50 Preschool Class Activities

I’ve collected some of my favorite class activities to share with you. These songs are categorized by the concept they explore. (You can read more about conceptual teaching here). Although many of these songs can explore multiple concepts, I recommend you choose just one to focus on so even your youngest dancers can work towards full comprehension of that concept. 

Most activities are directive songs, where the music tells you what to do. Other activities may alternate between two contrasting elements such as fast and slow or smooth and sharp. For these student-focused activities, I recommend you include a prop and encourage the dancers to explore the concept however they wish. 

Now, let’s Dance! 

Place

1. Dance Around, Raffi
2. Locomotor Movement, Kate Kuper
3. Walking with my Scarf, Ballet Preschool Party
4. Animal Dance and Freeze, Jack Hartmann
5. Let’s Walk (Freeze Dance), Ms. D&Me

Size

1. Who Can Pull the Stretchy Band, Music with Mar.
2. Near and Far, Kate Kuper
3. Big Like a Lion, Princess Backpack and Benjamin
4. Here’s a Little Bird, Susan Salidor

Level

1. Jump, Jump, Jump, Susan Schnitzer
2. Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight), The Laurie Berkner Band
3. Make Your Scarf Fly High, Judi Cranston
4. Fly, Fly Butterfly, Muffin Songs
5. Sleepy Bunnies, Denise Gagne & Carmen Bryant

Directions

1. Wave Your Hands Up High, Music for Moving
2. Hands Up, Hands Down, David Kisor
3. Shake, Shake, Shake, Nancy Kopman
4. Let’s Get Jazzy, Wake Up and Wiggle

Pathways

1. The Goldfish Song, The Laurie Berkner Band
2. Drivin’ in My Car, Raffi
3. I Love My Shoes, Davis Kisor
4. I Travelled Over Land and Sea, Sticky Kids

Speed

1. Stand Up, Sit Down, Patty Shukla
2. I Can Settle Down, David Kisor
3. Move Fast, Move Slow, Jack Hartmann
4. I Can Shake My Shaker Egg, Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael
5. Reach for the Sky, The Kiboomers

Energy

1. Action Dance, Kate Kuper
2. Moving in Place, Mr. Gym
3. Sharpies & Smoothies, Kerri Lynn Nichols
4. Fun Game 3 (4/4) Pizzicato & Legato, Craig Wingrove

Weight

1. Imaginary Journey, Kate Kuper
2. Quiet in the Library, Kerri Lynn Nichols
3. We are the Dinosaurs, The Laurie Berkner Band
4. The Mice Go Marching, Hap Palmer
5. Topsy Turvy Zoo, The Beanies

Body Parts

1. Shake and Move, Patty Shukla
2. A Tooty Ta (Tootie Ta), Ray Remsch
3. Show Me Your Elbow, Sue Schnitzer
4. Shake Your Hands, Jen Gould
5. Bean Bag Balance, The Learning Station

Body Shapes

1. Body Shape Jam, Kate Kuper
2. Bear Crawl, Christopher Zondaflex Tyler
3. 5 Positions in a Row (Vocal), Kimbo’s Children Music
4. Beanbag Balance, Marie Barnett

Relationships

1. A Pair of Sticks, Sally’s Music Circle
2. The Cool Bear Hunt, Dr. Jean Feldman
3. Playing with a Bean Bag, Music with Mar.
4. The Floor is Lava Song for Kids, The Kiboomers
5. Walking in a Circle, Peter Apel

All of these songs can be found on Spotify. I would love to hear which activities your preschoolers enjoyed the most. As always, happy exploring!