Making instruments helps kids understand how they are made and how they work. Create a tambourine from aluminum pie plates. Before class begins, puncture roughly six to 10 holes on the sides of the plate. Next, flatten six to 10 bottle caps. Once the kids arrive, instruct them to thread a piece of string through the holes in the bottle caps and slide those strings through the holes in the aluminum plate, knotting the string on the interior of the pie plate so the bottle caps can dangle about a half-inch. When children shake the plate, the bottle caps will jingle against each other.
Turn dancing into a game while helping preschoolers learn to improvise. Make a game out of freeze dancing. Play popular kids’ tunes and have them improvise dance steps. When the music stops, they have to freeze. Anyone who is still moving when the music stops has to sit the next round out. The last person standing is the winner. To up the ante, teach kids certain poses that they have to hit each time the music stops.
Ballet at its highest level is an elaborate form of dance that takes years to master, but its most fundamental moves can be taught at the preschool level. Teach preschoolers fundamental ballet positions by starting with first position. Have kids put their feet together with toes facing forward. Instruct them to turn their feet out so that the heels stay touching but the toes on the right foot point toward one wall, and the toes on the left point toward the opposite wall. A helpful metaphor is to say that their feet are forming a slice of cake or pie. For second position, tell kids to jump from first and land with their feet shoulder-width apart, with the toes still facing opposite walls. Have them extend their arms out as if they're holding a giant stuffed animal.
Nearly all dancers use props at one time or another. Preschoolers can make their own by taking empty yogurt or pudding containers. Prior to class, poke a hole in the container. When the kids show up, they can shove party streamers, tinsel, yarn or colored string through the hole. Tie a knot on the inside of the container to keep the streamers in place. To use them, kids can skip in a circle, play freeze dance or perform a simple choreographed piece.
Another engaging game is to “Shake Your Sillies Out.” Give kids a wide berth and play any type of silly song from a popular singer and have the kids wiggle and shimmy. To spice it up, have kids freeze when you turn the music off at random moments. An alternative to this dance is to stand in a circle and toss a stuffed animal from one person to the next. Whoever catches the stuffed toy has to perform a silly dance, and everyone else has to mimic the movements. This stretches children's imagination while helping them feel energized.