Move. Create. Educate.

Yoga Block Prop

Do you have yoga blocks laying around the dance space? One day, I forgot to throw a prop in my bag. Oops! That’s so not like me. Instead of eliminating the prop dance in class, I felt like experimenting, so I used what was available and it was super fun! Here are some ideas to do with the yoga block: Continue reading Yoga Block Prop

Dancers Be Light… Dancers Be Quick…

Dancers leap over the candle stick!  Continue reading Dancers Be Light… Dancers Be Quick…

Umbrella Shapes

 

Some of my favorite dances to do with my littles are about spring. We love to jump puddles and dance with flowers, but I had the idea to explore umbrellas! Here’s what we did:  Continue reading Umbrella Shapes

How To Make A Circle With 12 Littles + You

I was riding the train tonight and had an instant thought that I don’t think I ever shared with you my trick for making a circle with my littles. Have I told you about it? Continue reading How To Make A Circle With 12 Littles + You

6 Goals To Set For Your Littles: AKA My Hidden Agenda

Setting goals is a huge topic. When I think of my own goals, I think of how many I have accomplished since graduating college. I also think of how many more I want to accomplish. Eeek, makes my head hurt! If you ask my husband, he says I have a new goal every week! He’s right, it is just in my nature to be ambitious. It’s good to have goals, but sometimes I dwell and think about them too much; I’m still working on the balance. Continue reading 6 Goals To Set For Your Littles: AKA My Hidden Agenda

What Would You Do If Your Boys Wore Tutus?

Have you heard about the book My Princess Boy? A mom wrote it about her little boy who wanted to wear dresses and jewelry instead of pants and baseball caps. She decided to not make it a big deal and allow him to express himself with whatever he wanted to wear. When I saw this, I thought “wow, how awesome is that?” A brave mom who isn’t allowing the world’s impressions of gender roles affect her son. She is letting him decide for himself. Continue reading What Would You Do If Your Boys Wore Tutus?

5 Itsy Bitsy Spider Dances

One of my most favorite songs to do with my three year olds is the itsy bitsy spider dance. They seem to never get sick of it. It’s such a classic, but there are so many things you can do with it that my imagination has almost exploded with the possibilities! Here are some ideas: Continue reading 5 Itsy Bitsy Spider Dances

Straight and Curvy Shapes

Yesterday I taught my 4-5 year old ballet class straight and curvy shapes! It was awesome. In ballet class, it is most important that they know the difference. After we did the lesson, I was able to use the reference in the rest of the class. It was awesome to see that they understood it. I used the song from Leap n’ Learn. It’s a simple song, but switches between curvy and straight shapes to help us feel the difference.   Continue reading Straight and Curvy Shapes

DanceStudioOwner.com Note Card Giveaway!

The wonderful DanceStudioOwner.com is offering an awesome giveaway for four (!) of my readers! :) How awesome, right? You have a chance to win one box of cards from the sophisticated collection for your older students and one from the sweet collection for your younger students!  That’s two boxes of note cards for each winner! If you win, it will be a surprise which covers you get! Continue reading DanceStudioOwner.com Note Card Giveaway!

A Must Read Breakthrough Story!

Hi friends! I can’t believe there is only 1 more week of summer classes! Can you? Are you done teaching for the summer, or do you have some more to go? This week in particular has been so exciting. I had new photos taken for this site and  to use around the web. They turned out so wonderful and I can’t wait for you to see them! Continue reading A Must Read Breakthrough Story!

About

Maria Hanley Maria Hanley is an independent early childhood dance educator in New York City. View Maria's profile on LinkedIn

Moving Around The Web

Dance Advantage Columns- Read Kid Concepts where I write helpful tips about teaching dance to toddlers and preschoolers.

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Looking to use picture books with your littles? My collaboration with Picture Books and Pirouettes will give you loads of ideas!

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