When
I Dance
When I dance
I flap my arms!
When I dance
I rub my tum!
When I dance
I pound my chest!
When I dance
I shake my bum!
When I dance
I jump up high!
When I dance
I touch the ground!
When I dance
I shake shake shake!
When I dance
I twirl around!
Poems such as this present many opportunities for combining wordplay with physical movement. Start by reading the poem through a few times, getting the children to perform the actions are their familiarity with the poem grows. They can then come up with their own lines to form a group piece, which can also be performed with actions.
The teacher could write down the lines on the board with the class, which the whole class could then perform together. Or children could break off into small groups to devise and perform their own 'dance poems'. Children could use instruments to drum out a rhythm. The possibilities are endless...
