Greek traditional dance in early childhood education: Playful teaching practices in kindergarten

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a way of approaching and applying aspects of the Greek music and dance tradition in the daily practice of kindergarten. Playing is a key teaching tool in the modern school, especially for the education of students in their preschool and primary school age. The playful approach of Greek traditional dance in preschool is proposed through 3 categories: 1. singing games, music games and traditional games, 2. Greek traditional dances which include playful elements, and 3. traditional dances and songs where the playful element can be added. For each category, extensive examples of applications will be presented that aim to strengthen in practice the philosophy of this specific approach. The current proposal hopes to present a way that will allow teachers to integrate more and more elements of Greek traditional dance and music into their pedagogical work with children.

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