<p><b>Connie Bergstein Dow</b> has an MFA from the University of Michigan and is the author <i>One, Two, What Can I Do? Dance and Music for the Whole Day</i>; <i>Dance, Turn, Hop, Learn! Enriching Movement Activities for Preschoolers</i>; <i>From A to Z with Energy</i>; and <i>Tap and Rap, Move and Groove</i>. She has also written a preschool teacher handbook for WeTHRIVE! with movement activities that address the Ohio Early Learning Content Standards for language arts and mathematics and contributed to the development of a dance curriculum for the Ohio Department of Education Model Arts Curriculum. Connie has also written articles for <i>Highlights High Five</i>, <i>Teaching Young Children</i> and <i>Young Children</i> (NAEYC), and <i>Early Childhood News</i>. She divides her time between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Boulder, Colorado.</p><br><p>Debbie Palen is a professional illustrator in children’s publishing. Her work has been recognized by the Educational Press Association, Print magazine, How magazine, Highlights for Children, and the 2020 Northern Lights Award in middle grade fiction. </p><p>When not illustrating, she can be found walking in the woods, doing yoga, writing, reading kids’ books, dancing to many different kinds of music, or eating dark chocolate. </p><p>Debbie lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with one human and one very fuzzy animal that might be a cat.</p>
Young children play and learn together with lively dance chants.
Tap and Rap, Move and Groove brings movement into homes and early childhood classrooms with rhythmic chants for children to move and dance to. Designed to link movement, language, and rhythm, the chants are for children and adults to do together, saying the words while performing the movement prompts.
Step and clap, step and clap,
As we do our waving rap!
Wave your arms, way up high.
Reach your fingers to the sky.
Woven throughout Tap and Rap, Move and Groove are many opportunities for children to contribute their own ideas and explore movement possibilities, nurturing creative thinking, problem-solving, and self-expression. Dance chants also provide language benefits, as children incorporate new vocabulary, recognize rhythm, repeat the sequence of words and movements, and learn how the chants partner with specific movements.
No music is required for the dance chants, but it can be added. Tap and Rap, Move and Groove includes information for adults who want to enhance and expand the dance activities with music, props, varied words, and movements.
Tap and Rap, Move and Groove brings movement into homes and early childhood classrooms with rhythmic chants for children to move and dance to. Designed to link movement, language, and rhythm, the chants are for children and adults to do together, saying the words while performing the movement prompts.
Step and clap, step and clap,
As we do our waving rap!
Wave your arms, way up high.
Reach your fingers to the sky.
Woven throughout Tap and Rap, Move and Groove are many opportunities for children to contribute their own ideas and explore movement possibilities, nurturing creative thinking, problem-solving, and self-expression. Dance chants also provide language benefits, as children incorporate new vocabulary, recognize rhythm, repeat the sequence of words and movements, and learn how the chants partner with specific movements.
No music is required for the dance chants, but it can be added. Tap and Rap, Move and Groove includes information for adults who want to enhance and expand the dance activities with music, props, varied words, and movements.