Dance - Lesson 1

In the first dance lesson for nursery students, the objective is to express the different seasons through movement. The lesson is structured to ensure that the pupils can imitate movements demonstrated by the teacher, associate specific movements with the varying seasons, and navigate the space independently. Key vocabulary for the session includes words like 'seasons', 'pause', 'freeze', 'turn', 'softly', and 'crunch'. To facilitate the lesson, images representing the four seasons and a selection of music that embodies the essence of these seasons are used, along with warm-up music chosen by the adult leading the class.

The lesson commences with a five-minute warm-up where children find their own space and play a game of musical statues to the sound of music, freezing in place when the music stops. This activity helps assess their body control and ability to hold positions. During the main 20-minute activity, the teacher introduces four distinct pictures, each symbolising a season, and guides the children through movements related to each one. For example, they may reach upwards to represent the sun's rays in summer or stamp their feet to mimic walking through autumn leaves. After learning the movements, the children move around the room, performing the actions associated with each season at the corresponding picture stations. The lesson concludes with a five-minute cool-down where children lie down, listen to seasonally themed music, and reflect on the movements they've learned or visualise the associated seasonal images.