Dance Explorations with 2 Year Olds

A dance friend was recently asking me about what to explore in a dance class with 2 year olds. Many classes for young ones are best with a parent or caregiver dancing hand in hand with the toddler. And, if you are heading into a daycare setting with 2 year olds, consider short explorations anywhere from 10-30 minutes in length (with a nice variety of open ended activities, music, props, and books).

Listed below are some great books to have on hand to explore in these classes, as well as some of the classic books on dance education and early childhood education to give you ideas for your classes.

Many books can be found used on amazon.com or at your library.

Books to Explore with 2 Year Olds

• From Head to Toe - Eric Carle (available in Spanish and English)
• Wiggle! Like an Octopus – Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback
• Swing! Like a Monkey – Harriet Ziefert and Simms Taback
• Watch Me Dance – Andrea Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
• Dance with Me – Charles R. Smith Jr. and Noah Z. Jones
• Bouncing Time – Patricia Hubbell and Melissa Sweet
• Bounce – Doreen Cronin and Scott Menchin
• I Love to Dance – Anna Walker
• Kid Moves Series – Michelle Wing

Books for Dance Teaching Artists

• Creative Dance for All Ages - Anne Green Gilbert
• Body, Mind, and Spirit in Action – Patricia Reedy
• Goodnight Toes! – Anne Lief Barlin and Nurit Kalev
• Dance and Grow – Betty Rowen
• Wonderplay! – Fretta Reitzes and Beth Teitelman
• Wonderplay, Too! – Fretta Reitzes and Beth Teitelman
• Dance for Young Children – Sue Stinson
• Why Motor Skills Matter – Tara Losquadro Liddle with Laura Yorke
• Diez Deditos and Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs from Latin America – José Luis Orozco and Elisa Kleven

Other Resources

I also wanted to take a moment to suggest reviewing the National Dance Education Organization's Standards for Dance in Early Childhood, which does include working with 2 year old children. And, the Luna Dance Institute in Berkeley, CA offers numerous workshops on related topics, including developing parent/child dance classes. For some of their workshops, you  can even Skype into the conversation from around the globe. Find out more on the Luna Dance Institute website.