6 Easy Dance Games for Kids

Dance games are a great way to increase your child’s musicality, strength, and creativity all while getting out their energy! Try these dance games with your family, friends or even at your dance studio.

I’ve been teaching dance for over 15 years and in this article, I’ll share 6 easy dance games for kids that you can try at home or in the dance studio.These games can be played in-person or adapted for playing online (I love playing these games online with my students!)

Dance game for Kids #1 - Rainbow Freeze Dance

Want to take regular freeze dance up a notch? Try this colorful version! For this dance game, you’ll need a rainbow lei (you can usually find these at party stores or online.) Alternatively, you can create a necklace with penne pasta and color the noodles different colors using markers or paint. The more colorful your lei or necklace, the better as we will be using this for a rainbow scavenger hunt.

Rules:

The game begins just like regular freeze dance. When the music is on, everyone dances! When the music stops, everyone freezes (stops dancing) as fast as they can. Then, count to three and tell everyone to relax.

Choose 1 person and have them tell you a number between 1-10. Using the rainbow lei or rainbow necklace, count that many rotations until you end up on a single color. Then give everyone 10 seconds to find an object that matches the chosen color.

Let everyone share the object they found and then give them 3 seconds to put it back where they found it. Then, the game begins again.

To make the game more challenging, you can tell dancers how they must dance for each new round. For example, show me your favorite jump, dance like an animal, or show me a ballet step. You can also make the rainbow scavenger hunt portion of the game more challenging by adding an additional color (I usually add on one that is next to the chosen color) and ask your child or dancers to find an object that has both colors.

Dance game for Kids #2 - Cinderella Clock Game

This dance game is inspired by when the clock in Cinderella strikes 12! I love playing this during the Cinderella week of my Fairytale online dance classes.

Rules:

To begin, ask everyone to find a spot to be their “castle.” This could be a pillow, chair, bean bag, etc. Explain that when dancers hear, “it’s midnight!” they need to run back to their castle and touch it as quickly as possible. Practice this a few times.

Explain that you will ask one student at a time, “what time is it?” They can choose a time between 1 and 11 by saying, “it’s 2 o’clock” or “it’s 10 o’clock,” for example.

Then, the leader chooses a dance move to perform that matches the number chosen by the dancer. You can also let the child choose the dance move or have dance moves prepared on cards that they can draw.

Ideas:

Leaps
Spins
Plies
Gallops
Skips
Ballet walks
Kicks
Star jumps

Then, go to the next dancer and ask, “what time is it?” and the game continues. However, every once in a while, the leader will say at random, “it’s midnight!” and everyone needs to run to their castle as fast as they can. If you are playing this in-person, you can try and tag someone as they run back to their castle and they can become the new leader.

Dance game for Kids #3 - Flashcard Dance Game

Does your child like to use their imagination? This is a perfect game for you! For this game, you’ll need to find a deck of flashcards with different images or create your own using Canva. I like using alphabet flashcards since they usually have different animals, food, and other items on them.

Rules:Tell dancers that you will show them a flashcard. They can either pretend to BE what is pictured on the flashcard or they can pretend to be using, eating, etc. what is pictured on the flashcard. For example, if you have a flashcard that shows ice cream, they can pretend to dance as the ice cream or with it.

Put on some upbeat music and go through the flashcards, using your imaginations. Go through the entire deck, giving your child enough time to really think about how to dance like what they see on the card.

If you have a large group, it’s fascinating to see how many different interpretations of the same image there can be. I like to call out each child’s name and say what I like about their idea.

For the second round, decrease the time between each card and see how quickly they can switch from thing to thing. You can also start off slowly switching between the cards and get faster and faster. This often leads to a lot of giggles!

Finally, play a memory game. Take turns acting out one of the cards and see if you can guess correctly. To make it more challenging, allow them to act out things that weren’t on the cards and see if you can guess what they are.

Dance game #4 - Magic Wand Game

If your child or dancers like magic, this is the perfect game for you! You’ll want to choose something to be your magic wand. Not a fan of magic? You can also use a tv remote to “control” each other’s dance moves.

Rules:

The person who has the magic wand has all the power! They will cast a spell and tell everyone how to dance:

Ideas:

Dance slowly, quickly,
Dance up high, down low
Dance like you’re stuck in the mud
Dance like a unicorn, fairy, dragon, etc.
Dance like your favorite animal
Dance small, big
Do a turn, jump, kick, etc.
Dance like you’re underwater

Take turns with the magic wand/tv remote so everyone gets a chance to be in control! If you have a shy child or dancer, make some cards that they can choose from to give them more support.

Dance game for Kids #5 - Dance Memory

This is a challenging game that requires a lot of brainpower. No materials except music are required.

Rules for Younger Dancers:

Take turns adding on a dance move until you have a long combination. The first dancer shows a dance move and everyone tries it. Then, the next person does the first person’s movement and adds on their own movement, which everyone tries. Play continues until everyone has had a turn. Dance the whole combination together to different songs to see which song fits best.

Rules for Older Dancers:

To make the game more challenging for older dancers, only show the movement once and each person has to keep adding on, remembering all the previous dance moves. If they miss one, can’t remember it, or perform it incorrectly, the game starts again from scratch and none of the previous dance moves can be repeated!

Dance game for Kids #6 - The Statue Game

A game to practice your best dance poses and work on your balance.

Rules:

For this game, choose a song with 8 counts that aren’t too fast or too slow. Explain to your child or dancers that you are going to switch between dancing and freezing in a dancer pose, each for 8 counts.

Begin with a dancer pose. Tell dancers that they can pose up high, down low, on one foot, it’s up to them, but they must stay frozen like a statue. Count to 8, following the beat of the music. Then, for the next 8 counts, dancers can move however they like.

Once that 8 count has finished, choose a new dancer pose and freeze like a statue. Then, play continues until the song ends.

Challenge your child or dancers to practice counting to the music by taking turns as the one calling out the 8 counts. You can also try the game to music that is faster or slower, to see how you change your movements and poses.

I hope you enjoy trying these dance games with your family, friends or at your dance studio. I play many of these games in my online dance classes Ballet with Miss Jamie and Fairytale Ballet. I am passionate about teaching ballet foundations to children between the ages of 4-8 while having a lot of fun. Each class is 30 minutes long and includes show and tell at the end.

Ballet with Miss Jamie - if you are looking for a more traditional dance class, check out Ballet with Miss Jamie. This class includes a ballet warmup, dance moves in the center and across the floor and a dance game and/or combo. Learn more about Ballet with Miss Jamie online classes.

Fairytale Ballet - if your child loves to dress up and dance, this class is perfect for them! We retell classic fairytale stories or explore magical worlds like the Unicorn Forest, all while learning new dance moves and playing themed dance games. Learn more about Fairytale Ballet online classes.

I look forward to seeing your child in one of the online dance classes! “Miss Jamie” Jamie Gajewski, M.Ed. - Certified teacher and founder of ESL Teacher 365.

Instagram: @dancewithmissjamie