Combating Spring Fever

It is that time of year again, the time that our students all get spring fever and have trouble focusing and staying engaged in class. In the Midwest, this starts happening in late February and continues until late April as the weather is not great, but we all want it to be.

There are several ways that I have found help to combat this spring fever. My favorite way is with theme weeks. They are a great way to keep your students engaged and wanting to come to class. A few of my favorites are Beach Week, Neon/Sparkle Week, Jump For Jokes, #LuckyToBe, Spirit Week, Draw Your Audience, and Planting Seeds of Growth. For each of these theme weeks, we have activities that the students look forward to.

We strategically place these particular theme weeks during the year when we have seen the students start to have spring fever and lose interest in their classes.

By having the theme weeks, the students get excited to dress up, do fun activities, listen to the special playlists that are created, and participate in some type of contest. Some of the weeks are self-explanatory, while others are more unique. I am going to share a little bit about each one to give you some ideas.

Beach Week - Early March (There is still snow on the ground here, so we are wishing we were at the beach)
Beach Playlist
Activities/Contests-
Limbo, Hula Hoop, Freeze Dance Beach Ball Circle- For the beach ball circle, have the

students stand in a circle and toss the beach ball to their classmates. When they catch the ball they have to perform a step they have learned in class this season and the steps can not be repeated. This is really fun and challenges the students. For example, they are in Tap for ages 8-10. They catch the ball and do a maxi ford, the next person does a cramp roll, etc. They can’t repeat skills.

#LuckytoBe Week - Mid March
This is a fun one to do near St. Patrick’s Day. Lucky Playlist
Activities/Contests -
Everyone wears green and Irish themed accessories Each student fills out a shamrock/clover with what they are lucky to be We have a #luckytobe social media contest where parents post pictures of their children with #luckytobe and tag our studio for a chance to win a prize. This gets your whole studio involved and spreads good vibes.

Jump For Jokes Week - April 1st week
We always do this theme the first week of April to go along with April Fools Day.
Jump Playlist
Activities/Contests-
Prepare a list of age-appropriate jokes for your classes. Invite the students to share their jokes. Have a contest and award the best joke a small prize. Introduce new jumps in your class and teach a combination of fun jumps to a song with the word “jump” in the title.
Jump Circle Game - Have students stand in a circle and perform their favorite jump. It is always fun to have them do an add-on where they do their jump and then the next person does the jump the person in front of them does and then they do their jump and that continues around the circle. Another fun way to do this is to have them create a jump combination by each of them sharing their favorite jumps.

Draw Your Audience Week- Mid April
This is a week where we cover the mirrors with butcher paper and have the students draw their audience. They love being able to draw and color their audience. This week we also talk to them about their performing skills and what to expect at Recital. This is also a great time to have the students get away from looking in the mirror for their dance.

Planting Seeds of Growth Week - Early May

This is one of my all-time favorite weeks.
When I Grow Up Playlist
Activities/Contests-
During this week students write on a cutout flower what they want to be when they grow up. We put the flowers in our “garden” in the hallway. We take pictures of each student with their flower and email it to our families and post them on social media. I love seeing

what children want to be when they grow up and having conversations with them about the endless possibilities for them.

I have found that over the years these spring theme weeks really help keep our students engaged and combat Spring Fever. They look forward to the traditions, activities, and games they get to play in their dance classes. They also love that it gives them an opportunity to make memories with their classmates. If you have not implemented theme weeks in your season, I recommend you give it a try this spring. It also really helps our teachers stay engaged and excited during this time.