3 Key Elements of Designing a Preschool Dance Class
Designing an engaging preschool dance class is about much more than choosing songs and teaching steps. A thoughtfully designed dance experience helps young children explore movement, creativity, coordination, imagination, and whole-child learning in meaningful ways. At Dance to Learn®we call our thematic lesson experiences Dance EdVentures™ because each class is designed to guide dancers through an imaginative movement journey connected to real-world thematic experiences and foundational dance concepts. When building a Dance EdVenture™, there are three key elements we always consider: the theme, the dance concept, and the props. Together, these elements help create developmentally appropriate dance classes that are educational, multi-sensory, playful, and deeply engaging for young dancers.
The first Key Element when designing your Dance EdVentures™ is choosing a theme.
But Why Themes?
Research shows that brain connections, known as synapses, are strengthened through repeated experiences. That's why we believe we can build meaningful brain connections through Thematic Dance!
Since Dance to Learn® began in the schools, our themes are chosen based on real-world experiences (called experiential learning) which often correlates with what our students are learning in school! During the Month of May, for example, our theme is May I Dance in the Garden? We explore the process of planting and growing a beautiful flower garden through dance and movement!
The second Key Element when designing your Dance EdVentures™ is deciding the best dance concept that reflects the theme. Within our curriculum, children explore five Elements of Dance through eighteen foundational Dance Concepts. Each concept includes Conceptual Attributes that help young dancers experience and understand movement in developmentally appropriate ways. These attributes simplify complex dance ideas into meaningful experiences that children can physically explore, observe, and connect to the world around them.
Our favorite Concepts for exploring Flowers would be:
- Motions and Place: Flowers grow in a singular spot in the flower bed (non-locomotion/self-space) while butterflies and bees zip through the garden (locomotion/general space).
- Sizes and Levels: Flowers grow low from tiny seeds. They grow a stem and leaf in the middle as they grow small and big leaves. The flower grows high and big with beautiful blooming petals.
- Body Shapes: Roots grow and twist underground. Flowers grow on a straight stem with angular leaves. The flower blooms curvy petals!
The final Key Element to designing Dance EdVentures™ are the props! When choosing props there are a few factors to consider.
- Is the prop multi-sensory? Props should be more than just something to look at or manipulate. Props should stimulate the whole child. The child should be able to see the prop, feel the prop, and balance or spin with the prop. A prop that checks all the boxes for sensory stimulation should be the ones incorporated into each and every class.
- Is the Prop Play Based? There's a lot said about play based learning. Did you know there are 16 types of play.? Props should be more than just something to shake and hold. The props we select should create options for Symbolic Play (using the prop as representation of something else; a giant flower for example. Or Constructive Play, can the prop be taken a part and put back together? Can the prop be used for Dramatic Play, meaning our dancers are taking on a role; a butterfly landing on the flower for example. Dance props are much more than just scarves and egg shakers.
Are you ready to begin Designing your Dance EdVentures™?
Everything inside Dance to Learn® is designed to work together.
Inside Dance to Learn®, everything is designed to work together. Your curriculum, training, teaching tools, and classroom support are all connected within one structured system, designed so you’re following a clear, supported approach to teaching.
If you’re constantly searching for ideas or piecing lessons together each week, this is where things start to click.
Inside Journey 2: The Curriculum, you learn how to create connected, meaningful classes using a Conceptualized-Thematic approach. Instead of teaching random steps or surface-level themes, your lessons begin to flow with purpose.
When your themes begin to connect to the movement you’re teaching, your concepts feel easier to explain, and your dancers stay more engaged from beginning to end.
By the end of this Journey, you become a confident curriculum designer who can create structured, engaging classes with clarity and consistency.
What You'll Explore in Journey 2
- How to Create a Conceptualized-Thematic Dance EdVenture™: Learn how to design cohesive, concept-driven dance classes by connecting themes, skills, and movement into one meaningful experience. This training shows you how to move beyond isolated activities and instead create lessons where every part of class flows with purpose and intention.
- Sparking Creativity Course: A structured approach to rebuilding your creative process so you are no longer starting from scratch each week. You will learn how to generate engaging themes, adapt existing lessons, and consistently create fresh class experiences with clarity and confidence.
- The Dance Curriculum Planner: A customizable planning tool that helps you organize your themes, dance concepts, music, props, and resources all in one place. This system streamlines your workflow so you can plan faster, stay consistent, and deliver well-structured, engaging classes every time.
