Planning a children’s dance syllabus: a 10 week term in your own school

To plan a children’s dance syllabus for a term, pick one clear goal for the class, split it into weekly skill blocks, keep the class shape the same every week, and build in a review week. Finish with a short note to parents about what their child learned. A 10 week term suits this well.

It’s Sunday evening and the Monday class is tomorrow. You know you taught something good last week, but was it a jump or a turn? Did the class finish the travelling pattern? Most of us have been there. A simple term plan fixes it, because it tells you where the class has been, where it’s going and what you’re doing on Monday.

Here’s a plain way to build one for your own school, with a 10 week example you can adapt.

What a children’s dance syllabus is, and isn’t

In a private dance school, a syllabus is simply your written plan for what a class will learn and in what order. Some teachers call it a scheme of work, others a term plan. It’s yours, and it can be as short as one page.

It isn’t a qualification, and it doesn’t need anyone’s approval. If your dancers take exams with an examining body, that body’s syllabus tells you what the exam covers. Your term plan sits around it and decides how you get the class ready, week by week.

It’s also a different thing from national curriculum policy in schools. If you’re curious about that side, our post on the government curriculum review for dance in schools covers it. This guide is about planning inside your own studio.

Step 1: know your class before you plan

Before you write a single week, jot down three things about the group in front of you.

• Age range and how well they know each other.
• What they can already do, in plain terms: can they hold a balance, keep a steady beat, remember a short pattern?
• How long you have, how much space you have, and whether you have help in the room.

A 45 minute class for six to eight year olds needs a very different plan from a one hour class for a mixed group. Plan for the class you actually have, not the one in your head.

Step 2: set one goal for the term

Choose one headline goal that a parent could understand. For example, “By the end of term, everyone can perform a short routine with clear timing and tidy travelling steps.”

Then pick three strands that support it. A simple set is:

• Body skills, such as posture, balance and strength.
• Rhythm and music, such as counting, clapping patterns and listening for the phrase.
• Creating and performing, such as making small choices and showing work to others.

Three strands keep the plan focused. If you try to cover everything in ten weeks, nothing gets practised enough to stick.

Step 3: keep the class shape the same

Children feel safe and settle faster when they know what comes next. Pick a class shape and repeat it every week. For example:

1. Welcome and register.
2. Warm up that repeats most weeks.
3. Skill focus for the week.
4. Travelling or across the floor.
5. Creative task or game.
6. Cool down and goodbye.

The shape stays the same and only the content changes. That makes it easier for you to plan, easier for an assistant or cover teacher to follow, and calmer for the children.

Step 4: break the term into weekly blocks

Now spread your skills across the weeks. Teach a skill, come back to it, then add to it. Revisiting is where the learning happens, so don’t move on after a single week.

Here’s a 10 week example for a class of six to eight year olds. Swap in the skills that suit your style.

1. Week 1: Settle in, learn the class routines and see what everyone can already do.
2. Week 2: Posture and balance, plus a steady beat in clapping games.
3. Week 3: Revisit posture and balance, then add a simple travelling step.
4. Week 4: Travelling steps in patterns, with a short count of eight.
5. Week 5: Rhythm patterns and changing direction.
6. Week 6: Review week, with familiar favourites and games that show what has stuck.
7. Week 7: Start a short routine using the steps so far.
8. Week 8: Add a creative section where dancers make one choice of their own.
9. Week 9: Polish the routine, practise starting and finishing well.
10. Week 10: Sharing week, with a small show-and-tell for parents or a relaxed class run-through.

Notice the review in week 6. It gives you a breather in the middle, shows you what needs another go, and gives you room to catch up if a class has been missed.

Step 5: plan the review week properly

A review week isn’t a lost week. It’s a chance to see what your dancers can really do.

Use games, not tests. Ask the class to show you the travelling step on the spot, or play “Simon says” with the steps you’ve taught. Watch and make quick notes on who needs more help.

Then use what you learn to adjust weeks 7 to 10. If the beat is wobbly, spend another week on rhythm before you add choreography.

Step 6: planning for mixed ages and abilities

Most of us don’t get perfectly matched groups. The easiest way to handle a mixed class is to give everyone the same task at different levels.

• Keep one theme for the whole class, for example “travelling in a pattern”.
• Offer a simple version, a standard version and a stretch version.
• Let dancers choose their level and move up when they’re ready.
• Use older or more experienced dancers as demonstrators, not as extra teachers.

If you have an assistant, give them a clear job and plan their role into the term too. Our guide to dance school assistants covers safer recruitment and pay, and it’s worth reading before a young helper joins your team.

Step 7: track progress without creating extra work

You don’t need a thick folder. A simple grid works well: a list of names down the side, a few skills across the top and a tick or a one word note when a dancer shows it.

Keep it light. Update it once a week in five minutes, straight after class, while you still remember.

If you’d like to take photos or video to show progress, talk to parents first and get written consent. The NSPCC has clear advice on photographing and filming children, including consent and storage. Our own guide to dance school data protection explains how to keep children’s information safe. Both help you keep records that parents can trust. For the wider picture, see our guide to safeguarding in dance schools.

Step 8: tell parents what you’ve been doing

Parents love knowing what their child has been learning. A short end of term note does the job. Three or four lines is plenty: the goal for the term, what the class achieved, and what’s coming next.

You might add one thing the dancer should be proud of, and one thing to keep practising at home. Keep it positive, honest and specific.

Our post on parental involvement in dance classes has more ideas for keeping parents involved without them sitting in the studio.

Quick checklist

• One clear goal for the term, in words a parent would understand.
• Three strands that support the goal.
• A class shape that repeats every week.
• Skills spread across the weeks and revisited.
• A review week about halfway through.
• A sharing week at the end.
• A simple way to note progress after each class.
• A short note home at the end of term.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an exam syllabus to teach children’s dance?

No. You can plan your own term and teach your own content. If your dancers enter exams with an examining body, follow that body’s syllabus for the exam classes, and use your term plan to get them ready.

How many weeks should a term plan cover?

Cover the number of teaching weeks you actually have. A 10 week term is a handy example, because it leaves room for a review week and a sharing week. If your term is 12 weeks, add more time to the middle blocks. For a half term, shrink the plan and keep one review.

How do I track progress in a large class?

Keep it simple. Choose three or four skills for the term and tick them off on a grid when you see them. Notice, don’t test. A quick note straight after class is easier than a long record at the weekend.

How do I plan for mixed ages?

Give the whole class the same theme and offer simple, standard and stretch versions. Dancers can pick their level and move up when they’re ready. Splitting the room into small groups for part of the lesson can help too.

What if I miss a week or a cover teacher takes the class?

Leave your plan clear enough for anyone to pick up. Write the week’s focus and the class shape on one page. When you come back, use your review week or a catch up week to fill any gaps.

Should I share the plan with parents?

You can share the headline goal and the end of term note. You don’t need to hand over every week. Parents mainly want to know their child is learning, safe and having fun.

Start with one page

Planning a term doesn’t mean writing a textbook. One page, one goal and a repeating class shape will already make your teaching calmer. If you teach under 5s, Mini Movers Dance, available through Teach.Dance, gives you a structured programme to start from. For everything else, build your own plan and adjust it as you go.