Summer is the perfect time for dance games!
I absolutely love summer dance classes. I love welcoming new students into the studio during summer camps, getting into the nitty gritty with experienced students during summer intensives, and meeting new students when I travel to teach workshops and guest classes. But perhaps most of all, I love the opportunities for playfulness and creative expression that come with the fun vibes of the summer season. Summer is, in my opinion, the perfect time to incorporate dance class games that help students grow in technique, artistry, and social-emotional skills – and I have some great ones for you to try in this blog post! You can find these dance games and 25 other unique, educational dance games to play throughout the year in The Holistic Dance Teacher Celebrate! Dance Games & Activities for Seasons & Holidays Collection.
Dance games help dancers to develop greater creativity, self-expression, collaboration skills, performance quality, and a deeper understanding of their dance technique. When we use dance games to celebrate a season or holiday, we can also help students connect what they are doing in dance with what they are experiencing in their lives outside the studio. Playing summer-themed dance games, like the ones in this blog post, helps dancers channel their excitement about warm weather, school break, holidays, and more – while helping them continue to learn and grow as dancers, artists, and people.
A note on play as an educational tool in the dance studio
These summer-themed games for dance class are all based in the philosophy that play can be an important educational tool in the dance studio. Research indicates that students of all ages learn through play, and play can help children can develop important social, cognitive, and emotional skills. Using play as an educational tool can help students gain self-confidence, engage in new experiences, and meet new physical and mental challenges. Incorporating play in the dance studio with students of all ages can have many benefits, from helping students learn new skills and refine their technique to helping them cope with stress and anxiety. Read more about the play in the dance studio in this blog post: The Holistic Approach to Using Play in the Dance Studio
My favorite summer-themed games for dance class
These summer dance games can be easily adapted for students of all ages, skills levels, and most dance genres, but are designed with dancers ages 7 and up in mind. After all, students of all ages learn through play!. Moreover, play can be a great way to improve students’ social and emotional health, especially as they take in all the new experiences that can come with summer camps and intensives. Give them a try in your dance classes or camps this summer and let me know in the comments how they go!
Popsicle Play
The primary objective of this activity is to help dancers become more comfortable with improvisation and stillness, while also developing impulse control and listening skills.
How to Play
1.) When the music starts, the dancers will begin moving.
2.) When the music stops, the dancers will melt to the floor in silence for a set number of counts, determined by the teacher.
- Tell the class at the beginning of each round how many counts they will have to melt to the floor.
3.) When the dancers have melted to the floor, they will be completely still.
- Any dancer who moves will be out of the game.
4.) The dancers will remain completely still until they hear you say, “Pop up, popsicles!”
5.) When you say “Pop up, popsicles!,” the dancers will jump up from the floor as quickly as they can.
- The last dancer to pop up is will be out of the game.
6.) Start the music again to begin the next round. Continuing playing until only one dancer remains. The last dancer in the game wins!
Beach Bag Movement Memory Quiz
The primary objective of this activity is to help students develop movement memorization skills while also encouraging them to make their own unique movement choices.
How to Play
1.) Arrange the dancers in a circle. Tell them that you are going to enjoy a day at the beach as a class, and that you have to pack a bag full of all the things you’ll need for fun in the sun!
- Each dancer will take a turn adding an item to the bag, but everyone will need to remember what’s been packed as you go.
2.) Choose a dancer to start the game. The dancer will pick an item to pack in the bag. They will create a movement to represent that item.
- For example: the dancer can add sunglasses by doing a movement that represents sunglasses to them.
- The movement can be literal, such as miming the act of putting on sunglasses, or abstract, such as a circular movement based on the round shape of the lenses
- The dancer will do the movement, then say the name of the item
3.) The next dancer will repeat the name of the first item and the corresponding movement, then add their own item with name and movement.
4.) The pattern will continue in this way until all dancers have had their turn adding an item.
5.) When the entire class has had a turn to add their movement to the sequence, you can turn it into a dance combination by adding a beginning and end pose, transitions between the movements, counts, and music.
Find these dance games and 25 other unique, educational dance games to play throughout the year in The Holistic Dance Teacher Celebrate! Dance Games & Activities for Seasons & Holidays Collection
Let’s connect!
- What are some of the ways that you use play in the dance studio? I’d love to learn from you … share your thoughts and ideas in the comments!
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