Hi I am currently teaching at three different places and coming up in September , it may be four ,lots of little ones

I was thinking it would be good for my head to have a monthly curriculum and assortment of monthly cd;s., or maybe themes??

I was wondering if theres anyone out there who has done this or uses this kind of system . Sometimes I just get to feeling we are doing the same thing over and over and that I have lost my focus .But then a new child enters the class and I can see what a long way my students have come.

If the particular class is doing recital , then we focus on that but some of my classes do not and I want fresh steps/ activities/ songs to teach each month
thanks fo rany help and insight

Over the past 42 years of teaching I have developed a graded curriculum for my classes. I have separate monthly work for my Mommy & Me workout (2 yr.), 3yr. olds, 4 & 5yr. olds, 6-7 yr. olds & etc. Plus different material as they develope thru their dance years. It has help me with the planning time tremendously. Each year I review my material & take away as needed and add some new ideas and so forth. I hope you find this beneficial to your teaching lesson plans when you develope yours. Good Luck.....This has been such a time saver over the years. It does take time to develope however starting early is the key & get as much knowledge as you can by going to conventions, workshop & seminars. Always keep your eyes and ears open to others....for some of us teachers have a wealth of experience to share.

Thanks for your reply - I plan to start now , and organize what I am doing into words , and then keep adding
Sometimes I find when I write it down , it has more meaning than just doing the movements
Also I habe had a mom here and there that questions what I am teaching their magical child ( wink ) This way I will have it all ready to go
If anyone is interested in joining me on my journey , let me know , andmaybe we can start emailing

I also teach lots of little ones and would love to collaborate and brainstorm some new ideas, not only for my students, but for me too! I get bored doing the same 3 year old dance class 5 times a week, week after week!

I teach little ones as well. I would love to collaborate with you all as well. I think that if we all put our ideas and things together, we could come up with something great.

is there a sticky about this?

I also teach little ones, 2-5s and yes I agree...it can get a tad repetitive! Sharing ideas is a great idea.

ok so how should we start ?? do we share emails or should we do it on here ??

I would also love to share what has and hasn't worked for me.
Our recital is this weekend so, I will be off of here for awhile.

I would also like to share and get new ideas. I'm starting to get really bored with my classes.

I am extremely interested in starting to do this! I always get stuck on where to start and if I am adding in everything that I am suppose to!!! We can do this!!

I totally agree! I am very interested in collaborating!

Me too! I also teach little ones, and sharing ideas with other teachers sounds good!

Count me in on sharing! I've been teaching for 32 years!!! Bored, bored, bored with my old stuff, even though the kids love it.

I would love to join the group! I've been subbing for a couple years now and will have my own classes this fall ages 3 to about 7. The basic structure of my classes will stay the same, but I like the idea of different monthly themes or concentrations.

Where are we on this? Let's share ideas!!!!!! How do we go about it?

I would love to be in on this too. I am teaching the little ones again after way too long of a break and would like to collaborate on some new ideas. I would be up for sharing emails, or PM or just on this thread.

I am going to be starting a 2 yr old mommy and me program this coming fall and am looking for direction with that too.

I would love to share my material & get some new fresh ideas!

Should we start by making a list of different exercises/imagery/songs/games we use and then we can post or email them to each other?

ok lets get this going
If you are intersted why dont you all send me an email , and I will collaborate a list and we can start swapping info ?
t.oly@comcast.net

My email A.YoungerDance@gmail.com

To reply to the original post, I do find that making monthly themes or even goals helps the year go smoother and makes me feel more organized. In the beginning of the year, I make a list of the skills I'd like to teach each of my classes and then break it up into the months.

For example, here are a few months of my creative movement/beginning modern class plan (ages 7-10):

OCTOBER
Theme: Spatial Awareness & Relationships to Others / Shapes
Goals: Flat back v curved, sharp vs smooth, prances, degage

NOVEMBER
Theme: Animals / Opposites
Goals: Sparkles (sissones), symmetrical vs a-symmetrical vs complimentary, abstracting everyday movements

For each lesson, I was able to focus on a set of skills and then build each week. You could easily adapt this to little ones - focus on things like seasons, animals, circus, underwater, etc and then incorporate your usual skills (skipping, gallops, etc). It might take a lot of planning, but the end result would be worth it and you would have a year of lessons ready to go each year!

I am trying to put together a monthly outline....I would love to share some ideas. my email is heather@studiosouthga.com

Ok I am formatting our contact list now so if you sent me you info and dont get an email from me , let me know
If you want to be part of the collaboration send me an email @ t.oly@comcast.net
thanks

Dance with A Difference has evolved over the period of 12 years During those years, Dance with A Difference™ has been in close consultation with nursery, pre-school, play school teachers and OFSTED inspectors, and designed programmes with original music which all conform and compliment the government and Early Years Foundation Stage and key stage 1 requirements, please visit our website dancewithadifference.co.uk this may help you x

Dance with A Difference has evolved over the period of 12 years During those years, Dance with A Difference™ has been in close consultation with nursery, pre-school, play school teachers and OFSTED inspectors, and designed programmes with original music which all conform and compliment the government and Early Years Foundation Stage and key stage 1 requirements, please visit our website dancewithadifference.co.uk this may help you x