Ask Ollie
Make Up a Family Dance
Here's one to try together!
Pick a song, invent four moves, and teach the whole family your very own routine!
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- spinning and jumping can cause falls or collisions, so clear the space of furniture and obstacles
- slippery floors or socks may cause slips
What you need
- Phone, 1, to play your song
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Clear a wide open space with no furniture, toys or cords in the way. Check that the floor is not slippery, and have everyone wear grippy shoes or go barefoot instead of slick socks. Have a phone or speaker ready to play music.
- Pick your favorite song to dance to.
- Listen and count in eights along with the beat. Ask: Can you hear where the count starts over again?
- Invent your first move and dance it for one set of eight.
- Make up three more moves, one for each set of eight.
- String your four moves together into one routine.
- Practice until the whole routine runs without stopping.
- Teach your family one move at a time, counting out loud. Ask: Which move do you think will be the trickiest to teach?
- Perform the whole routine together with the music on.
- Add a fifth move, then show your friends or invent a brand new dance! Ask: What will your fifth move be, and what will you name your dance?
Play it again
- Mirror dance: stand face to face and copy each other's moves.
- Switch song: keep your moves but dance them to a much faster or slower song.
- Freeze round: the music stops and everyone freezes in their last move.
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