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Freeze Dance

Kindergartners play freeze dance — moving when the music plays and freezing when it stops — a fun game that builds listening and body control.

KindergartenMovement25 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Dance to the music.
  • ✓Freeze when it stops.
  • ✓Listen carefully.
  • ✓Control my body.
Essential Question

Freeze dance is so much fun — you dance when the music plays and FREEZE when it stops! How do you play?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Freeze Dance Check

Project each item and have children answer about playing freeze dance.

🧊 Understand freeze danceTry it
Answer each question about freeze dance.
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Create · Perform · Reflect)

25 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Dance and Freeze

3 min

You dance when music plays and FREEZE when it stops — how?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Play a bit of music.
  • Ask what to do when it stops.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Move.
  • Guess.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Freeze Dance

7 min

Children explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send children to Freeze Dance Check.
  • Note dance = music.
  • Note freeze = stop.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

7 min

Children create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Dance to music.
  • Freeze when it stops.
  • Hold your freeze.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Dance.
  • Freeze!
  • Hold it.
4

Perform — Perform

5 min

Children perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Play freeze dance.
  • Listen carefully.
  • Be kind.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Play it.
  • Listen.
  • Be kind.
5

Reflect — Reflect

3 min

Children respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say what to do when music plays.
  • Say what to do when it stops.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Dance).

NCAS
DA:Pr5.1.K

Start and stop movement on cue.

NCAS
DA:Pr4.1.K

Move to music.

NCAS
DA:Re7.1.K

Respond to music.

NCAS
DA:Cr1.1.K

Explore movement and stillness.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Dance/freeze cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Music plays, I ___.”
  • Play together.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with dance vs. freeze.
  • Play slowly.
  • Follow the leader.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Freeze in a shape.
  • Be the music-stopper.
  • Add a silly freeze.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🎵Music to start/stop
  • 💻Freeze Dance Check
  • 👟Space to move
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

freezeto hold very stilldanceto move to musicmusicsounds you hearstopwhen music endsstillnot movinglistento hear carefullystatuesomething that holds stillcontrolto guide your body
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
In freeze dance, what do you do when the music plays?
Dance and move your body.
QUESTION 2
What do you do when the music STOPS?
Freeze and hold still.
QUESTION 3
What does freeze dance help you practice?
Listening and controlling your body.

Reflect: freeze!

Have children play freeze dance at home — dancing to music and freezing when it stops. A printable freeze sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Freeze DanceFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Freeze DanceQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Freeze DancePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: control, dance, freeze, listen, music, statue, still, stop
  1. to hold very still
  2. to hear carefully
  3. not moving
  4. when music ends
  5. sounds you hear
  6. to move to music
  7. something that holds still
  8. to guide your body

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. In freeze dance, what do you do when the music plays?
  2. What do you do when the music STOPS?
  3. What does freeze dance help you practice?
Answer key — Part A: 1) freeze · 2) listen · 3) still · 4) stop · 5) music · 6) dance · 7) statue · 8) control
Part B: 1) Dance and move your body. 2) Freeze and hold still. 3) Listening and controlling your body.