Storytime: D is for Dance
Why dance? It’s fun, of course! But it also helps your child develop coordination, spatial sense, mental dexterity, social emotional skills, imagination, confidence and so much more! You can use music and dance at home to build these needed skills which will help prepare them for school. Try out some of these stories and follow up with the accompanying activities to help your child develop a love of dance.
Join us Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. or Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room.
Ages 2-5
Sing, Talk, Read, Write, Play
Tip
Through simple dances, children become aware of patterns and shapes. For example, they may be asked to form a circle or to stand in a line. Physically acting out shapes increases their understanding of the related words. For young children who cannot distinguish between right and left, it is best to say, “Put your foot in,” rather than specifying right foot or left foot. ~Lambert
Activity
Activity – Do the Hokey Pokey with your child! Then put on some of your favorite tunes, and dance some more!
Books Presented
Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
Gerald the giraffe is too clumsy to dance with all the other animals at the Jungle Dance, until he finds the right music.
Dancing Feet by Lindsey Craig
Dancing Devi by Priya S. Parikh
An inspiring own-voice story that shares the beauty of traditional Indian dance and a universal message of dedication, grit and self-love. Devi knows that she’s a good dancer. In fact, she’s one of the best Bharatanatyam dancers at her dance school. So she’s very upset when she learns she’s lost the big dance competition. Her mom is a perfect dancer and Devi needs to be, too. Devi vows to practice her facial expressions and footwork until her dance is flawless, but no matter how much she practices, she keeps making mistakes. Come along with Devi as she learns that failure is an important part of learning and growing.
How Do You Dance? by Thyra Heder
There are so many ways to dance! You can jiggle or wiggle or stomp. You can bop or bounce or go completely nuts. You can dance at the market or the bus stop, with your fingers or your face. You can dance because you’re happy or even because you’re sad. But what’s the best way to dance? Exactly how you want to!
Songs, Rhymes, and Fingerplays
Dance Your Fingers
Dance your fingers up, dance your fingers down
Dance your fingers to the side, dance them all around
Dance them on your shoulders, dance them on you head
Dance them on your tummy, and put them all to bed
Source: Storytime Katie
Crafts and Activities
D is for Dance
Dancing Giraffe Craft
Make a fun giraffe puppet that you can have dance around.
Additional Books
Tap! Tap! Tap!: Dance! Dance! Dance! by Hervé Tullet
Hervé Tullet invites you to a joyful dance where your hand is the star and the book your stage. A gentle glide to start things off, a few little leaps, then big bouncy jumps–growing in complexity and animation finally building to a crescendo of color, action, and movement!
Amy Wu and the Ribbon Dance by Kat Zhang
Dance by Holly Karapetkova
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