Mommy & Me classes are a wonderful way for 2- and 3-year-old children to experience dance. Having their mom or dad in class with them works wonders in giving children confidence, making them feel safe, and helping them learn steps and how to be in the right place at the right time. The classes inspire creativity and introduce basic concepts such as right and left, high and low, tempo, “matching the teacher,” and “matching the music.”

 

Each year more parents of very young children give their children a head start in learning to dance in Mommy & Me classes. Parents and children enjoy sharing this early learning activity, and I love seeing them have a wonderful time together. These classes can become a special event in their week. This introduction to dance may affect their view of dancing for a lifetime, so make Mommy & Me classes a positive experience. By helping the children feel fulfilled, they’ll be eager to return for more advanced classes.

 

Because my school offers tap, ballet, and jazz to older students, my Mommy & Me classes are designed to introduce young children to the basic steps and concepts that will lead them to develop a love for movement and the dance disciplines that the school offers. Parents and children love the variety and interaction in these 45-minute classes. The children are thrilled to wear tap shoes and make sounds to music just like the “big kids.” They wear ballet shoes for the pre-ballet portion of the lesson and act out little stories in songs to encourage creativity. They learn how to do isolations and use their “jazz hands” as an intro to jazz dancing. Occasionally gymnastic mats are used for basic tumbling activities.

 

Some schools offer short, six- to eight-week Mommy & Me courses, but I prefer a program that runs from September through May. It is designed so that the students begin the year dancing with their parents for most of the class. As the class progresses, the short, lively dances are adjusted slightly to become a performance for mom or dad, ending with hugs and kisses. By the time the year ends the children are eager to dance alone, and their parents register them for the independent classes for 3- and 4-year-olds. At that point, they have learned the basic class procedure, have tried some dance movement, and feel safe at dancing school. They come here expecting to enjoy their classes, and they do.

 

Good music is essential to help students remember steps and concepts. To make the program work well, I needed special music to use as a basic structure for my classes. So I created the Dancing School Kids series of CDs with songs such as “The Hello Song” to begin the class, followed by “Mommy and Me” (and “Daddy and Me” if there are dads dancing). Other songs and dances are introduced in the body of the lesson to teach tap steps and basic concepts. Learning tap can be exciting when special songs are used to teach concepts and skills, such as tempo, counting music, shuffle step, dancing “full out” and with energy, marching, listening, and using props. Variety, such as changing from a lively dance to a quiet one, drawing the students close to tell them a story about the dance, and using props, helps keep the class exciting and staves off discipline problems.

 

Adding these classes to my curriculum has been a major factor in increasing enrollment and keeping students devoted to my school. These parents, who are delighted with the classes, are also my best form of advertising. They tell their friends about their experiences and further increase my enrollment. I love teaching these classes, and with a well-planned program and fun music, my job seems easy. If the classes are well taught, students will develop a loyalty to your school, often dancing for many years and becoming your most advanced dancers.

 

Seven Steps to a Successful Mommy & Me Class       1.       Approach teaching your Mommy & Me classes with a positive attitude. Expect fun and expect success. 2.       Define the goals for your program. Will it be a six- to eight-week program to introduce children and parents to your school and bring in some extra money? Or will it be a yearlong program designed to create a desire to dance in young children, with the goal of increasing your school’s enrollment? 3.       List specific activities that you will include in the classes to achieve your goals. 4.       Select music that will make classes exciting and help you achieve your goals. Have a definite plan of action each week, with room for flexibility. Have extra music and ideas ready if needed. 5.       Before the first class, tell parents what you expect their role to be in your class. As the classes progress, continue to communicate what you would like them to do for each dance or activity. 6.       Develop a class structure that will remain the same from week to week, including how you want students to enter and find their places at the beginning of class. Start each lesson in a similar way; for example, “The Hello Song” might come first, followed by the “Mommy & Me Dance” in tap shoes. After the opening, vary the songs and dances. Come up with a plan for changing shoes and beginning the ballet portion of the class. 7.       Appreciate each child and parent. Make positive comments about a child’s progress when appropriate. Reassure parents who get flustered when a child doesn’t do an activity as intended, and let them know how much their children are learning.

                      

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