Early Movement and Ballet Exercises for Toddlers

Dance schools normally start dance classes for young children at age 3, and from age 3-5 children are normally enrolled in a class called “Creative Movement”, which combines basic ballet positions and movements with periods of free expression and creative movement visualization exercises, and depending on the teacher, other styles of dance or activities to get the children started moving to music and working together.  Most toddler and preschool age children respond enthusiastically to music, so if your child is not yet 3 years old but you want her to get started with dance, or if you are still considering enrolling in a formal dance class, this will introduce you to some simple positions and moves to get her started that you can try in your own home.  The will help to develop motor skills and introduce basic ballet terminology.  You can work with any music that you and your child enjoy.

1. Stretching – Before any dance class, there will always be a short period of stretching to ensure that the dancers don’t  hurt themselves.  Toddlers are usually limber and will enjoy doing these simple stretches. It will help them maintain that limberness in their body as they grow older.  Don’t force any of these stretches, everything should feel comfortable for your toddler.Toe touches – Demonstrate how to sit on the floor with legs straight out in front.  Have your toddler try to touch her toes and encourage straight legs if possible.

• Leg extensions – Have your toddler lie on one side and and hold one leg in the air. Encourage straight legs and pointed toes, and do both sides of the body.
• Straddle Splits – Have your child sit on the floor with legs open in a straddle position, then demonstrate reaching for her toes on either side and then to the middle. Encourage straight legs.

 2. Creative Movements – Try some of the imaginative exercises below to help your child start moving creatively and challenging herself.

• Hops and Jumps – try these challenging yet fun hopping and jumping exercises with upbeat music.

1. Have your child imagine she is a frog by standing on all fours and hopping around the room.
2. Have your child pretend she is popcorn kernels about to burst inside a popcorn machine. You can cont to three together and then jump like popcorn popping.

• Marching – Show your child how to march like a soldier.  Have her raise her feet as high as possible and she may enjoy making noise with her feet in time with the music if she has a pair of tap shoes or other sturdy shoes. She can also practice raising alternate arms and may enjoy holding a prop like a baton.
• Reaching – Reaching up with both arms will teach your toddler how to extend and elongate her body and is also an enjoyable stretch that promotes flexibility. Try these below and or suggest other creative visualization exercises.

1. Have her pretend she is a tree with branches swaying gently in the breeze
2. Have her imagine she is a flower growing and opening in the sun. She can start on the floor and begin to stand up, slowly opening and raising her arms as the flower opens up. She can pretend her arms are the leaves and stretch up as high as she can, then open her arms wide as she imagines the sun opening the petals.

• Freeze Dance – Start playing apiece of music and have her dance creatively, making up her own positions and movements. You will start and stop the music randomly. When the music stops, she will freeze in the position she is at, and when the music starts, she will start moving again.

 3. Ballet Positions and Movements – For this portion, you will want to have a chair available that is sturdy enough for her to use as a ballet bar.  These activities will improve her balance and refine her motor skills and muscles.  You can also teach her the ballet terms as you do the activities.

• First Position – Have her hold onto the chair and place her feet in the first ballet position, with the heels together and toes pointing outward. See how long she can comfortably hold this position. This position is the easiest for toddlers to get their feet into and will prepare them for the other ballet positions.
• Plie – A basic plie is just bending and straightening her knees while trying to keep them out to the side.  Have her hold onto the chair with both hands and try a demi plie, bending her knees halfway down then coming back up.  If she does well with this, you can have her try the grand plie, bending her knees all the way down.
• Eleve – An eleve is basically rising onto the balls of your feet. While holding onto the chair with both hands, tell her to rise up onto her tippy toes and stay there for a few moments, then go back down.
• Passe – While holding onto the chair with one hand, have her lift one foot up and place it next to the knee of the other foot.

Source – http://dance.about.com/od/ball2/ss/Teach-Your-Toddler-Ballet.htm