What’s Up PE Friends!
Today I want to show you how I teach locomotor and non-locomotor skills through dance. In the video shown below, you can see me teaching Chicken Dance to some of my younger students. We had tons of fun doing this and my kids enjoyed it a lot. Normally I do this dance with my K-2nd Graders. (If you’re looking for a dance for your older kids check out The Jump Dance)
So before we start, you’re going to need the following:
- Prep the music. You will need speakers and a music player. I highly recommend connecting your phone via Bluetooth for this so you can move around with the kids and still control the song. I’ve added some helpful links related to this below:
- The Stereo Setup in my gym
- How to Setup Bluetooth Streaming in your Gym
- All my Music Playlists I use in PE Class
- There are also links to all my tech gear (like the wireless mic) on our Amazon Page if your interested
- Set some boundaries for your students to move around during the dance and find open space
Once all these are set, you are ready to have fun teaching and dancing!
Check out the video below to see an example of how I teach the dance to my kiddos!
*For an overview of the wireless mic you see me using in the video above check out this post on my wireless mic
As you can see this is a good time to also review DIRECTIONS (Forward, Sideways, Backward) 🙂
As you can also see from the video, I start the class by teaching the basic steps first after I let them listen to a sound clip of the chicken dance. The clip usually helps prep the kids for the dance. The chicken dance is a 4 count dance, meaning four counts per step and there are guess what… 4 steps and you will do the Chicken Dance 4 times.
So the magic number here is… wait for it… FOUR!
The Chicken Dance Steps
Non-Locomotor Steps:
- Beaks
- Wings
- Tail Feathers
- Claps
Locomotor Steps (Switch these up if you want):
- Skip
- Slide
- Gallop
I start with Non Locomotor steps first making sure that I count to four as I do the steps, then proceed in explaining to kids which locomotor we will practice during what I call “The Movement Break” which is the time between each Chicken Dance.
While we are moving I give the kids a cue to freeze and get ready for the dance by saying “BEAKS UP” and then we start the next round of the dance.
The Basic Breakdown is Below:
- 4 rounds of the chicken dance
- Skip in the open space
- 4 rounds of the chicken dance
- Slide in the open space
- 4 rounds of the chicken dance
- Gallop in the open space
- 4 rounds of the chicken dance
Variations:
- Use other locomotor steps aside from the ones I used
- Have students perform square dancing moves with a partner during the movement break
- Create a routine around another skill like dribbling, ribbons or scarfs
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More Resources for K-2nd
The Call it Macaroni Song
Another great song for teaching locomotor and non-locomotor skills in class is a fun follow the leader called “Call it Macaroni”. You can check out the video below for an example of this one:
*Digital version of the song or CD available for purchase here
The Hokey Pokey Dance
This is a fun variation of Hokey Pokey that I shared back in 2016 – it’s a great one to throw in when you are working on HULA HOOP TRICKS and already have hula hoops out. It also works on reviewing Right and Left sides of the body which is good for younger students.
Locomotor License Test
At the end of 1st Grade we assess students on Locomotor Movement Skills. For this assessment we do something called “The Locomotor License Test”. It’s a fun way to turn an assessment into a fun challenge that ends in a reward for the students hard work, you can download the free lesson plan and Locomotor License Cards HERE. Also, I’ve included the video below if you want to check it out:
That’s it for today Friends – Have a Good One!
*If your a Member, you can download the E-book in the membership area 🙂
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