Just Dance

Teachers, parents, bored individuals, anyone looking for a dance workout at home!

I have an announcement for you!

Are you aware that there are tons of bootlegged just dance videos on YouTube?  (Not that I condone bootlegging in any way)

I discovered this in an offhand way a few weeks ago while I was looking for a song to do as a warm up with the dance team I coach at work.  Ever since then I've been utilizing just dance videos into a lot of my teaching.

I teach creative movement and theatre, so I can easily fit the videos into my lesson plans.  I use these videos as warm ups, to get ideas for dance moves, and most often as a reward. 

In my classroom I have a chart that keeps track of the behavior of each class that I see throughout the week.  When a class gets 5 stars (5 days of excellent behavior) they get 10 minutes of a reward.  Ever since I introduced the 'Just Dance Dance Party' my students have gone crazy for it!

I understand that most teachers do not teach dance and theatre, but you could use these videos in a ton of other ways!

Ways to Use Just Dance in Your Classroom

As a reward: A certain percentage of good behavior in a week, great reviews from all specials teachers in a week, meeting a class set average on a test, or for getting 20 compliments from other teachers.

As a brain break: Learning can be exhausting, and those little (or big) brains deserve a break every once and a while!  Most of the videos on YouTube are only 2 minutes, put 2 of them on and you've had a 5 minute fun brain break!  The kids get moving, get their minds off what they've been learning, and allow them to come back to work fresh.

As a recess alternative: I remember when I was substituting that rainy or cold days were absolutely miserable.  The students needed that 30-45 minutes of play to get out a lot of their energy.  What do you do when you cannot have recess because of weather reasons?  When I was student teaching, my wonderful cooperating teacher would have a dance party on rainy days.  She would put on the radio and the kids would all get a chance leading the class.  If you have a smart board or a projector you can stream these off YouTube and give your a students an actual workout.  Not only will it get the energy out, but your students will have a blast!

If you want to check out this awesome resource for yourself just head over to YouTube and search for 'Just Dance' if you teach middle-high school or 'Just Dance Kids' if you teach elementary school.