Moving and exploring
Students start the year getting comfortable moving their bodies in different ways. They try fast and slow, high and low, and learn to use space safely while dancing alongside classmates.
What does a student learn in
This is the year students discover that their bodies can tell stories. Students learn to move with purpose, copying shapes, trying out fast and slow, and making up little dances of their own. They watch others move and start to notice what a dance is showing or how it makes them feel. By spring, students can perform a short dance for family and say a few words about what it means.
- Moving with purpose
- Making up dances
- Shapes and speed
- Watching dances
- Sharing a performance
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Making up dances
Students begin inventing their own movements based on ideas they care about, like animals, weather, or a favorite story. They string a few moves together to make a short dance of their own.
- 3
Sharing dances with others
Students practice showing their dances to classmates and family. They learn to start, finish, and keep going through a whole short piece, even when others are watching.
- 4
Watching and talking about dance
Students watch each other and short dance clips, then talk about what they noticed and how it made them feel. They start connecting dances to stories, songs, and traditions from home.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Pre-Kindergarten.
Connecting
Connecting
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Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art
Students connect something from their own life to a dance they create or perform. A memory, a feeling, or something they've seen can become movement.
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Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural
Dance connects people to their communities and history. Students explore how dances come from different places, people, and traditions, and what those dances tell us about where they come from.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art | Students connect something from their own life to a dance they create or perform. A memory, a feeling, or something they've seen can become movement. | DA:Cn10.pk |
| Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural | Dance connects people to their communities and history. Students explore how dances come from different places, people, and traditions, and what those dances tell us about where they come from. | DA:Cn11.pk |
Creating
Creating
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Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Students come up with their own movement ideas, deciding how their body can move to express something.
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Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
Students choose how to move their body to show a feeling or tell a simple story, then put those movements together into a short dance.
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Refine and complete artistic work
Students pick a dance move they made up and practice it until it feels just right. They learn that making something takes more than one try.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work | Students come up with their own movement ideas, deciding how their body can move to express something. | DA:Cr1.pk |
| Organize and develop artistic ideas and work | Students choose how to move their body to show a feeling or tell a simple story, then put those movements together into a short dance. | DA:Cr2.pk |
| Refine and complete artistic work | Students pick a dance move they made up and practice it until it feels just right. They learn that making something takes more than one try. | DA:Cr3.pk |
Performing/Presenting/Producing
Performing/Presenting/Producing
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Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation
Students pick a dance or movement to share with others and think about how they want to show it.
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Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation
Students practice a dance move until it looks the way they want it to look, then show it to others.
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Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work
Students share a dance or movement with others to express a feeling or idea, such as pretending to be a falling leaf or a stomping giant.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation | Students pick a dance or movement to share with others and think about how they want to show it. | DA:Pr4.pk |
| Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation | Students practice a dance move until it looks the way they want it to look, then show it to others. | DA:Pr5.pk |
| Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work | Students share a dance or movement with others to express a feeling or idea, such as pretending to be a falling leaf or a stomping giant. | DA:Pr6.pk |
Responding
Responding
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Perceive and analyze artistic work
Students look at a dance someone else performed and share what they noticed, like a jump, a spin, or a shape the dancer made with their body.
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Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work
Students look at a dance and talk about what they think the dancer is trying to show, such as a feeling or a story.
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Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work
Students look at a dance and say what they liked or what they noticed. They start to explain why, in their own words.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Perceive and analyze artistic work | Students look at a dance someone else performed and share what they noticed, like a jump, a spin, or a shape the dancer made with their body. | DA:Re7.pk |
| Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work | Students look at a dance and talk about what they think the dancer is trying to show, such as a feeling or a story. | DA:Re8.pk |
| Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work | Students look at a dance and say what they liked or what they noticed. They start to explain why, in their own words. | DA:Re9.pk |
Common Questions
What does dance look like for a four-year-old?
Students explore how their bodies move through space. They try big and small movements, fast and slow, and start to copy simple shapes and steps. Most of the work happens through music, stories, and games rather than formal routines.
How can I support dance at home?
Put on music and move together for a few minutes a day. Ask students to show how an animal walks, how a leaf falls, or how a robot turns. These small games build the same body awareness they practice at school.
Does my child need any dance experience or training?
No. Pre-K dance is about exploring movement, not learning routines. Students who have never taken a class will do just as well as students who have.
How should the year be sequenced?
Start with body awareness and basic movements like walking, jumping, and shaping the body. Move into responding to music and stories with movement. End the year with short pieces students can show to classmates, with simple choices about how to begin and end.
What does mastery look like by the end of Pre-K?
Students can copy a movement, invent one of their own, and connect a movement to a feeling or idea from a story or song. They can also watch a classmate dance and say something about what they noticed.
My child is shy about performing. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Pre-K dance values trying movements more than performing them. Dancing at home, behind a couch, or with a stuffed animal as the audience all count as practice.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Stopping on cue, using personal space without bumping into others, and finishing a movement with a clear ending. Short games with freezes, spots on the floor, and clear start and stop signals help more than long activities.
How is dance connected to other learning at this age?
Movement supports listening, following directions, counting beats, and acting out stories. A child who dances out a story is also practicing sequencing and memory, which show up later in reading and math.