Jungle Dance Games that Enhance Memory Skills
Dancing in the classroom is not only a joyful activity but also supports the enhancement of working memory skills for children. Working Memory is a part of the cognitive function that is used in short-term memory tasks. These functions for the young child include paying attention to instructions or a short story, small organizational activities like cleaning up after play-time, and keeping track of what they are doing in the classroom. MOSI + MOO nurtures these skill through easy to more complex sets of dance instruction. With the MOSI + MOO dance program, the following activities help with the development of Working Memory:
Repetition of steps that make phrases
Movement games that require simple memory skills
Visualization skills through story-telling and drama
Recalling different dances to make connections
Here are some Jungle themed dance activities that will support Working Memory building for your kids.
Drum Freeze Dance - Dancers move in different ways while the drum is playing and then freeze when the drum stops playing. Teacher can chant: “When the drums says walk, you walk, and when the drum says stop, you stop.” Dancers can: run like an ostrich, leap like a gazelle, float like a butterfly, stand on one foot like a flamingo and stomp like an elephant. Dancers can:
Run like an Ostrich
Leap like a Gazelle
Float like a Butterfly
Stand on one foot like a Flamingo
Stomp like an Elephant
Sleepy Jungle Animal Game - Rotate between dance music and sleepy music. When they hear dance music, the children dance and make sounds like different animals, and when it changes to sleepy music, they pretend to fall asleep. Animals can include:
Laugh and Spin like a Hyena
Run and Purr like a Jaguar
Jump and Croak like a Frog
Swing and Holler like a Monkey
Animal Roll Call - Different jungle animals are called out with a name, like "Albert the Alligator". Children change their animal movements to match that animal. The game goes faster and faster until the children can recall the steps just with the animal's first name. The animals include:
Gallop like a Zebra
Slither like a Snake
Creep like a Lion
Snap your arms like a Crocodile
Flap your wings like an Owl
The Lily Pad Hop - Line up mats or big pieces of paper around the room. Have the children jump to some fun music until you say the word Crocodile. Every child must jump on to a lily pad until the music begins again.
The Animal Parade - Divide the children into 4 groups. Each group goes into a different corner. The opposing corners switch sides by dancing across the room like a jungle animal that is called out. This is a great game for spatial awareness.
Sarina Condello is Together Classroom’s Creative Dance Expert. Serena has traveled the world for over 30 years, teaching dance to thousands of children. She also stars as Belle in the Youtube Creative Dance series MOSI + MOO.
MOSI + MOO is creative programming on YouTube for children ages 2-7. It is curriculum-based and mindfully designed to enhance children’s locomotor, non-locomotor, and problem solving skills. MOSI + MOO offers hours of free physical edutainment including Nursery Rhyme Dances like Old MacDonald, and Dance Songs like the funny Monkey Swing or Wobbly Clown. They also offer incredible 20+ minute Dance Stories, where children can dance through the pages of an imaginary adventure storybook and problem solve using their newly learned dance motifs.
