Feelings Freeze Dance

What you need

• Phone, 1 phone or speaker with music

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Push furniture back and clear toys off the floor so there's open space to dance safely. Queue up a few upbeat songs on your phone or speaker. Think of 5 to 8 feelings to call out, mixing easy ones (happy, sad) with trickier ones (proud, nervous, frustrated) for older kids.

1. Check that the dance floor is clear of furniture, toys and anything slippery.
2. Start the music and dance any way you like!
   Ask: What kind of dance does this song make your body want to do?
3. Stop the music suddenly and call out a feeling, like happy, grumpy, surprised or sleepy.
4. Freeze in a pose that shows that feeling with your face, arms and whole body.
5. Take turns sharing a time you felt that way. Grown-ups share too!
   Ask: When was a time you felt like that? What helped?
6. Start the music again and repeat with a new feeling each round.
7. Last round: one dancer is the music boss and calls the feeling.
8. Now invite someone new to join in! What feeling will you freeze as next?
   Ask: Who will you teach Ollie's feelings freeze dance to?

Play it again

• Guess the feeling: freeze in a pose and let everyone else guess which feeling it is.
• Slow motion: dance in super slow motion, then melt into your feeling pose.
• Feeling stories: freeze, then tell a one sentence story about why you feel that way.