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Icicles and Snowflakes

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Public Blog.

Icicles and Snowflakes – A Finger Play Song for Preschoolers

Today we’re sharing the song Icicles and Snowflakes. This fingerplay song is a great way to introduce the concept of ENERGY to young children!

In this song, we explore the contrast between the smooth energy of snowflakes floating with the sharp energy of cold icicles.

Download your Icicles and Snowflakes activities to hand out to your students to emphasize sharp and smooth movements! Click the images below to download your PDFs.

Jagged icicles drawn in a dotted line with snowflakes at the bottom of the page. The top reads "Icicles and Snowflakes. Trace the dotted line to create sharp icicles."
The top reads "Soft, smooth snowflakes. Trace the dotted lines to create smooth falling snow." Three snowflakes are at the top of the page with smooth wavy dotted lines that connect to three snowflakes at the bottom.

Teaching the Whole Child

We love using this activity as an anticipatory set! This song allows children to visually, auditorily and physically experience the concept of energy before moving into a creative dance exploration.

They SEE the changes in energy by watching the movements. Try to emphasize the difference between the smooth, soft movements of snow to the sharp, hard energy of icicles.
They HEAR/SAY the concept words, sharp and smooth.
They FEEL the changes in their muscle tone throughout the song. Explain to your students that their muscles should feel soft and relaxed during the smooth, light snow. Then, explain how their muscles should contract and feel hard during the sharp movements of icicles.

This is one of the intentional ways we teach the WHOLE CHILD at Intellidance®️!

More Finger Play Songs and Activities

I’m a Little Cowboy

Tiny Tim

5 Little Snowmen

Pizza Pickle Pumpernickel

Learn more about what makes Intellidance® unique

The foundation of the Intellidance® Method is the combination of dance and music concepts, identifying specific vocabulary in dance and music and developing the understanding of both through the connection between concepts. This provides opportunities for children to explore, discover, practice, and create using multiple senses and intelligence. This is what makes the Intellidance® Method so unique.

Are you interested in learning more? Check out our website to continue reading about Intellidance® Method.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more FUN on purpose!

Watercolor Snowflake Craft

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Arts & Crafts, Public Blog, Teacher Tips.

Watercolor Snowflake Coffee Filter Craft for Ages 3-8!

Looking for a simple snowflake craft to try with your early childhood students? Or, maybe your studio is hosting mini-camps over the holiday season? Try our watercolor snowflake craft! Great for ages 3-8.

What you’ll need:

This simple craft doesn’t require many materials. All you’ll need are small white coffee filters, washable markers, a spray bottle with water and child-safe scissors. Optional: hair dryer, something to put under the coffee filters when spraying with water and coffee (for yourself if you need a boost).

Make your snowflake!

  1. First, using the markers, decorate your coffee filter with multiple colors. Remind your students that the colors will all blend together, so it doesn’t have to be perfect! Also, any designs they make with shapes, animals, figures, etc. will blend together when they’re wet.
  2. Next, use your spray bottle with water and saturate the coffee filter with water. Allow the colors to blend together, creating the watercolor effect. This part might get messy! Have some paper towels ready to catch any drips and gloves if you want to save your hands from stains.
  3. Allow the coffee filter to dry. It takes about 15 minutes to let it air dry. Otherwise, use a hairdryer for a faster drying time. Just watch out for water splatters from the dryer blowing water off the filter.
  4. Once the coffee filter is dry, fold it into a small triangle. Then, use your scissors to cut small shapes along the folded edges of your triangle. (Cutting is a great fine motor activity!) If your dancers are still developing their scissors skills, it may be too difficult for them to hold the folded coffee filter and cut. To prevent feelings of frustration, help your dancer by securely holding the coffee filter while they do the cutting. Additionally, help your students if they’re not using child-safe scissors.
  5. Finally, open your filter and ta-da! You have a watercolor snowflake!

It’s that simple! This is a great craft to use at your winter camps and to share with your families for some at-home fun.

Looking for more craft fun?

For our friends in the southern hemisphere, or anyone looking for another fun craft idea to use in the studio, check out our Salty Watercolor Line Art Activity. This is a fun and educational craft to use any time of the year!

Learn more about what makes Intellidance® unique

The foundation of the Intellidance® Method is the combination of dance and music concepts, identifying specific vocabulary in dance and music, and developing the understanding of both through the connection between concepts. These connected concepts provide opportunities for children to explore, discover, practice, and create using multiple senses and intelligences. This is what makes the Intellidance® Method so unique.

Interested in learning more? Check out our website to continue reading about Intellidance® Method.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more FUN on purpose!

Triple Playlist Share: Holidays Galore!

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Music, Music for Early Childhood Classes, Public Blog, Songs.

Today we’re sharing THREE of our “Favorites” Spotify Playlists! It doesn’t matter whether it’s winter or summer where you live, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or even just love this time of year – we have a playlist for you!

Winter Holiday Favorites

This playlist features a variety of songs celebrating the Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa holidays that are celebrated this month, plus some winter classics! It includes a mix of instrumental, jazz, pop, classical, dance, folk and children’s musical styles, providing you with a wide variety of ideas and inspiration to bring to your classes this season. Enjoy!

Winter Christmas Favorites

Celebrate Christmas with our wintery Christmas favorites, created by Intellidance® Advisory Board Member and Certified Instructor Liahona Walus. This new playlist is perfect for our friends living in the northern hemisphere! Included are family-friendly classics with a mix of instrumental, classical, folk, relaxation and children’s musical styles songs, providing you with inspiration for the entire holiday season.

Summer Christmas Favorites

This one is for our southern hemisphere friends! Celebrate Christmas in the summertime with this new Summer Christmas Favorites Playlist, created by Intellidance® Advisory Board Member and Certified Instructor Liahona Walus. Enjoy a mix of summery classics and children’s musical styles songs in your classes this month!

Looking for more Spotify Playlists?

Intellidance® Freeze Dance Favorites

Intellidance® Instrument Play-Along Songs

Intellidance® Cuddle and Relax

Learn more about what makes Intellidance® unique

The foundation of the Intellidance® Method is the combination of dance and music concepts, identifying specific vocabulary in dance and music, and developing the understanding of both through the connection between concepts. These connected concepts provide opportunities for children to explore, discover, practice, and create using multiple senses and intelligences. This is what makes the Intellidance® Method so unique!

Interested in learning more? Check out our website to continue reading about Intellidance® Method.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more FUN on purpose!

If You’re Thankful and You Know It – Coloring Page

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Public Blog.

If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hands! Adding this song of gratitude to any Intellidance® curriculum allows students to reflect on what they’re thankful for. Download your PDF version by clicking on the image below!

If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands

Clap Your Hands, Tap Your Nose, Stomp Your Feet!

The “If You’re Thankful and You Know It” song (sung to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”) is a great activity to add to your Body Parts & Rhythm lesson plans. Use your creativity! Choose a different action and body part for each verse such as tapping your nose, stomping your feet, spinning on your bum, patting your belly and bending your knees.

Take a moment at the end of class for your students to reflect on what they’re thankful for. Practicing gratitude at a young age helps ease anxiety, increase optimism, improve social bonds and build self-esteem.

More Coloring and Activity Pages

Leaves are Falling

Swing Little Skeleton

Get To Know Me Activity Sheet

Obstacle Course Connect the Dots

Learn more about what makes Intellidance® unique

The foundation of the Intellidance® Method is the combination of dance and music concepts, identifying specific vocabulary in dance and music, and developing the understanding of both through the connection between concepts. These connected concepts provide opportunities for children to explore, discover, practice, and create using multiple senses and intelligences. This is what makes the Intellidance® Method so unique!

Interested in learning more? Check out our website to continue reading about Intellidance® Method.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more FUN on purpose!

Thumbkin Dances – A Finger-Play Activity for Young Children

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Public Blog.

🎶 Thumbkin dances up, Thumbkin dances down, Thumbkin dances all the way around! 🎶 Today we’re sharing one of our favorite body parts focused finger-play activities from the Intellidance® Tykes curriculum, Thumbkin Dances.

Why we love “Thumbkin Dances” and other finger play activities

Thumbkin Dances is one of our favorite finger-play activities! Here’s why:

Thumbkin Dances supports:

  • Fine motor development and dexterity through thumb and finger movements
  • Body awareness through touching and labeling different body parts
  • Language development through rhyme and rhythm
  • Musical development through repetitive melody and moving to the beat

Finger play is an easy, fun way to assist in critical brain development. These activities help develop oral and language skills through simple songs and rhymes, imagination, social skills, healthy brain development thanks to the combination of rhythm, music and movement, fine motor skills, memory and an understanding of new colors, shapes and movements.

More FUN on purpose!

Are you looking for more finger play activities to use in your Intellidance® classes? Check out a few of our go-to’s:

Leaves Are Falling

Eyes Nose Cheeky Chin

Pizza Pickle Pumpernickle

Our YouTube page is filled to the brim with activity videos for Babies, Tots, Tykes and Kids! Search for class ideas and share the page with parents for at-home activities.

What is Intellidance®

Intellidance® is an international early childhood dance and music program that combines movement, music, rhymes, and sensory activities to support children as they grow! From tummy time to dancing on their own, Intellidance® promotes brain and body development. Our certified teachers strive to nurture young families through our FUN on purpose methodology.

Emergency Sub Lesson Plans

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Public Blog.

In the life of a dance teacher, is there anything more stressful than needing to find a sub? We’ve all been there – you’re too sick to come in and teach but you do anyways because it’s less work than actually finding a sub and preparing a lesson plan for them. In reality, this isn’t good for you or your students. Just as we advocate for our dancers to stay home when they’re sick, we need to do the same for ourselves. So, how do we reduce the stress of being under the weather? By creating emergency sub lesson plans!

Save Yourself the Time and Stress

Create ready-to-go, pre-made sub plans at the same time as planning your dance sessions. This will save you from:
✔️Madly trying to pull sub plans together last minute, often while lying sick in bed and wanting to do anything but lesson planning.
✔️Random text and email exchanges with a teacher, whom you may or may not know, trying to explain your class format.
✔️ Making a playlist on Spotify, only to discover your sub needed it on Apple Music… or a CD
✔️Texting your other teacher colleagues begging them to print out the handouts your sub needs for your classes.

Create an Emergency Sub Binder

Go into each dance year with your sub plans and resources ready to go. We suggest creating an emergency sub binder each summer with printed copies of lesson plans, copies of any needed teaching visuals and student handouts, and sections with step-by-step instructions for your sub to easily follow.

Changing the way you approach planning for subs will drastically reduce your overall stress during the year. You’ll be able to take sick days and rest when you really need to, therefore, getting back to teaching faster than if you pushed through. AND subs will be happy to take your classes because they know you’re well-organized. A win-win for everybody!

Emergency Sub Spotify Playlist

Did you see last week’s blog with an emergency sub Spotify playlist? Check it out here!

Learn more about what makes Intellidance® unique

The foundation of the Intellidance® Method is the combination of dance and music concepts, identifying specific vocabulary in dance and music, and developing the understanding of both through the connection between concepts. These connected concepts provide opportunities for children to explore, discover, practice, and create using multiple senses and intelligences. This is what makes the Intellidance® Method so unique!

Interested in learning more? Check out our website to continue reading about Intellidance® Method.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more FUN on purpose!

Playlist: Emergency Sub Lesson Plan – Space & Sound

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Public Blog.

‘Tis the season… flu and cold season, that is. Raise your hand if you can relate: it often feels easier to just go in and teach sick, than to try to book a sub, write lesson plans and create a playlist. Yep, us too! Like it or not, there will come a time when we’re unable to teach. Or, one of your instructors will be out sick and someone will need to fill in. Just like we advocate for our students to stay home when they’re feeling ill, we need to do the same for ourselves.

Share this Spotify playlist with your other instructors and substitute teachers, and cross one more thing off your list for when you’re sick.

More Playlists

Looking for more premade Intellidance® Spotify playlists? Check these out!

Intellidance® Fall Favorites

Intellidance® Moving Through Literacy

Intellidance® Dance Party Time

Intellidance® Summertime Fun

Intellidance® Bounce into Spring

Learn more about what makes Intellidance® unique

The foundation of the Intellidance® Method is the combination of dance and music concepts, identifying specific vocabulary in dance and music, and developing the understanding of both through the connection between concepts. These connected concepts provide opportunities for children to explore, discover, practice, and create using multiple senses and intelligences. This is what makes the Intellidance® Method so unique!

Interested in learning more? Check out our website to continue reading about Intellidance® Method.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more FUN on purpose!

Leaves Are Falling Coloring Page

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Public Blog.

If your students enjoyed last week’s “Leaves Are Falling” audiation and finger play activity, they’re going to LOVE this fall-themed coloring page! Just click the image to download your PDF!

Why we love coloring pages

Coloring pages are a great resource to reinforce the skills learned in class and allow students to bring the activity home to delight in during the week! This coloring page is great for dance, music or preschool teachers looking to support developmental movement patterns and brain-body integration in a fun, seasonal way.

What is Intellidance®

Intellidance® is an international early childhood dance and music program that combines movement, music, rhymes, and sensory activities to support children as they grow! From tummy time to dancing on their own, Intellidance® promotes brain and body development. Our certified teachers strive to nurture young families through our FUN on purpose methodology.

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more FUN on purpose!

Leaves Are Falling

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Public Blog.

Leaves Are Falling – A Finger Play Audiation Song For Young Children

We’re welcoming October by sharing one of our favorite autumn-themed audiation songs, “Leaves Are Falling!” This song is a great recuperative and transition activity to help your dancers focus and follow directions while supporting their musical development. Win-win!

Audiation – Thinking Musically

This song supports the important musical development of audiation. Audiation is the process of mentally hearing music even when no sound is present – like singing a song in your head! It’s a key musical development that supports children’s ability to hear and match pitch! Audiation requires active focus for young dancers as they mentally “sing” in their heads.

Importance of Finger Play Activities

Finger play activities are vital for your little one’s cognitive and motor development. On the surface, these activities look like fun songs and rhymes. However, their benefits are endless! Finger play helps contribute to:

  • Language skills through singing songs and reciting poems
  • Imagination and mental imagery through creating images in their heads that match the song and actions
  • Brain development through memorizing songs and poems
  • Understanding of new concepts through the use of colors, shapes, movement and interactions within the songs

More FUN on purpose!

Are you looking for more finger play activities to use in your Intellidance® classes? Check out a few of our go-to’s:

Where are the Bees?

Thumbkin

‘Round the Garden

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more FUN on purpose!

What is Intellidance®

Intellidance® is an international early childhood dance and music program that combines movement, music, rhymes, and sensory activities to support children as they grow! From tummy time to dancing on their own, Intellidance® promotes brain and body development. Our certified teachers strive to nurture young families through our FUN on purpose methodology.

Playlist: Fall Favorites

Written by Karly Pierce Lystad on . Posted in Public Blog.

Thursday (September 22nd) is the first day of Fall for everyone in the northern hemisphere!

Fall provides so many rich visuals we can bring into creative dance. Leaves provide a wonderful way of exploring movement vocabulary like falling, floating, twirling and settling, plus the concepts of space and place. Allow nature to be your guide when creating your fall lesson plans!

Enjoy 25 songs ranging from folk to hip hop that bring the imagery of Fall alive in the dance studio for your young dancers with our Spotify Fall Favorites playlist!

Combining dance and seasons

When we combine dance concepts with seasonal changes and themes, we enrich the way our students experience both movement and music in the studio and their day-to-day experiences with the world around them.

Learn more about what makes Intellidance® unique

The foundation of the Intellidance® Method is the combination of dance and music concepts, identifying specific vocabulary in dance and music, and developing the understanding of both through the connection between concepts. These connected concepts provide opportunities for children to explore, discover, practice, and create using multiple senses and intelligences. This is what makes the Intellidance® Method so unique!

Interested in learning more? Check out our website and subscribe to our YouTube Channel to learn more about the Intellidance® Method.