Activity Plan 2-3: Do the Opposite Dance

Watch children learn about opposites, including up, down, in and out, as they swing and sway to music.

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Materials:

• recorded music
• book about opposites, such as Clifford's Opposites* by Norman Bridwell (Scholastic Inc., $3.95)

Objective: Children will learn about opposites through movement activities that incorporate large motor, language, and creative movement skills.

In Advance: Talk to children about opposites. Encourage them to come up with examples of what they think opposites are.

Activities

Invite children to play the following movement games to help them learn about opposites.

In, Out, Up, Down!
Invite the children to make a large circle and teach them this rhyming dance!

Take three steps in and clap, clap, clap
Take three steps out and snap, snap, snap
Bend your body way down low
Now push your body and up you go!

Step to the right and clap, clap, clap
Step to the left and snap, snap, snap
Wiggle your body with a chill.
Hold yourself steady and stand very still.

Simon's Opposites
Use masking tape or chalk to make a large circle on the ground. Reinforce the concept of opposites with a game of Simon says. Substitute a teacher's name for Simon.
Simon says: Stand inside the circle.
Simon says: Stand outside the circle.
Simon says: Shake your hands very fast.
Simon says: Move your hands very slowly.
Simon says: Loudly yell "hooray!"
Simon says: Quietly whisper "hooray!"
Simon says: Run in place.
Simon says: Stand very still.
Simon says: Make a sad face.
Simon says: Make a happy face.

Curriculum Connection
Problem Solving: Finding Opposites. Read several books to children to familiarize them with the concept of opposites. Invite them to use their bodies to act out different movements such as open/shut, up/down, in/out, quietly/loudly, big/little, wiggling/still, and happy/sad.

Activity Plans 3-4: Poppin' Like Popcorn
Children will use gross-motor skills and interact cooperatively as they pretend to be popcorn, in this ready-to-use teaching idea for three- and four-year olds. Activity: Music & Movement.

Toddlers Learning Through the Arts
The Arts play a big role in your little one's learning. See what the visual arts, as well as music and dance, teach your child. Also explains the importance of allowing creative expression.

Physical Development: Move to the Music
The sounds of instruments give rise to spontaneous movement and dance. Adults can help guide children as they achieve a delicate balance between creative chaos and creative expression. This balance can be found, in part, by helping children explore the relationships between sound and movement.

LESSON PLAN

Armadillo Rodeo Lesson Plan I use Armadillo Rodeo as part of an author study. Students love Jan Brett and enjoy moving to the music. In this lesson, students will "demonstrate...