Kids love to dance and the activity of teaching them some easy steps can be fun. Simple movements of everyday life can be developed into dance steps with proper guidance. One should start off by encouraging children and providing them with a safe environment needed for dancing. Initially, children may stumble/fall while learning to dance. Laying down a thick carpet or mat would prevent physical injury. Nowadays, even hip hop dance moves are taught to kids. Basic Dance Moves for Kids As stated earlier, improving the simple movements of day-to-day life leads to their refinement and the development of intricate steps. The different moves which can be taught to children in the beginning include hopping, marching, skipping, spinning, galloping, etc. These moves should then be sequenced for bringing some order to them. For example, a Bunny Hop can be performed by jumping back and forth. Similarly, an Electric Slide is performed by sliding from side-to-side. Various directional movements can be taught to kids and which include Eensy Weensy Spider, Hokey Pokey, etc. Fun Dance Moves Easy and innovative dance moves should be used for beginners to understand them easily. One such fun step is the Shopping Cart move. In this dance step, kids mime the action of pushing an imaginary cart and putting stuff into it. This dance step can be performed by two people with one of them pushing the cart and other putting things into it. The Sprinkler Dance involves children spinning around just like a sprinkler. One of the arms is stuck out while performing this step. Chicken Dance It is an interesting dance form that kids would enjoy. Steps of this dance are divided into 2 sections. The first section has 16 beats. In the first four beats, actions to be performed include 'mouth talking' done by snapping the thumb and fingers together. For the next four beats, wings should be formed by bending elbows and tucking the hands near armpits. Flapping the wings four times during these four beats is followed by holding arms at the waist level. The waist is twisted 4 times during the beats, starting from 9 to 12. The final four beats from 13 to 16 involve four claps. Steps performed during these 16 beats should be repeated four times. The second section of this dance involves linking the opposite elbows with dance partners and skipping in a circular motion. Once the music changes, children should go back to the first section. Patty Cake Polka This dance move is performed by kids in pairs. The Patty Cake Polka dance incorporates steps like touching heel and toes to the floor, sliding from side-to-side, tapping the hands and finally, moving in circles. In the initial four beats of this dance, the heel and toe are touched to the ground one after other. Partners should touch the heels of opposite legs simultaneously; if the first partner touches the heel of left leg, the other partner should do it with the right leg. After performing the toe-heel movement twice, both the partners should slide in the direction of the foot being used; this movement should be performed 3 times. All the steps mentioned above should then be repeated with the other foot. After performing foot movements, the dancers should tap their right, left and both hands thrice; this action should be followed by tapping the thighs three times. The last step in this dance move is that of interlocking the elbows and moving them in circles for four continuous beats. Left and Right It is a simple dance move that allows a better coordination between hands and legs. One can start with either the left or right leg. For example, if you start with the left leg, first take a step to the left side. This step is followed by stepping with the right leg to the left side. After moving both legs to the left side, you should now step to the right side. While stepping to the right side, the left leg should follow the right leg. Once you get used to performing these steps, a clap should be used for every beat. Although this dance seems too easy and simple, it prepares kids for learning the basic dance moves. Turn and Twist In this move, you have to twist your body below the waist. The first step is bending your arms and raising them up to shoulder height. The next step is that of twisting the waist in such a manner that the body faces the right side. The same action of twisting the waist should be conducted in the reverse direction to face the left. This whole set of movements should be repeated till you get used to them. You may also think of increasing the speed of these movements. The different dance moves for kids mentioned in the article are quite easy to teach. It is advisable to start with the basic and simple steps, at least in the beginning. Mastering the basic moves should prepare kids for the advanced and complex steps of different dance forms.