Hello. I really need some fresh ideas for my tap and ballet dance classes. I'm currently teaching ages 4-5 and 6-9 and we do tons of things in class to keep their attention but I think they're getting into routine to where they know what they're going to do next. I've tried to change it up but they still know the games and everything. We warm up by running around the room running, skipping, walking, tippy toes, hopping, ect. Then stretch in a circle, lay on our backs do bycicle runs and chase an imaginary icecream man, go down a big hill, do different kinds of animal stretches. We do a game where I play music and they run around and when I freeze the music and yell a position or movement (1st position, tendu...)thye do it and keep going until we've covered most of what we've done already. The younger class does NOT like the ballet bar! So we just don't mess with that. I just don't know what other learning games we could do for tap or ballet. There's more games but There's really not enough enough time to describe. MY classes are comming up for the evening. We only have 1 class a week. WE also play, limbo, shape game, duck duck goose, freeze dance, and follow the leader... Tendus, releves, chases,leaps, flaps, shuffle, maxi fords...
If any of you have any advice on combinations they could learn, games we could play or anything...please let me know!!
Thank you so much!
Shronn

I could also use advice on how to teach jete's to ages 6-9. I tell them to imagine a deer leaping up and over a fence, leaping up and over a puddle of water and so on....
Thanks again.

I'll be thinking about new things you could do, but in the meantime, think back to when you were that ageg. A week is an eternity and they are excited to do the things that they enjoy! I also teach lots of little ones, and they get bummed out if we don't do one or two of their favorite things.

One thing I do is make-up little simple combinations and put it to short songs like twinkle twinkle -- something a little different each week. Bonus -- they love these and ask to do them again, therefore learning those combinations. When time to teach recital, you can say "put twinkle twinkle here then away in a manger"

They already know it!

I've used carpet squares as "puddles" before for the kids to jump over for jetes. Lay 4 or so carpets out on the floor in a straight line and have them jump over them one at a time.

I teach the same age group as you. I began bringing a different "magic" prop every week to class. Sometimes a hat, scarf, umbrella, stuffed animal etc. Each student (i only had 8) got to dance with the object for 30-45seconds. I told them the object was magic and they had to dance how it made them feel. I put on music while they did this. When the music ended, they had to come up with a frozen ending pose. The other students have to sit and watch and then clap at the end of the "performance". The kids loved this!