Hi!

I teach five year olds and am looking for activities or methods to work on balance. Do you have any ideas?

Thank you!

The most effective thing I've tried is plain old balancing on one foot. For the littlest ones we make up a story about how our foot can't touch the ground. Older than that we do a balance contest. I also do hopping a short distance on one foot.

Something I've learned though physical therapy is to balance on one foot with your eyes closed, it's a LOT harder than you think. I do this al the very end for a "challenge"

With my small dancers, we do "step, passe, freeze like a statue." Right and left down the floor with a 4/4 beat. Not only does this teach them balance, but the correct placement and height of the foot in a turned-in passe for skipping purposes.

Rises in parallel or natural 1st, pose with the working leg coming to a retire in parallel.

I also do a preparation for retire, they tendu devant, then bring the foot towards the knee in parallel, bring the foot back to tendu devant and close back to parallel or natural 1st.

When I teach my tap/ballet combo class we usually work on our balance before we change into ballet shoes. And like someone else said, it's usually just something simple as balancing on one foot. Not even on releve.

I ask the girls "how high should we count today?". And I usually decide on ten or eleven. We pick up one foot, put or hands on our heads, just because it's something silly and different, and we count to ten. I ask them if anyone "fell down", once a few have answered, we do the same with the other foot. Then I go by each student, and ask them personally if they "fell down". Regardless of what their answer is, I give them each a high five before moving on to the next girl.

In ballet if I want to work a little on balance, I take them to the barre, because my class is mostly made up of 5 year olds, and we releve, usually just in parallel. I tell them to take one hand off the barre. Put it back. Take the other hand off the barre. Put it back. Take two hands off the barre, and that usually lasts a second or two. But I feel like that gives them the idea of balancing.

Hope you've gotten some fresh ideas!

I put out skipping ropes, and they have to walk on the rope. If they "fall off", they have to start at the beginning again. A way to keep them on, is to take it slow, one foot directly infront of another, and arms out to the sides. We say that we're high in the air, and that we don't want to fall off! They love that!

In Highland, we have these plastic spots www.creativedesigns2100.com . . ., and they have to stay on it.

Do you all make your own beanbags or buy them? I'd like some advice and making some if you have any...

alicialisa

We play "freeze dance." But instead of freezing when the music stops, we balance on one foot. Sometimes it's in a certain position and other times it's just stand on one foot and balance. And if they fall, they're out.

I have my students stand in parallel in a circle and we have a balance contest. We place the foot in retire (I tell them toes in the pocket at side of knee) with hands either in a flat 2nd position, or the shoulders or on the waist. If their toes come out of the pocket they have to sit down.

I use these great princess hot/cold, sparkled gel filled bags as bean bags. They are a flexible soft plastic and easy to wash. Each one has a different disney princess on the top. I found them at a dollar store. While students are marching, they have to try and balance them on their heads. Sometimes I use them at the ballet barre for demi-plies as well, to keep their heads level.

Cover a 2 x 4 six foot long board with heavy felt or light carpet, and use it like a balance beam, but on the floor. They can also do step-together sideways on it, or hold their arms in different positions.

HI
I offer U 2 tell them 2 stay like a runner start(left foot bent & front & the right one straght 2 the back) then start shooting their right foot straght up and lift the left one right after.
once they learnt this try this kind of ballancing against a wall.
that will be perfect DO NOT forget 2 try it;)

These responses are helpful to me too. Thanks all. The balance beam idea is great too! I'll have to check out the dollar store. How do you keep them from arguing over who gets which princess though??

Thanks all!

Alicialisa

^^^I do not let my students choose props. I tell them all are beautiful, all are colors of the rainbow. All princesses are special.

This a really simple one but it gets them thinking and understanding about body alignement withou realising. We all blow up an imaginary balloon, then tie it to our buns or pony tails and talk about what direction it floats to, straight up, just like our bodies have to be! Whenever they are wobbly I just call out are you're balloons still working and they automatically lift up and self correct their posture.