Teaching Teamwork

 Teamwork is a skill that your young child's teachers and coaches are introducing in a group setting, but how do we hone in on that skill at home?  Dancing together is just one way to reinforce this concept at home!  
Here are some ideas:

• dance holding hands
• copy eachother's movements
• take turns being the "star" and clapping for each other
• create a dance together

In this video you will see how we use the song "Move the Circle" to partner dance and work together.  Verbally point out to your child that you must work together in this dance so you don't crash into each other!  The story featured here, The Jellybeans and The Big Dance by Laura Numeroff, also reinforces the idea of working together as a team so that everyone can succeed. Some follow up questions that will get your kiddos thinking are:

• "What teams are you on?" - Help kids to think outside of the traditional idea of sports teams. Your family and their classmates at school are other teams they are an important part of.
• "How did Emily help her teammates?"
• "How did the characters feel at the end of the story when they all worked together?"
  

​Story time is another great way to support social emotional learning and open up a conversation to broaden your child's understanding!