When I'm Down I Get Up and Dance
From Hap Palmer
2 minPre-KK1st2ndDanceBrain BreaksSocial-Emotional Learning
Summary
A song from Hap Palmer that pairs movement with feelings: when you're feeling low, you get up and dance. Children use motion to lift a mood and shake off the wiggles — a movement break and a self-management strategy in one.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Moving your body can change how you feel.
- How did your body feel before the song, and how did it feel after?
- When you feel grumpy or sad, what movement helps you feel better?
- Why do you think dancing can lift someone's mood?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: locomotor (traveling) movement, non-locomotor (in-place) movement, freeze, beat.
Try it: Clear a safe space and move along with the whole class. Then invent a short movement of your own and teach it to a partner.