DINKY DANCERS

 

 

o Dance, Movement, Music, P.E and Action classes uniquely for boys and girls aged 2-4 years.

Kimpton
Kimpton Memorial Hall with excellent Dinky Dancers' parking.
Wednesday Morning
Classes at 9.30am and 10.25am

LORRY SLATER 01438 831281
Experienced teacher of Physical Education and Dance (BEd Hons)


Lesson Information. Why we do, what we do!

Aims
Our aim at Dinky Dancers is to provide an enjoyable dance, movement, action, music and singing experience helping every child to develop physically, musically and socially.

Dance, Action and Movement activities will stimulate, inspire and motivate all children regardless of their age, gender, background or ability. It is our aim at Dinky Dancers to make a positive contribution to your child's early development.

Dinky Dancers sessions move through a child friendly structure each week to encourage the children's development through a range of games, dancing, singing, music and play. A small amount of time for free play at the close of the lesson with age appropriate toys and instruments will encourage children's social skills and provide adults with the opportunity to get to know each other as well.

Dance, action and movement lessons are fun, noisy exciting places to be. Please, Please, join in the class with your child. Through experience, adults who dance and move with their children have more fun (honestly!), their children have more confidence to join in, and it encourages concentration and good listening skills keeping the children better focussed. (don't worry we will all look silly together!!)
What happens in a Dinky Dancers Lesson?

Greeting the Children.

An essential part of the 40 minute lesson, welcoming each child and encouraging good listening.

Warm Up.

This may take different forms. Usually it will be gentle stretching activities, working the main body parts and muscle groups, teaching even the youngest child about his/her body.

A quiet focussed warm up activity prepares children both physically and mentally for the lesson.

Character Dance.

Every body loves the character Dance!
Through out the year several of our most loved book and television characters will come to life in the form of Dance. Your child will have the opportunity to learn, practice and perform (with your assistance) these dances over several weeks.

Movement Training.

This is an important part of a dance lesson where skills are explored, learnt and developed at the child's own pace, ability and developmental stage through half-termly themes. For example: ways of moving, speed and direction, body parts, numbers, animals, colours.
Basic movement actions will be introduced throughout the year. Each skill will taught in appropriate, achievable, fun stages, in order for each child to learn part or all of a particular skill.
Repetition and further development, on a weekly basis, of these basic skills will help your child to begin to form a dance, action and movement vocabulary.
An example of movement training is Running. The basic skill of running can be developed -
Running - swinging arms. Running - on toes. Running - in time to the music. Running and stopping, etc.

Action Songs.

At Dinky Dancers we use the songs as another way to practice skills learnt in the movement training. Once you know the 'altered' words, do join in with the singing!!

Action Games.

Equipment, music, playing with 'Mummy', playing with other children, playing altogether. Bean bags, Parachutes, Ribbons, Balls. How much fun can we have? A great opportunity for children to mix, make friends and generally develop social skills.


Saying Goodbye.

Dinky Dancers lessons will always end with a calming, goodbye song, and free play for a few minutes, giving the children a chance to play with the new friends they are beginning to make. These last few minutes will also give you a chance to 'get your breath back', and chat to other mums, or to play with the toys with your child.
General information.

Joining In.

Don't worry if for a number of weeks your child will not join in and prefers to be 'carried' through the activities. Please continue to join in yourself as much as possible, as experience shows that this encourages a child to give it a 'try'.

Confidence takes time to grow, and even if your child has not joined in every minute of the class you'll be surprised just how much has been 'absorbed' when you get home.

Please be patient with your child and give him or her the time to develop the confidence to join in, to copy movement or to create dance. For some children this may take several weeks of dancing to small parts of the session. Trust us, over time; your child will be able to participate throughout a whole lesson.

Children causing a disruption.

At Dinky Dancers we aim to encourage co-operative behaviour through participation in the activities. As teachers we will encourage positive participation from your child through the lesson structure and content. Sometimes a child finds it difficult to join in and that is to be expected at this age however it is important to be aware of the effect of your child's behaviour on the lesson.
Please do not allow your child to run around disruptively, if a child will not sit quietly during 'non- action' moments then it is possible to take them outside of the class briefly to 'let off steam' before rejoining the class.

Children with Special Needs.

Dance, Action, Music and Movement activities for young children that have special needs are incredibly important for physical and sensory development. Dinky Dancers lessons are planned for children whatever their ability or need so that all children may not only have fun but develop many essential skills through the carefully planned lessons.
We positively encourage parents who have children with special needs to join us at Dinky Dancers.
(Lorry Slater-principal- is a qualified and experienced teacher of S.E.N and the planning of all lesson material reflects this.)

Occasional visits from other children.

Due to the popularity of Dinky Dancers we are in the fortunate position to have all classes running at our maximum capacity. We do not want to overcrowd our classes therefore if you bring any child visitors with you please contact Lorry Slater or your teacher before hand to make sure we have the space to accommodate them. Please note that these children (if they are 'walking age') will attract a full class fee for each attendance.

Parties.

The Christmas and 'End of Year' parties are great fun. Games, food and a gift for the children complete what we hope will have been a very enjoyable Dinky Dancers experience.
Every body is asked to contribute a plate of party food (your teacher will organise this) If you are bringing extra children to these parties or you would like siblings to receive a gift, (there will be a small surcharge of £1.50), please arrange this with your teacher or call Lorry Slater on 01438-831281.

Safety and Hygiene.

Safety and hygiene is important at Dinky Dancers. Please supervise your child throughout the lesson encouraging appropriate behaviour and good listening. Please do not wear outdoor shoes into the Action Space. We recommend - plimsolls, slippers, dance shoes or non-slip socks.

Questions.

If you have any questions, enquiries, suggestions or your child is keen to dance to a particular piece of music, please feel free to see your teacher at the end of the class or phone me on 01438-831281
We hope you enjoy Dinky Dancers and that you and your child has a lot of fun.
Lorry Slater- Dinky Dancers.

 

 

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