Download the lesson plan PDF here.

Goldfish song for warmup:

Class:		Baby Ballerinas
Age:		24 – 36 months (2 years old)
Class Segment	Skill/Position	Activity Description	Teacher notes
Stretch/Warm-up	attendance/question	What noise does your favorite animal make?
	butterfly	pick a color of wings
		Stretch your “nose to your toes” (repeat twice)
		flap your wings
	pike / legs out in front.	arms to 5th/down (changing paces)
		Flex and point feet
		stretch forward
	straddle	reach towards each foot and “rainbow to the other side”
		reach towards the middle, without rolling in toes/hips
		flex and point feet
	lay on stomach	press up on hands “like a mermaid”
		bend knees and reach feet to head
En Centre	The “Goldfish” song (linked above)	gets dancers moving around and activates listening	The lyrics are silly and 2 year olds love that & you want to get the “sillies” out before class fully starts!
		Dancers listen the words of the song that tell them to shake, jump, skip, etc.
	Demi plies and port de bras	8 plies in first with hands on hip	Combining skills is helpful with age bc it can be hard to get them to do 4 excersizes en centre!
		8 plies in 2nd with hands on hips
		Practice moving arms from 1st, to 5th, to 2nd.
	Tendus and Piques	Feet in first with hands on hips, 8 tendus to the front	I explain piques like they are “tapping” the floor
		8 tendus to the side. Repeat with piques
		Repeat left side
	Arabesques	Facing the side, start with feet in first, then tendu back
		Once they find their balance they can lift their leg
Across the Floor	Tip toe walks	Changing paces from fast to slow
		Focus on staying on releve
		Add in different arms (high 5th, “butterfly arms” etc.)
	Skips	Skips w/ hands on hips.
		Posse hops with hands on hips
		Chasses: Facing the mirror, arms in 2nd
	Jumps in 1st and 2nd	Lay out dots hopscotch-style
		Dancers jump to 2nd and first, following the dots
		Hands on hips, focus on feet jumping out and in
	Coordinated Jumps	Lay out 4 dots across the floor	Harder than it looks for this age! Really focusing on aiming/coordinating landing both feet on a target
		Dancers ballet run to each dot and jump, trying to land with their feet together on each dot.