Connecting to Preschool Dancers

Teaching dance is not really about the steps. It is about sharing joy and building a community through dance. 

There is a lot more than movement being taught because we are dealing with separation anxiety, etc. In our Twinkle Babies ages 2-3 class, for example, there are very few pauses. Keeping the dancers moving from one exercise to the next becomes very important, especially if you have a crier. 

That being said, it can be difficult to foster connections with your dancers if you are also trying to create the class as you go. You need all of your devices to be successful in a preschool dance class. You cannot be tending to the music or experimenting with choreography. 

As a preschool dance teacher, it is your responsibility to engage the dancers during class. A preschool dance curriculum such as Twinkle Star Dance will free you up to turn your attention to the delivery rather than coming up with the content. Instead, focus on making eye contact, use of voice, and learning the dancer’s names. 

It is equally important to engage with the families before and after class. I don’t mean to invite them over for a BBQ at your house. It can be as simple as “Susie is so close to getting her skips, keep up the great work.” 

Here are some tips and tricks to connecting to preschool dancers: 

• Eye Contact  

Always Be Scanning. Eye contact is important for developing social interactions, relationships, and even language skills. Some children may become overstimulated when you make eye contact with them so it's important to not force it. Instead be patient and invite them to engage in mutual gaze.

• Use of Voice 

Cue them with your voice prior to movement. Using a warm and affectionate tone of voice helps reassure and comfort preschoolers. This is especially useful when engaging a child who is withdrawn or shy. A warm tone's message can be reinforced by using words of endearment such as “friend.” Children are different from one another, so observe what works best for each child. 

• Names 

Know their names! Just as a warm and affectionate tone reassures and comforts, a calm tone creates a nonjudgmental environment where appropriate behavior can be promoted. This is also an effective tone to use when a child's attention wanders. Calmly and gently call children by name and guide their attention back to where it should be placed. 

Rediscover your light at Spark Mini-Conference Series.

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

Be a Keen Observer

Being a preschool dance teacher is incredibly important and rewarding work. We often are a child’s first experience working with an adult outside of their parents, primary caregivers, family members, etc. This comes with its own set of challenges and responsibilities. 

Know that children arrive at your dance class with a variance of different “scripts” and “attachments” based on their unique interactions in the world so far. By having a set preschool dance curriculum, your class will lend itself to the instructor focusing on the delivery rather than creating the content. 

It is our role as preschool dance teachers to take time to learn as much as we can about each dancer. A successful preschool dance instructor teaches the dancer's individual challenges and strengths. 

Here are three things to keep in mind when teaching a preschool dance class: 

Learning Styles: 

We all learn things in a different way. Dance is typically taught verbally as well as the “follow me” method. That works for the majority of dancers, however, some dancers learn in a more “hands-on” way. 

While Teachers need to be careful when touching dancers, sometimes it is necessary to physically move the dancer through the movement. The use of analogies, and rhythmic exercises such as clapping the rhythm, etc. are good alternative ways of getting the material across to the students. 

It is the teacher’s responsibility to determine the learning styles of their students and use the necessary techniques to ensure the students learn the material to the best of their ability.

Keeping Class Notes: 

Keeping notes at the end of each class about what took place will help you keep consistency in your classes. You may also write down any ideas you have for new steps or ideas on how to teach a certain step in a more efficient way

Teaching the Whole Child: 

Remember that you are teaching the whole child. You cannot separate the child’s personality or life experiences from the dancer. Take an interest in your student’s well-being and make mental notes about background and family situations. 

Is mom pregnant with child number two? Is that why Susie is acting out and needing more attention in class? These are the things that are helpful to know when you are teaching young children.  

Rediscover your light at Spark Mini-Conference Series.

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

Preparing to Teach a Preschool Dance Class

Teachers need to keep control of the classroom at all times. Control is usually an issue of how engaged the students are in the material. Sometimes the children with behavior issues cannot be controlled easily. 

Be creative when leading in the studio and keep the dancers moving at all times. Move quickly from one exercise to the next. 

Make sure to organize music and lesson plans so the class flows. Never turn your back on the dancers as you are changing the music or looking at your notes. Continue Leading them with your voice as you are tending to the music, etc.

Here are three things to keep in mind when preparing to teach a preschool dance class: 

Training: 

By using a curriculum, such as Twinkle Star Dance, teachers can focus on the delivery rather than creating content. They are no longer “experimenting” as they go and have the necessary tools to adapt the class to various learning styles and abilities. 

Organization:

Teachers, especially dance teachers, need to be prepared and organized. You cannot run into class two minutes before its scheduled start time and turn on the music. At that point there has been no physical or mental preparation for your class or the classes that follow. 

Punctual:

A large part of teaching is the preparation and organization before the class; otherwise it would be called “giving” a class. All Twinkle Star Dance™ teachers need to be prepared for their classes and are to arrive at least 15 minutes before their first scheduled class. This preparation period allows you to be in a calm state by the time dancers and parents arrive. 

Rediscover your light at Spark Mini-Conference Series.

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

Check Your Ego

“We all admire the athletes, artists, actors, and dancers because they know what is it that “lights them up”, and they keep digging deeper and deeper to explore and perfect it, so much that everyone comes from miles around to experience their light, their gift.”

For some of us, teaching dance becomes an extension of who we are as a dancer.

We want to share our light with others, to pass the torch, so to speak. 

When crafting my Twinkle Star Dance preschool and school-aged curriculum, I balance periods of sustained focus followed by free moving exercises. I do this so even my youngest dancers can feel the joy of moving to music. 

I want them to connect with why I love dance. 

As I have more teaching years under my belt, I shifted my focus from creating dancers to helping shape kind and compassionate humans through dance. 

So how do we continue to nurture our light and become the very best dance educators we can be?

Check your EGO

1. Artistry and compassion over results and competitiveness. 

2. Sometimes in order to grow each dancer, you must give them all equal chances at the Spotlight. The “reach” is the only way to make it an equal experience.  

3. I always tell my staff, “For as long as it took you to become a great dancer, that is how long it will take to become a great teacher.” 

Rediscover your light at Spark Mini-Conference Series.

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.

Connect to the Joy

If you are teaching dance or doing dance for a living then you are one of the lucky ones. 

You were born with the natural gift of light, that you recognized from an early age.  

Most people spend their whole lives searching for that thing that “lights them up” and in turn gives them purpose. For dancers and dance educators, that light found us.  

It is a gift that must be shared, so that it can be carried on in those we teach.

So how do we continue to nurture our light and become the very best dance educators we can be?

Connect to the Joy and reason you were drawn to dance.

• Discover your authentic “dance self.”

• Think about your Favorite teacher. How did they inspire or affect you?

• Take dance classes for yourself. Remember what it is like to be a student. 

• Explore your own movement. 

Rediscover your light at Spark Mini-Conference Series.

Meet Tiffany Henderson 

Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.