - and one of the moms made a little green snake that each dancer could wrap around them and (pinned of course) of the number. It was so cute.

We did have a tape with the basic songs like Itsy Bitsie Spider, I'm a little tea pot, etc. We also had a bag of teddies for the kids to warm up with. They could hold the teddies and help them warm up too.

Lots of stickers!!! No - lots and lots of stickers to hand out at the end of the class. The little girls would put the stickers on their shoes each class. Some still had them when they graduated from Mommy and Me.

For the last 15 or 20 minutes of class, we would take the dancers into the tumbling room, and let them practice their summersalts, and head stands, and what not. (Of course teddy can go too).

Moms are wonderful - but sometimes kids will not do anything with them there. We had to take one little girl out of the room one time. Unfortuately it was my granddaughter It's all good - she is the biggest ham I know now.

Enjoy the time. It's a sweet and rewarding time. From the emotional experience they learn from you in Mommy and Me - it will set the stage for the rest of their dancing careers.

when i do my mommy and me i like to sing about 6 songs with little dances that go with it, like itsy bitsy spider and shuffles. at the end of the songs i have the parents actually take the childs foot and help there kid do the shuffles. all the songs and one on one with mom, takes about 20 minutes, then i have them all sit down and point to to taps and heel taps and then hit it on the floor. 10 minutes. for ballet we do our streaches and go over demi plea and releve and tondues with passe. again i have the parents do it with the kids. i then line up the kids on one side of the room and the parents on the other, each child holds a flower abover there head and does "tippy toe walks" to there moms. the moms then do it back to the kids. thats about 45 min there. good luck

I appreciate the advice. I should mention thought that these kids are mostly under two years old!!! Anything else?