Book to Boogie: “The Shape Song Swingalong”

Book to Boogie is a monthly series that pairs picture books with dance and movement activities for preschool story time. The series is curated by Kerry Aradhya of Picture Books & Pirouettes and written by a different guest writer each month. We hope that children’s librarians, as well as classroom teachers and dance educators, will find these activities useful and fun!

by Liz Vacco

The Shape Song Swingalong by Stevesongs and David Sim is a great picture book for familiarizing children with shapes visually and then extending that knowledge into kinesthetic experiences. The colorful and playful illustrations, coupled with the rhythmic language (as the book is in fact a song as well, but more on that in a moment), makes it both an engaging read and an engaging activity. Both of these qualities inform my approach to using this book at story time and in dance class.

Because the recorded song (which comes as a CD with the book) has a rather quick pace, I like to read the book out loud first, without accompaniment, stopping to solicit ideas for movement from the students. Collaboratively, we decide on ways to express the different shapes that are mentioned — lines, circles, triangles, and squares — with our bodies. At times, the children’s suggestions are limited to certain body parts. For instance, I often get suggestions of circles and triangles created only using fingers. When this happens, I challenge students to expand upon their ideas, often suggesting the use of different body parts. Once we have decided on our shapes, we read through the book in its entirety, taking time to point out the shapes in the illustrations and to brainstorm additional movement ideas to go with each part of the book — the beachside waterslide, the animal dance party, and more.

When we’re done reading the book, it’s time to turn on the music and dance the story from start to finish. I like to use the recorded version with lyrics so I can concentrate on doing the movements with the kids, all while trying to keep hold of and turn the pages of the book for them to reference as we go. As I mentioned previously, the pace of the song is rather quick, so it’s nice to have established some of the movement ideas in advance. However, at some points, I call out quick prompts to allow for in-the-moment improvisation based on the text.

Toward the end of the song, the chorus repeats several times. I take this opportunity to encourage the children to come up with new and individualized ways of making the shapes with their bodies. I also invite them to experiment with levels as they make their shapes. Slowly working our way down — from high to middle to low — we end on the ground just in time for the final stanzas of the song and final pages of the book. The lyrics announce “We make shapes while we sleep because we’re always dreaming about…lines, lines, circles, circles, squares, squares, squares, squares, triangles, triangles…”

You may, in fact, find yourself dreaming about this book for a bit after introducing it — or may at least hear the song echoing in your head for a few days afterward. Also don’t be surprised if you get multiple requests to read and dance it again, as has been my experience after showing it to a group of students. The song is so cute and catchy and the book makes learning fun, so why not?

If you’d like to incorporate more singalong books and CDs into your story time, Barefoot Books (the publisher of The Shape Song Swingalong) has many more to choose from on their website. If you’re looking for more books with shape and movement themes, Shape Space by Cathryn Falwell and Skippyjon Jones Shape Up by Judy Schachner are good choices.

Liz Vacco.

With a bachelor’s degree in theatre studies from Yale University, Liz Vacco has been a dance, yoga, theater, and early childhood educator for 12 years in New York City and now Los Angeles. She has taught through the New York City Ballet’s Education Program, the California Dance Institute, and various studios and public schools, while also performing in and choreographing for professional productions. She is a strong believer in arts education and promoting physical well-being and opportunities for artistic expression to people of all backgrounds. She is currently pursuing her multiple subject and kinesiology credentials and M.A. in education at Cal State LA and has joined the dance teaching staff at Gabriella Charter School. For more information about Liz and to learn about her original ballet videos for kids, please visit http://ift.tt/WESDAv .

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