Before you begin your storytime, have the audience (parents included!) participate in a simple circle dance, such as ” The Hokey Pokey.” For a craft project, make these butterfly wands to use while dancing.
App: Together Time with Song and Rhyme for Parent and Preschooler, from Mulberry Media Interactive Inc.
Andreae, Giles. GIRAFFES CAN’T DANCE. Gerald feels like he is totally graceless but wants to try his best at the Jungle Dance.
Craig, Lindsey. DANCING FEET! Along with Marc Brown’s engaging collage illustrations, this features a bouncy rhyme celebrating a variety of dancing animals.
Durango, Julia. CHA CHA CHIMPS. In this counting story, ten chimps sneak out to the jazz club to dance.
Feiffer, Jules. RUPERT CAN DANCE. A cat watches Mandy dance during the day, but he secretly dances at night after she has gone to sleep.
Howe, James. BRONTORINA. A determined dinosaur dreams of becoming a ballerina.
Isadora, Rachel. MAX. A little boy takes ballet class before going to his Little League baseball game.
Kohuth, Jane. DUCK SOCK HOP. In this tongue-twisting rhyming tale, ducks go to their weekly dance.
Jonas, Ann. COLOR DANCE. Three dancers use scarves to show how colors mix to make new colors.
Ray, Mary Lyn. DEER DANCER. A little girl copies the grace of a deer she sees in a woodland clearing.
Schofield-Morrison, Connie. I GOT THE RHYTHM. A young African-American girl and her mother stroll through the neighborhood and hear various rhythms that inspire them to dance.
Tricarico, Christine. COCK-A-DOODLE DANCE! The animals on the farm start to dance, but learn to balance play and work.
Also see the previous Dance storytime ideas pages from September 2001 or January 2009.