Playlist: Moving Through Literacy

Picture books can be a great addition to any dance or music classroom! Using beloved children’s books as part of your lesson plans can help students learn concepts like Body Parts, Emotions and Locomotor Movement Skills. Check out our “Moving Through Literacy” Spotify Playlist for music inspiration to play along with your favorite books!

From Head to Toe

One book we love to use during the unit on Body is From Head to Toe by Eric Carle!

Here’s why we love it: Young children are fascinated by their own bodies. Every day they are discovering all the different ways their bodies can move them through life. When provided with the opportunity to explore WHAT their bodies can do, educators can support developing body positivity in the classroom.

Through simple prose and Carle’s signature illustrations, this book invites young children to make shapes and move like different animals, using their own body parts!
As you read, encourage your students to use their body parts to make a shape that matches the illustrations in the book. Each page ends with “Can you do it?” “I can do it!”, so once each child has mastered the shape, have them all say “I can do it!”. This is a great way to boost their confidence as movers!

The Way I Feel

One of our favorite books for exploring emotions with children between the ages of 3-6 is The Way I Feel by Janan Cain!

Here’s why we love it: Dance provides a kinaesthetic way for children to explore and express their emotions. And let’s be honest, it’s been a year (or two) where we are all experiencing BIG feelings ❤️

In this sweet rhyming storybook, children are introduced to a wide variety of emotions alongside language and imagery that can be explored physically!
Try playing different sections of instrumental music I have selected to match each emotion in the book.
After listening to a section of music we discuss which feeling the music could be representing and why.
Finally, explore dancing each emotion from the book with the music! As the children are dancing, call out specific concepts that match the emotions they are dancing to. For example, ” I see dancers moving with strong, sharp bodies. My body feels strong and sharp when I am angry too!”

Barnyard Dance

One book I love to use to help introduce locomotor and non-locomotor movements is Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton! 

Here’s why we love it: This book is full of fun movements for your little ones to try along with the farm animals as you read. “Bounce with the bunny” “Strut with the duck!” “Prance with the horses!” “Skitter with the mice!” Barnyard Dance is a great book to practice skill development and can help our students build a vast movement vocabulary.

Happy Dancing!

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.