Teaching Preschool Aged Dancers

Dance Teachers

Jun 9

Teaching preschool-aged dancers is tough work! They are so busy, they keep talking, and they are so easily distracted. This can be exhausting and discouraging but it doesn’t have to be. I, Brittany Mulder, LOVE teaching preschool-aged dancers because I have studied endlessly on how children this age best absorb information and how to keep them interested in what I have to share. Here are some of the tips I have for teaching preschool-aged dancers.

Plan, Plan, and Overplan.

Plan your preschool dance class with a class objective in mind. An objective should be something that you hope to gain or practice during the lesson. If a students' parent or the studio owner you are working for asks you, “Why were you playing freeze dance in your class?” You should have a reason and it should align with your class plan and objective. If you don’t have a purpose or a reason behind the activities you are teaching, parents may not see the value in your class.

Meet Them Where They Are At.

Meet the dancers where they are at developmentally and build from there. Think about the things that three-year-olds love to do already. How can you use those things in your class, to engage them and then from there, teach them something new?

Repetition and Novelty.

Build novelty into exercises you’ve already used. Sure, it’s okay to repeat exercises or activities but see if you can alter them in some way to make them exciting or challenging.

A Dancers Foundation.

Plan activities and exercises that help develop a strong core, strengthen postural muscles, and improve spatial awareness. In doing this you will help this dancer build the foundation for success in years to come.

All Behaviour is Communication.

Your dancers are not intentionally being ‘bad’. They are trying to communicate something. Be aware of their behavior and notice what you need to change to help them be successful in your class.

Keep Them Engaged.

Keep your students’ attention by acting excited, keeping each activity short, and by decreasing the amount of explanation time. Keep your dancers moving.

Prepared. Practiced and Committed.

Before you dance on stage, you are prepared, practiced, and committed. When you teach, you are on stage. Your audience is your students and you are performing to keep their attention and to teach them something new.

I hope this information helps you! If you want to learn more about teaching preschool-aged dancers, see the eLearning Workshop which is full of strategies, printable templates, sample videos, and scenarios!

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Brittany Mulder

Brittany Mulder, owner, and director of Maddox Dance Company, currently teaches Creative Dance Education to students, parents, and teachers all over central Alberta. Mulder has extensive knowledge in teaching preschool-aged dancers and draws from her experience in assisting occupational therapy groups with To The Starts Occupational Therapy, her training in Brain-Compatible Dance Education, her own personally driven research. In June 2015, Mulder received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Dance and a minor in Management and Society from the University of Calgary. Mulder’s movement and teaching style has been influenced by Wojciech Mochniej, Melissa Monteros, Joanne Baker, Melanie Kloetzel, and Anne Green Gilbert. During her fourth year of university, she danced with SURGE Dance Co. and W&M2; pre-professional contemporary dance companies from Calgary, AB. In April 2015, she toured Poland with W&M2 and performed the piece FALLING. In the summers of 2014 & 2015, Mulder attended the Summer Institute for Dance Teachers (SIDT) in Seattle WA, led by Anne Green Gilbert, certifying her in Brain-Compatible Dance Education. The SIDT has inspired Mulder to enhance her methods of teaching in order to benefit her and her students mentally and physically. Before attending the University of Calgary, Mulder also studied Dance at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) for a year. While studying at UNLV, Mulder had the opportunity to work with such artists as, Richard Havey, Cathy Allen, Beth Mehocic, and Margot Mink Colbert. In 2010 Mulder took the opportunity to work for the Walt Disney World Resort through the Disney College program. Through the experience of working with the Disney Company, Mulder gained innovative business sense as well as world-renowned customer service ideals. Prior to university, Mulder became an ADAPT certified dance teacher, educating her in the esthetics of Jazz and Tap.

https://www.maddoxdance.com