Dance is a fantastic way for children to be active, have fun, and develop essential skills. It’s an enjoyable activity that promotes teamwork, coordination, and a love for music. If you’re looking for exciting ways to get your kids dancing, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve compiled a list of 10 super fun dance games that will have your little ones moving and grooving in no time.
Before we dive into the games, let’s understand why dance is so important for kids’ development.
The Amazing Benefits of Dance in Childhood Education
Dance is more than just moving to music; it’s a full-body activity that engages a wide range of motion and expression. Whether in groups or pairs, dance allows children to connect with rhythm and music in a physical and expressive way. Incorporating dance into a child’s education offers significant advantages, contributing to feelings of accomplishment, boosting confidence, and enhancing self-esteem. Educators have long recognized the positive impact of dance on several key areas of child development:
Physical Health Benefits
Dance is inherently fun because it’s energetic and active. It encourages children to participate in physical activity, which is crucial for their overall fitness and healthy development. Dance enhances flexibility, improves range of motion, and strengthens balance. As children move and groove, they are building strong muscles and bones. Furthermore, dance is excellent for developing gross motor skills, essential for everyday movements and activities.
A group of children happily dancing together, highlighting the joy and physical activity involved in dance games for kids
Cognitive Development Benefits
Dancing is a fantastic brain booster! It helps improve coordination, planning, and problem-solving abilities. Dance can also significantly enhance children’s concentration and focus. Children who participate in dance activities are better equipped to follow directions, understand instructions, complete tasks independently, and improve their attention spans. Learning dance steps and routines requires memory and cognitive processing, further stimulating brain development.
Social Development Benefits
Dance activities are wonderful for improving children’s social skills. It’s a fantastic way to build friendships and is a valuable part of a child’s social experience, especially in a school setting. Dance provides a social platform where children interact, cooperate, and learn to work together. Being a social activity involving diverse personalities, dance is a great avenue for kids to make new friends and build positive relationships.
Emotional Development Benefits
Dance not only boosts physical health but also significantly impacts emotional well-being. It’s a powerful tool for improving confidence and self-esteem in children. Through dance, children can express themselves, release emotions, and build healthier, happier relationships with their peers. The joy of movement and accomplishment in dance fosters a positive self-image and emotional resilience.
At Montessori Academy, we deeply value the role of dance in children’s growth. We regularly integrate dance into our curriculum, encouraging children to embrace dance at home, in the classroom, or anywhere they feel inspired!
Dance can be a joyful activity for kids of all ages. From classic games like musical chairs to learning choreographed routines or simply moving freely to music, the possibilities are endless. Here are ten fantastic dance games to get your kids started:
10 Exciting Dance Games for Kids
1. Emoji Dance Challenge
A child happily holding up an emoji card during an emoji dance game, showcasing the fun and expressive nature of dance games for kids
Emojis are a universal language kids understand and love. The Emoji Dance game leverages this to help children express themselves in a fun, engaging way. You can easily create your own emoji cards or find free printables online.
To play, select music that matches different emotions. Play happy tunes to encourage smiles, or softer melodies for calmer feelings. Using songs that express a range of emotions can also be a fantastic way to teach children about emotional literacy and how to recognize and express feelings. Hold up an emoji card, play the corresponding music, and have the children dance and express that emotion through movement!
2. Balloon Pop Dance
The Balloon Dance is a perfect party game that’s both simple and hilarious. Balloons are inexpensive and easy to use as props. Give each child a balloon and challenge them to keep it in the air using only their bodies – no hands allowed!
To make it more challenging, specify body parts they can use (e.g., knees, heads, shoulders). The last child to keep their balloon off the ground wins. This game is excellent for developing hand-eye and leg-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and body control. It also encourages laughter and playful competition.
3. Ribbon Wand Dance
For this elegant and creative dance, all you need are ribbon wands. You can purchase them or easily make your own using dowels or sticks and colorful ribbons. Turn on some music and let your children become dancers with flowing ribbons!
Ribbon dancing is a beautiful exercise for both upper and lower arms. It also helps build confidence and stamina as children must maintain good posture and expressive movements while dancing with the wands. Encourage them to create shapes, patterns, and stories with their ribbons.
4. High Five Choreography Dance
Two children performing a high five dance routine, demonstrating the collaborative and interactive fun of dance games for kids
High fives are a classic gesture of fun and connection, making the High Five Dance a guaranteed hit. It’s a fantastic icebreaker and helps children connect through movement. Pair up the children and give each pair time to coordinate.
Each pair must create a short choreographed routine incorporating various “high five” variations: classic high fives, low fives, double fives, claps, and even snapping. They can perform to music or even without music, focusing on rhythm and coordination. This game fosters teamwork, creativity, and physical interaction.
5. Remote Control Dance
This game puts a fun twist on following instructions and creative movement. You become the “remote control” and guide the dancers! You can use a pretend remote, a real remote, or even flashcards with remote button commands.
Play music and then call out “remote” commands or show a flashcard. For example, “Fast Forward” means dance quickly and energetically, “Slow Motion” means dance in slow motion, “Rewind” means dance backwards or jog in place backwards, “Pause” means freeze in a dance pose. This game enhances listening skills, reaction time, and creative interpretation of instructions.
6. Paintbrush Body Part Dance
A child playfully using their elbow as an imaginary paintbrush during a paintbrush dance game, highlighting imaginative play in dance games for kids
Unleash your children’s imagination with the Paintbrush Dance. They imagine different body parts are paintbrushes, and they “paint” the space around them with those body parts.
Prepare chits of paper with different body parts written on them (e.g., hands, feet, nose, elbows, knees, head). As you call out a body part or pick a chit, children use that body part as an imaginary paintbrush to “paint” the floor, walls, or air around them. The imaginary paintbrush changes with each body part called. This game sparks creativity, body awareness, and imaginative play.
7. Jumping Jack Jamboree Dance
Children energetically performing jumping jacks during a jumping jack dance game, showcasing the high-energy physical activity of dance games for kids
If your kids are full of energy, the Jumping Jack Dance is perfect for burning off excess energy while having fun. Upbeat, peppy music is a must for this high-energy game.
The simple instruction is: jump as high as possible! Encourage kids to make their jumping jacks unique and expressive. You can even judge “weirdest jump,” “most energetic jump,” or “highest jump” and award fun prizes like star stickers. This game is a fantastic cardio workout disguised as playful dance.
8. The Animal Imitation Dance
This game combines dance with animal recognition and imitation, fostering both imagination and learning.
Prepare chits with names of various animals. Draw a chit and call out the animal name. Children then imitate that animal through dance. Encourage them to make animal sounds and move as they imagine that animal would. It’s fascinating to see the creative animal movements children come up with. Include a variety of animals that children are familiar with, such as lions, birds, snakes, elephants, etc.
9. Animal Mask Movement Dance
The Animal Mask Dance takes animal imitation a step further by adding visual aids and observation skills. This activity enhances observation, creativity, and understanding of animal movements. You’ll need animal masks and access to videos of animal movements (phone, tablet, or TV).
Before the dance, show children short videos of animals moving in their natural habitats. Discuss their movement styles. Then, give each child an animal mask. Play music and have them dance, imitating the animal they are masked as. Recording their dances and playing it back can bring a lot of joy and self-awareness.
10. Hula Hoop Hula Dance
Children joyfully dancing with hula hoops during a hula hoop dance game, highlighting the fun props used in dance games for kids
Bring a taste of Hawaiian tradition to your dance games with the Hula Hoop Hula Dance. You’ll need hula hoops and some lively Hawaiian music.
Play Hawaiian music and let the children dance with hula hoops. They can hula hoop around their waist if they know how, or around their arms, legs, or even use it as a prop to create funky dance moves. You can award a prize for the “best hula hooper” or “most creative hula hoop dance.” This game promotes rhythm, coordination, and cultural awareness.
Dance: A Wonderful Activity for Growing Kids
Dance is truly a gift for children. It’s entertaining, educational, and most importantly, fun! Kids naturally love to move, and dance harnesses that energy for positive development. Dance helps children refine motor skills like balance, coordination, rhythm, and spatial awareness. It also significantly boosts their confidence as they experience the joy of movement and accomplishment. These incredible benefits make dance an invaluable educational activity for children, both in school and at home.
At Montessori Academy, we are dedicated to supporting parents in nurturing their child’s development. We offer a unique Montessori dance program designed to be fun, engaging, and deeply educational. Just as in all areas of learning, we utilize a carefully developed process to engage your child and foster a lifelong love of learning through movement and dance. To learn more about our dance program or other offerings, please contact us at (310) 215 -3388 for our Culver City location or (323) 795-0200 for West Adams.
