This activity aims to build the fundamental movement skills of locomotion (running), balance, and coordination (jumping, dancing).
How to Play
Read the “Bee Dance” poem by Helaine Becker (see table below) and work through the individual or group dance actions together. Repeat several times.
Change it up / Alternatives / Additional Options
- Try these books to explore books about bees: Dumpy La Rue by Betsy Lewin & Elizabeth Winthrop; Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton; The Life and Times of the Honeybee by Charles Micucci.
- Put on music and invite the children to invent their own dances and move to the music in their own way.
- For children who are deaf or hard of hearing, act out the actions or provide pictures of the intended movements.
- For children with impairments in flexibility or gross motor skills, encourage them to move and stretch as much as they can, understanding that it may look different to others.
- If you have a participant who uses a wheelchair, be intentional around the movements that you select to allow them to participate.
- If you have a child with another type of disability not mentioned above, they may be able to participate in this activity without adaptations or modifications