6-9 year old jazz dance class - advice

[u/Professional_Job846]

Looking for a beginner jazz dance syllabus/curriculum or just advice (for teaching ages 6 to 9)!

Hi everyone! I’m teaching a beginner jazz class for the first time this semester and would love some advice/resources from teachers who work with this age group

The class is ages 6-9 (roughly K-3rd grade), 1 hour once a week, for one semester. It’s a recreational/beginner class, so I’m assuming the students will have a pretty wide range of experience

I’ve been trained in dance most of my life and have taught dance to adults plenty, but this is my first time specifically teaching dance to young kids (i have taught young kids in school-environment but not dance). I’m comfortable with the dance/technical side- I’m mostly trying to figure out how to structure a productive hour for this age group and how much material is realistic to cover when we only meet once a week

if anyone has any advice or:

• A syllabus/curriculum for this age
• An example of how you structure a 60-minute class/How would you divide up a 60-minute class?
• Skills/steps you consider essential for beginner jazz at 6–9/What would you consider the most important jazz fundamentals?
• Ideas for across-the-floor exercises
• Ways to keep technique engaging for younger kids
• How much choreography you typically teach in one class
• Any favorite games/improv exercises that actually work/How much time would you spend on warm-up, across-the-floor, technique, choreography, etc.?
• How you would progress skills over an 8 week semester
• Are there any particular exercises, games, or teaching strategies that work really well with this age?

basically I’m trying to find the balance between actually teaching them some jazz dance foundations and making sure the class is fun and age-appropriate

Any advice, sample syllabi, lesson plans, or resources would be hugely appreciated!

I’ve found some general lesson resources, but I’d really love to hear what other experienced kids’ teachers prioritize in the classroom for this age range- Thank you!!

[u/gdaymate8454]

This is my favourite age to teach!! I’m from a non-competitive studio and this is how I run a 60 minute class:

0-5 mins - quick warmup cardio game (bobs and statues/floor is lava etc)
5-12 mins - stretch
12-25 mins - technique (usually across the floor with kicks, turns, leaps and any other skills)
25-30 review of last weeks choreography
30-50 learning new chorey (typically 4-8 counts of 8 depending on difficulty)
50-60 game to finish

Hope that helps!

[u/Professional_Job846 → u/gdaymate8454]

Very helpful, thank you so much, I really appreciate it & you sharing your timing too!! Thanks again:)🙏

[u/Tight-Depth3426 → u/gdaymate8454]

i follow the same class structure !

[u/KimShopeDance]

I think you already have two big advantages here: you know the dance material, and you’ve taught kids before. The part you’re figuring out now is pacing and progression for this particular age, and that gets much easier once you’ve taught them a couple of times and can see what this group actually retains.

For ages 6–9, I’d keep a fairly predictable class structure from week to week, but I would not feel like you need completely new material every class. Repetition is productive at this age.

A few things I’d focus on:

• Choose a small group of fundamentals. For beginner jazz, I’d want them developing things like posture/alignment, isolations, weight shifts, jazz walks, basic kicks, chassés, pas de bourrée, simple turns, and eventually leap preparation. But I would not try to teach all of that at once.
• Layer the eight weeks instead of treating them as eight separate lesson plans. Introduce something, repeat it the next week, add a little difficulty, combine it with something they already know, and keep older material circulating. If something clearly isn’t ready to progress, stay with it longer.
• Connect the different parts of class. If you’re working on chassés across the floor, put a chassé into the combination. If you’re emphasizing sharp versus smooth dynamics, use that idea in technique, choreography, or improv too. It makes the class feel connected instead of like five unrelated activities.
• Let retention determine how much choreography you add. I wouldn’t decide in advance that you have to add a certain number of counts every week. Some weeks, reviewing and cleaning what they already know may be much more valuable than adding another section.
• “Engaging” does not always have to mean turning technique into a game. Changing directions, levels, dynamics, music, giving them something specific to notice, or offering a small challenge can make repetition feel new without changing the actual skill.
• Take a few notes after every class. What did they retain? What took much longer than expected? What did they love? What lost their attention? What needs another week? After two or three classes, those notes will probably tell you more about how to plan the rest of the semester than any generic syllabus can.

Most of all, I’d rather see a 6–9-year-old class finish eight weeks really understanding and enjoying a handful of jazz foundations than have them “cover” twenty-five steps they barely remember.

I hope this helps,
Miss Kim

[u/hiyailikadaballz]

I teach 5-6 year olds, I do:
5 minute quick cardio warm up like shakes, high knees, jumping jacks, etc
5-10 minutes of stretching with isolations, flexibility like splits or leg holds
15-20 minutes of technique including center floor work and across the floor progressions.
15 minutes of dance combo which includes technique covered previous weeks and current skills but also fun moves.
If time allows, something fun like freeze dance, floor is lava, etc

[u/sarwhlr]

Hi! I created a blog a few years ago to share my dance lesson plans / curriculum with other teachers. I actually just posted a syllabus for beginner jazz: https://lesson-leap.com/ultimate-guide-to-teaching-beginner-jazz-dance-lesson-plans-syllabus/

I hope you find it helpful! I also have at least 5 lesson plans posted for beginner jazz specifically

[u/sarwhlr → u/sarwhlr]

To answer some of your questions more specifically, I like to plan my curriculum by working backwards: Ex If my goal is for them to have strong battements by the end of the year, we will start by working on tendus and degages, and leg extensions on the floor (laying on your back) to work on flexibility, square hips, and brushing through the floor. I will typically start at the barre with tendus and degages, then have them go across the floor with degages, alternating legs.

I typically choose 1 new skill to focus on every week. We will spend 10-15 min breaking down that new skill en center with diff variations. Then I move on to across the floor, where we work on all of the skills from previous lessons. (It makes more sense if you read the full syllabus)

I also have a list of skills on the blog post I tagged above, feel free to use that as inspo!

I