This beginner ballet lesson plan is designed for the 3-5 age group, focusing on a preschool dance curriculum that balances play with foundational technique. We’ve structured this class to help your dancers develop the muscle memory and coordination needed for essential skills like tendus, piques, arabesques, and sautes.
Since this is the first lesson in the syllabus, this class includes very basic ballet skills, and overall should be treated as an introduction to ballet concepts and technique.
Skill Focus:
- Tendus and Piques
- Arabesque A’terre (on the ground)
- Sautes in first and second
- Port De Bras in first, second, and high fifth using the “Balloon Analogy”
Terminology to Review with Class:
- Pique – to prick
- Tendu – to stretch
- Saute – to jump
- Port de Bras – carriage of the arms
Tips for Teaching this Class:
- Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: When you’re introducing new ballet terminology to preschoolers, repetition is your best friend. Say the word clearly and have the dancers say it back to you repeatedly!
- Terminology Quiz: Before the dancers head out, do a quick terminology review. I love turning this into a “mini-quiz” where they can earn stickers for correct answers. It’s a great way to gauge what they actually remembered from the lesson.
- Hands on Hips for Stability: Until they’ve mastered the basic footwork, keep hands on hips! This age group needs to focus entirely on their balance and coordination before we start adding choreographed arms.
- Isolate the Port De Bras: Treat the arms as their own separate skill. Practicing Port De Bras individually (without any footwork) improves shoulder development as they can really focus on their shoulder placement.
- Focus on 1-2 Areas for Corrections: Students of this age cannot manage fixing their hips, arms, ribs, and feet all in one turn. Segment out your corrections, and narrow in on one or two fixable pieces of feedback.
- Avoid the Barre: I usually avoid the barre for the 3-5 age group. The ballet barre can quickly turn into a monkey bar with this class. Plus, since they’re still developing their core balance, they tend to lean too heavily on it. Unless you have a tiny class of 5 or fewer, you’ll have much better luck sticking to center work and across-the-floor exercises to keep them square and focused.
| Skill/Position | Activity Description | Teacher Notes |
| Attendance/Question | What is your favorite color? | |
| Butterfly | Pick a place to fly to | |
| Nose to toes. “Smell your stinky toes” | ||
| Try to pull in feet slightly closer and bend forward again. | ||
| Pike / legs out in front. | Practice switching arms from 5th to demi second. Changing tempos to quick and slow | |
| Flex and point feet. Bonus: Practice “Barbie” feet AKA demi-pointe | ||
| Stretch forward. Flex feet and try to grab toes, pulling heels off the ground. | ||
| Straddle | Reach towards each foot and “rainbow to the other side” | You can “make a pizza” in your straddle, ask kids for toppings, spread the sauce, put it in the oven, then enjoy 🙂 |
| 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 – Hold for 8 counts | ||
| Plies | 8 plies in 1st > rise to releve with arms in high 5th | Explain there should be a diamond in between their legs when they plie. |
| 8 plies in 2nd > rise to releve w/ arms in high 5th | ||
| Repeat plies with releve turn (arms in high 5th) | ||
| Tendus & Piques | 8 tendus to the front (start w/ hands on hips) | Make sure they are actually using the floor and not just “plopping” their foot out |
| 8 tendus to the side | ||
| Repeat with piques to front and side. Repeat with the left foot | ||
| Port de Bras | Start with arms in 1st, then rise to 5th | Refer to post called “Teaching Port de Bras to Toddlers: The Balloon Analogy” |
| Our balloon “pops” and our arms float down to demi. Repeat 3 more times and reverse | ||
| Tip Toe walks | Changing paces from fast to slow. Focus on staying on releve | |
| Have them change directions, Try to tip toe walk backwards! | ||
| Add in different arms (high 5th, “butterfly arms” etc.) | ||
| Allegro/Jumps | Skips w/ hands on hips. | |
| Chasses: Facing the mirror, hands on hips | ||
| Chasses in a circle, around the room, changing directions | ||
| Arabesques | Set out 3-4 dots across the floor | |
| Have students ballet walk to each dot, they land in 1st on the dot. | ||
| Tendu to arabesque, reaching arms to the opposite side of the room. Find balance with foot on the ground and hold. | ||
| Elective/fun elements | Introduce rules for freeze dance: No screaming, running, gymnastics, etc. | If you have LED lights in the studio, turn them on if you think the class can handle it! |
| “Party Freeze Song” can be found on Spotify/Apple Music | ||
| Song tells kids when to hop, turn, skip, dance, and freeze. |
References & Other Materials for Beginner Ballet Ages 3-5:
