Ballet Games That Teach: Musicality for Ages 5-7

We listen and we don't judge: I used to hate it when kids asked to play "ballet games." You know why I hated it? Because games felt like they weren't "real" teaching. But I was wrong. The truth is that ballet games can be great teaching tools—especially for complex concepts like musicality.

Do requests for games still make your teeth grate? I totally get it, but here's what the science says:

Movement combined with music creates stronger connections in the brain
Play activates multiple brain regions simultaneously
Repetition through games strengthens learning pathways more effectively than drills
The emotional enjoyment during play increases information retention
Play reduces performance anxiety that can block learning
Games create safe spaces for trial and error (and creativity!)
Natural rhythm development happens more easily in playful states
Success in games builds confidence for more challenging technical work

The kids and the experts agree: play is the very best way to begin developing complex skills. To help you start—or grow—your collection of games that strengthen musicality, here are some of my favorites for young dancers:

Rhythm Games: Creating Patterns That Stick

"Rhythm" is a repeating pattern of sounds and silence. You can practice rhythm awareness with clapping pattern games, or simple locomotor steps like walking and bunny hops.

For deeper learning, try adding complexity by mixing steps. For example, create a pattern of slow, slow, slow, slow, quick, quick, quick, pause. Once the locomotion is learned, add complexity with:

A port de bras on the 4 slow counts
A direction change on the quick counts (5-7)
Holding a shape on one leg during the pause

Remember, in order for this to truly be a rhythm game, you will need to repeat the movement/sound phrase. (Without repetition it's not rhythm, it's just a combination.)

The Time Machine: Exploring Tempo Through Imagination

"Tempo" is the speed of the music, and young kids link tempo with linear time surprisingly well. Start with a movement at a comfortable speed, then have students "time travel" to the past and do the same movement more slowly. Time travelling to the future will lead to faster movement.

Just remember that young children naturally move more quickly than adults, so be sure your dinosaur/Wild West/Robin Hood era isn't too slow for the kids to enjoy themselves. The imaginative element really helps this technical concept stick!

Rain Makes Rainbows: Understanding Musical Dynamics

Dynamics is the variation in loudness between notes or musical phrases. Musical dynamics tend to align with movement dynamics very closely—when the music is strong and loud, we use it for strong movements like grand battement and grand allegro.

Understanding movement dynamics requires more somatic awareness than little kids are ready for, but the great news about exploring musical dynamics is that we are:

Building musicality skills
Setting the foundation for later somatic awareness

I like to do this game without a set pathway through the room; the dancers can travel wherever they want as long as they don't touch other people, the walls, or the mirrors. We start with ballet walks or bourrées that are quiet like raindrops. As the rainstorm gets bigger, our movement grows with it and we start marching or stomping. Finally, the rain clears and we leap like rainbows.

Implementation Tips for Musicality Games

When incorporating these games into your classes:

Keep instructions clear and simple
Use consistent language to describe musical elements
Connect the musicality concepts to the movements of your dancers
Keep track of which games are favorites for your specific students
Start simple and add complexity as students progress

Beyond The Games: Building Artistry

These are just a few games to get you started. I explore musicality in much more depth in my book, Artistry Inside Ballet Technique volume 1 (and also offer activities for older students).

Building artistry alongside technique, instead of treating it as something separate that we save just for the stage, is incredibly rewarding. These games aren't just "fun breaks" from "real ballet"—they're systematic tools for developing essential artistic skills that will serve your students throughout their dance journey.

What musicality games have transformed your teaching for young dancers? Share your experiences in the comments!

Looking for more systematic approaches to teaching ballet to young dancers? Explore our comprehensive curriculum resources designed to build technical excellence through joyful, age-appropriate progression.