We’ve gotten great feedback about our article on Ballet Vocabulary Terms for Beginners, and have put together some ideas for easy class activities that teachers can include in their lesson plans. Do you have other activities that you use to teach the little ones essential vocab?
Ballet and Dance Move Alphabet
This one is great even for lots of students, and can really work at any age (granted, the students need to be able to spell).
Have everyone line up, and go down the alphabet: A, B, C. For each letter, have a different student name a ballet move that begins with that corresponding letter. Then, have that student (or all of the students) demonstrate that dance move.
This activity helps keep students on their toes (no pun intended) since they’ll need to know their vocab in order to answer the question. Plus, they’ll reinforce that ballet vocabulary with some muscle memory!
Mystery Ballet Move
Super easy, and has the element of surprise for dancers.
Write out ballet moves on pieces of paper, index cards (maybe laminate these items so they last longer), and put them into a hat, box, or container where the kids can’t see them.
One by one, have the kids in class draw a card from the hat, and tell the class the move! Everyone must now demonstrate that ballet move.
(Note that this can still work with younger kids who can’t read yet: just have them hand you the index card they’ve chosen, and you can announce which ballet move was picked. Easy workaround!)
Musical Corners
Super fun, and keeps students active and moving!
Use white boards, or tape pieces of paper around the room with ballet vocabulary written on them. Then, start the music, and have dancers go around the room like they’re playing musical chairs! Ideally, ask them to use a traveling step (like chasse). When the music stops, they have to get to a sign.
Once they’re there, they need to demonstrate the move! You can go around the room quickly to check their form, and can make any corrections or use that opportunity to praise a dancer who has done a great job.
