Helpful Tips for Parents

• Dance is one of the most complete physical activities for preschoolers: it develops bilateral coordination, rhythm, balance, spatial awareness, and emotional expression simultaneously.

• Physical activity and emotional regulation are directly linked. A preschooler who has had sufficient physical activity handles frustration, transitions, and disappointment more effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much physical activity do preschoolers need per day?

The WHO and CDC recommend that preschoolers (ages 3–5) be physically active throughout the day, with a minimum of 3 hours of physical activity daily — including 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity. This can be accumulated across multiple sessions. Most preschoolers meet this recommendation easily if given outdoor access and unstructured play time, but children in settings with limited outdoor access or high screen time frequently do not.

Related reading: See also our dance party activities and our swimming and water safety guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🎵 Rhythm & Timing — Moving to a beat, keeping rhythm in marching or clapping, and coordinating movement to music develops the temporal processing that underlies both musical ability and the phonological timing needed for reading.
• 🤸 Flexibility & Agility — Stretching, bending, and quick direction changes develop flexibility and agility — the physical qualities that support athletic movement, injury prevention, and the body confidence that active children carry through life.
• 🤝 Social Skills & Teamwork — Physical games with partners or groups teach children to cooperate, cheer for others, follow a leader, and recover from competitive disappointment — the social-emotional skills that classroom cooperation requires.
• 🌱 Lifelong Active Habits — Children who have joyful physical experiences in the preschool years are dramatically more likely to be active adolescents and adults — making every positive movement experience an investment in lifelong health.

by Kelly Pfeiffer

Dancing will feel full of holiday magic when you give preschoolers non-toxic glow sticks or glow necklaces to use as dance props. Creative dance is a fun and festive way for preschoolers to stay fit and explore movement. A great party fitness activity or a solo dance performance will bring holiday smiles as preschoolers explore creative dance using glow in the dark lines and circles.

Glow Stick Dance Basics with Preschoolers

- Find a Space – Choose a space where preschoolers can move and dance a bit without running into things. If space is tight, consider moving the kitchen table into another room for a few hours. Preschoolers can even dance aglow outside in the yard or public park area. If you go outside, bring music along if possible.

- Turn On Music – Any type of holiday music will do. If you don't own any holiday music, try the radio, internet or local library selection. Holiday music can be fast or slow. Preschoolers especially have fun when the music tempo varies from song to song.

- Hand the glow stick or glow necklace to your preschooler and watch the dancing aglow begin.

Choosing Glow Props for Preschoolers

Shapes: Glow props comes in shapes, mostly lines and circles.

Lines: Both glow "sticks" and glow necklaces are lines. The necklace is a thin tube that comes with a connector so that the tube can be formed into a circle. A glow stick offers a line. A glow necklace or bracelet offers both a line and a circle as a creative dance prop.

Circles: Either a glow necklace or a glow bracelet offers a circle shape to use as a creative dance prop.

One Hand: Preschoolers can dance creatively while using only one prop, either a line or circle.

Two Hands: Change a creative dance activity by simply adding another prop. Preschoolers can dance with two rings, two lines or a ring and a line.

Color Choices for Dance Props

Colors: Glow dance props come in many colors. Consider matching the glow color with holiday colors.

Christmas – red, green

Hanukkah – blue

Kwanzaa – red, green, yellow

New Year's - any colors

Chinese New Year - bright colors

Creative Dance Tips for Preschoolers

Let Preschoolers Lead Their Own Dancing: For many preschoolers, all it takes is an adult to hand a dance prop and the dancing begins. If preschoolers don't dance at first, give them time to check out the glow prop, listen to the music and slowly ease into creative dance. Preschoolers learn best when allowed time and space to explore on their own. There's no right or wrong way to dance with props. Exploring new movements to find out what preschoolers like and don't like is part of the creative dance process.

Add A Mirror: After preschoolers have explored with glow sticks for while, introduce preschoolers to the concept of dancing with a glow prop in front of mirror. Preschoolers will use visual tracking skills as they watch in the mirror while their body moves the glow line or circle in different ways.

Seated Dancing for Preschoolers

Travel Activity: Glow stick dancing even works as a night time travel activity. Preschoolers will love waving glow sticks and glow necklaces while sitting for travel.

Wheelchair Activity: All preschoolers enjoy creative dance activities, even if the dancing is only for the upper body.

Seated Party Activity: If there's not enough room for preschoolers to move their whole bodies for creative movement, use glow sticking dancing as a seated activity.

Safety Considerations

Before purchasing glow sticks, necklaces or bracelets, check packaging labels to make sure that the glow liquid inside the sticks and tubes is non-toxic.

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