Dance Parties

One of my favorite things to do in my class is to have dance parties.  These can be for brain breaks, rewards, transitions, inside recess, or even just a little much needed fun on a stressful or long day. I love to play one of these as we are cleaning up centers or transitioning because students only get to dance once they have cleaned up their area and are ready to move on.  It is a motivator for them to get done.  Plus it gets out some of the wiggles and giggles.

My kids only have a couple rules for my dance parties.  The most important rule they have to follow is that they must stay behind their chair.  We have long tables for desks, so if they don't stay behind their chairs then they end up smacking someone else in the face (or they magically end up across the room with their best buddy). The other rule is that if it gets too loud the dance party is over.  Simple rules for some simple fun.  Usually it only takes me stopping a song once or for someone to sit down for my students to remember the rules.

Of course, YouTube is the place to go for all things dance party.  I like to use songs with specific dances so my kids don't end up on the floor break dancing and possibly breaking their necks.  It also means some of my more reserved kids don't feel as out of place and they will do the dances once they know the moves.  The popular ones we do are the ChaCha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.  There are also a ton of videos on YouTube with Just Dance Kids.  I also love teacher made videos.  Here is a playlist of some of my favorites to use in my room.