Jewish Dances for Young Children —When I was a preschool teacher I found that my students loved to dance. We began every week with a quiet dark Havdalah service and then jumped up to danced into the week with “A Good Week.”

I made up the Noah’s Ark dance to go along with our study of this story from the Torah. Sometimes it would go on and on which is why the tape has lots of repetitions. This way all of your students will get a turn to be an animal in the middle of the circle.

These dances are well suited to the interest and ability of children aged three through seven. They will have a lot of fun doing them and be exposed to a wide variety of Jewish music traditional and contemporary.  There are old favorites like Mayim and Bim Bom along with a lively "Hodu Lashem" by Rabbi David Shneyer.  Your students will enjoy hearing children's voices on many of the songs including a new melody for "Kaddosh" and Rabbi Jack Gabriel's beautiful "Eagles Wings."

What a great way to learn with their bodies!

The DVD of Dances also comes with a CD of the accompanying songs.

1) Bim Bom
2) A Good Week
3) Torah, Torah, Torah
4) Eagle Wings
5) Oh Chanukah
6) Noah's Ark 
7) Hodu Lashem
8) Heveinu Shalom Aleichem
9) Like A Tree
10) S’vivon, Sov, Sov, Sov
11) Kaddosh
12) Sh’ma Yisrael
13) Mayim

I did lift you up
All moving clockwise in circle, reach down in a scooping motion

on loving eagle’s wings
and make arms move like wings.

I have brought you back to me.
Bring arms in to cross over heart. Repeat all of above

You will be my precious ones for all the earth is Mine.
circle moves clockwise holding hands, feeling connection with the earth.

And you shall be a sacred family
Circle moves in and encourage children to make eye contact to see who is in their family.

In touch with the Divine
circle moves out

Forever for all time.
All do one slow spin

Sample Video clip at lower resolution.

Eagle Wings
(WMV - 1.7Mb)