Fun and simple warm up ideas for movement based lessons to get minds thinking and bodies moving…

1. Let’s Warm Up! All your questions answered… How do I plan a warm up? What movements can I use? I am not confident in dance how can I lead a warm up? How can I relate movement to the curriculum? Which music is best to use? I where do I start? Fun and simple warm up ideas for movement based lessons to get minds thinking and bodies moving… Written by Katie Vernon-Smith, with thanks to Stephen Mason, Alison Swann, Kit Smith and Kath Duhigg

2. Why warm up? Warms ups are very important part of the lesson and can be changed and developed according to your lesson and topic. There are several different ways of warming up which can be varied each week to improve children’s movement vocabulary, fitness and motor skills. Reasons to warm up: • Focuses the children for a physical lesson which can help with behaviour management • Physically warms up the children which prepares muscles and can help prevent injuries • Ideas for topics can be filtered into the session which the children can use later on in their creative work • A consistent start to the lesson each week Parallel position This is often a good solid starting position for children to stand in to begin some warm ups. It helps with alignment and focuses their attention where you would like it to be.

3. Contents

4. 1. The Flock • Ask the group to spread out in the space so no-one is touching anyone else or anything around the edge of the room • Put the music on (if required) and ask the children to start walking around the space • Call out numbers and the children follow the actions that correlate to these numbers Numbers and their actions • 1 - rolling down for 8 counts and rolling up for 8 counts • 2 - swing the arms in front and behind, bending the knees and keeping the feet in parallel • 3 - stand with feet wide apart and reach out the arms side to side • 4 - twitch! Any fidgeting movements as fast as possible • Use 8 counts for each action and change the order through out the exercise How does this help us warm up? • These movements stretch muscles in the back, arms and legs • It is a good way of the children using simple counts with movement • It helps children become aware of different body parts which can be used when creating dances later in the session

5. 2. Count downs Version 1 • Ask the children to find a space in the room and spread out • Standing in parallel, shoulders relaxed shake out the hands with straight arms above the head for 8 counts • Shake the hands and arms out in front at shoulder level for 8 counts • Shake the hands and arms out to the floor for 8 counts • Shake the hands and arms out to the sides at shoulder level for 8 counts • Repeat this whole exercise with counts of four, 2 and then counts of 1 performing the exercise twice on this count Version 2 • Repeat the exercise, bending the knees in parallel in time with the music How does this help us warm up? • This is a good way of warming up the muscles in the arms and also the legs in version two • This exercise also helps with keeping regular counts with movement • This is good to build up stamina

6. 3. Levels • Ask the children to spread out in the space not touching each other • Slowly mark through the movement first by taking a small step to the right • Step the left foot over the right foot, then step the right foot out to the side • The arms stay by the sides until the last step where the right arm reaches to the right side • Repeat on the other side by stepping on the left foot, cross the right foot over the left foot and stepping again on your left foot reaching the left arm to the left side • Repeat the exercise by reaching out the arms to the sides at different levels • High • Medium • Low • This can be sped up or slowed down depending on the ability of the children • You can also try and catch the children out as they try to guess which level you will try and reach for! How does this help us warm up? • This works on the children’s stamina and pumps blood around their bodies preparing their muscles for movement • This is a good way of introducing the children to ‘levels’ which they can use their dances later on in the session

7. 4. Pathways and Directions The class face the front starting in parallel position and copy the teacher working in unison (all together) focusing on directions and pathways. You can lead by: Directions • Travelling 4 x steps forwards • Travelling 4 x steps backwards • Travelling 4 x steps to each side • Focusing on quarter, half and full turns around the room (or 90, 180, 360 degrees) Pathways • Walking, hopping, skipping, sliding in different pathways: • circle, zigzag, square, diagonal… How does this help us warm up? • This requires a high level of concentration from the children who have to be alert throughout the exercise. A great warm up to get their attention. • To increase children’s spatial awareness and movements that can be used in creative tasks.

8. 5. Travelling Travelling Is a great way to introduce linking movements together which can form a basic dance. These travelling ideas can be developed to suit your topic and class. Working in lines across the room trying to stay in a line in unison: • 4 runs, two jumps (in parallel), 4 runs, two jumps • 4 runs, 2 jumps, 4 runs, half turn, half turn • 4 runs in a circle, jump forward, jump backwards, run forward • You can add in different travelling movements such as : • hopping • skipping • leaping • sliding • jumping How does this help us warm up? • This is a fun way of getting children travelling across the space using different ways of travelling • A good way to get children to work with each other as a ‘team’

9. 6. Call and Response - Games Call and Response This is a good game is your want to let the children start exploring their own movement skills which they can use later on when developing their own dances. Like the warm up earlier in The Flock you call out a word and the children respond to it. This example is taken from the topic of Bangladesh: • Island (small isolated shapes) • Mainland (wide and flat shape on their own) • Borders (children have to link up with 3 other children and create a border which can be straight, curved, wiggly…) How does this help us warm up? • Good for concentration and listening skills • Using different levels, size and body parts

10. 7. Ripple Runs • In lines of 4 or 5, the back person comes to the front of the line travelling anyway they like down the left hand side of the line and stands in front of the person at the front of the line • As soon they are at the front (and not before!) the next person at the back of the line travels to the front • This continues until the whole group are at the other end of the room • This can be developed by the children linking body parts to each other when they reach the front of the line and by using different levels How does this help us warm up? • This is a fun way of getting children travelling across the space using different ways of travelling • A good way to get children to work with each other as a ‘team’ • This can also be turned in a race which is good for building stamina

11. 8. Magnets and Springs This warm up game relates directly to the topic magnets and springs focusing on the forces between magnets – push and pull and attract and repel. • The children have to be in pairs labelled A and B. When the teacher calls out repel the children have to run as far away from their partner as possible against the walls of the space. • When the teacher calls out attract the children connect a different body part to each other.E.g. elbow to knee, head to hip • By encouraging children to use different body parts in the warm up and games, will allow the children’s movement vocabulary to develop which they can use when creating their own dances later on in exploration and improvisation. How does this help us warm up? • To learn about the forces between magnets from the magnets and springs unit of work • Learning to work together in pairs

12. Music • Music can be an important and useful tool in the warm up and can help create different atmospheres (energetic, calm, creative…) depending on what you would like to achieve. • It is a good when planning your warm up and games to decide what music you are going to use and plan it with your session. This saves time when you are teaching the warm up to know the track you are going to use and also if you are using counts you can be clear of them so not to confuse the children. • Often music can be played in the background to give the children ideas but not necessarily used to create a dance to. • Music should be used for a reason and not just played for the sake of it. The music should relate to the session (in counts, theme, creatively) and this will make the lesson more productive and allow the children to make links with sound and movement. Music for Dance • Chillout compilation albums • Film soundtracks • World music

13. Body Shape big small straight curved Useful vocabulary Body Parts head neck shoulder elbows arms wrists hands fingers torso back hips legs Movements jump turn slide travel hop skip gesture stretch twist bend leap gallop spin still Levels high medium low Pathways zigzag curved spiral Directions forward backward sideways Speed fast medium slow Force strong gentle With others copying/mirroring leading/following unison (performing the same movements at the same time) canon (performing 1 after the other or at different times) 1 moving/1 still

14. Dance analysis card – what can you see in other people’s dances? Dance analysis card – what can you see in other people’s dances? Dance analysis card – what can you see in other people’s dances? Dance analysis card – what can you see in other people’s dances? Dance analysis card – what can you see in other people’s dances? Pathways zigzag curved spiral Movements jump stretch turn twist slide bend travel leap hop gallop skip spin gesture still balance Directions forwards backwards sideways Body parts head neck shoulders elbows arms wrists hands fingers torso back hips legs knees feet ankles toes Speed fast medium slow Levels high medium low Body Shape small big straight curved