Your toddler does not have to take lessons and learn fancy steps to dance. Encourage your child to be free with his movements. Let him use his body to express himself. Don't be shy! Why not kick off your shoes and join in the fun?

Dancing Statues

This game will help your child develop listening skills and self-control while he has fun.

• Play music and encourage your child to dance. Randomly stop the music and ask the child to freeze a pose. As your child improves, you can ask him to hold the pose for longer periods of time.

Traffic Light

Your child can learn how to follow directions and develop self-control while he dances.

• Cut construction paper the size of paper plates. Staple paper to plates and attach Popsicle sticks. These are your traffic signals.

• Play music for your child to dance to. Hold up the different colored signs as he dances. When you hold up the green sign, he should dance fast. The yellow sign means dance slowly, and when you hold up the red sign, he should stop.

Dancing Partner

Dancing with a partner takes extra skill and coordination. Why not pair up your child with someone his own size?

• Play music for your child to dance to. Provide him with a large doll to serve as his dancing partner. Just about any doll will do, but a large rag doll works best.

Sock Hop

Turn back the sands of time and have an old-fashioned sock hop

• Kick off your shoes and play some oldies to dance to. You can even show your children how to do some of the classic dances, like the twist or the swim.

Hula Dance

Start by making your own grass skirt. Hula dancing is great exercise too!

• Help your child tear the paper into long strips. Attach them to the belt or ribbon. The more you use, the better the effect.

• Put the skirt on your child and have him remove his shoes.

• Play some Hawaiian music and show your child how to sway his arms and hips to the music.