What does dance look like at this age?

Students explore how their bodies move through space, copy simple movement patterns, and make up short dances of their own. A lot of the year is about noticing how a fast move feels different from a slow one, or how a stretch feels different from a curl.

How can I support dance at home?

Put on music and let students show you a move that feels happy, sleepy, or strong. Five minutes of moving to a song, then talking about what their body did, builds the same skills they practice in class.

Does my child need any dance experience or training?

No. The work starts from scratch. Students are learning to control their own movement, follow simple directions, and share what they made with classmates.

How should I sequence the year?

Start with body awareness and basic movements like bend, stretch, twist, and jump. Move into combining moves with a beat, then into short made-up dances students can share and talk about by the end of the year.

What does mastery look like by June?

Students can copy a short movement pattern, make up a few moves of their own with a clear beginning and end, and say something simple about what a dance reminded them of or made them feel.

How do students respond to dance they watch?

They describe what they saw in plain words, like fast, low, or shaky, and share what they think the dance was about. The goal is honest observation, not formal critique.

What usually needs the most reteaching?

Personal space and stopping on a signal. Most early lessons stall when students bump into each other or keep moving past the music, so freeze games and spacing routines are worth repeating all year.

How does dance connect to other things students are learning?

Students use dance to act out stories, show what a word means, or move like something from a science lesson. This is how movement starts to carry meaning, not just energy.

What does a student learn in
?

This is the year movement becomes a way to tell a story. Students explore how their bodies can move through space, change speed, and show feelings like happy or sleepy. They learn to watch a classmate dance and say what they noticed. By spring, students can make up a short dance with a clear beginning and end and share it with the class.

Illustration of what students learn in Kindergarten Arts: Dance

Body movement
Dance and feelings
Watching dances
Sharing a dance
Space and speed

Source: California Content Standards for California Public Schools

Year at a glance

How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.

1
Moving the body safely
Students learn how to use their bodies in a dance space. They practice basic moves like jumping, stretching, and spinning while staying aware of the people around them.
2
Making up movement
Students start inventing their own movements based on ideas, feelings, and things they see. A parent might notice a child dancing out a story about a storm or an animal at home.
3
Dancing with music and rhythm
Students match their movements to a beat and explore fast and slow, high and low, heavy and light. They begin shaping short movement patterns they can repeat.
4
Sharing a short dance
Students put movements together into a short piece and perform it for classmates. They practice starting, stopping, and finishing a dance with a clear ending.
5
Watching and talking about dance
Students watch other dancers and talk about what they noticed and liked. They begin connecting dances to feelings, stories, and traditions from different families and places.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Kindergarten.

Connecting

Standard	Definition	Code
Connect dance to your own life	Students connect something from their own life to what they're learning in dance class, then use that personal experience to shape how they move and create.	CA-DA:Cn10.k.K
Dance from different cultures and times	Dance comes from real life. Students notice how the dances people do connect to where they live, who they are, and the stories their families and communities carry.	CA-DA:Cn11.k.K

Creating

Standard	Definition	Code
Making up new dance moves	Students make up their own movements and short dances by experimenting with how their body can move through space.	CA-DA:Cr1.k.K
Making a dance from your own ideas	Students arrange simple movements into a short dance phrase, making choices about what comes first, next, and last.	CA-DA:Cr2.k.K
Finishing a dance you made	Students look back at a dance they made, try it again with small changes, and then show it as a finished piece.	CA-DA:Cr3.k.K

Performing/Presenting/Producing

Standard	Definition	Code
Picking dances to share with others	Students pick a movement or short dance to share with others, thinking about why that choice feels right to them.	CA-DA:Pr4.k.K
Practicing moves before the big performance	Students practice a dance movement again and again to get it ready to show others. Repetition is how a step gets cleaner and more confident.	CA-DA:Pr5.k.K
Share what a dance means	Students pick a dance they made and perform it for others, showing what they want the movement to mean.	CA-DA:Pr6.k.K

Responding

Standard	Definition	Code
Watching and talking about dance	Students watch a dance and say what they notice, like how a dancer moves fast or slow, uses big gestures, or stays in one spot. Looking closely at movement is how students begin to think about dance.	CA-DA:Re7.k.K
What a dance means	Students say what a dance makes them think or feel, and explain why a movement or moment stood out to them.	CA-DA:Re8.k.K
Judging what makes dance good	Students say what they like about a dance and explain why, using simple words like "fast," "slow," or "big."	CA-DA:Re9.k.K

Common Questions

What does dance look like at this age?
Students explore how their bodies move through space, copy simple movement patterns, and make up short dances of their own. A lot of the year is about noticing how a fast move feels different from a slow one, or how a stretch feels different from a curl.
How can I support dance at home?
Put on music and let students show you a move that feels happy, sleepy, or strong. Five minutes of moving to a song, then talking about what their body did, builds the same skills they practice in class.
Does my child need any dance experience or training?
No. The work starts from scratch. Students are learning to control their own movement, follow simple directions, and share what they made with classmates.
How should I sequence the year?
Start with body awareness and basic movements like bend, stretch, twist, and jump. Move into combining moves with a beat, then into short made-up dances students can share and talk about by the end of the year.
What does mastery look like by June?
Students can copy a short movement pattern, make up a few moves of their own with a clear beginning and end, and say something simple about what a dance reminded them of or made them feel.
How do students respond to dance they watch?
They describe what they saw in plain words, like fast, low, or shaky, and share what they think the dance was about. The goal is honest observation, not formal critique.
What usually needs the most reteaching?
Personal space and stopping on a signal. Most early lessons stall when students bump into each other or keep moving past the music, so freeze games and spacing routines are worth repeating all year.
How does dance connect to other things students are learning?
Students use dance to act out stories, show what a word means, or move like something from a science lesson. This is how movement starts to carry meaning, not just energy.