Key Stage 1 PE · Dance

KS1 dance patterns: step, turn and freeze, a guide for parents

A dance is not just a lot of movement: it is a set of movements put together in a pattern that can be remembered and repeated. In Years 1 and 2 children are taught to perform dances using simple movement patterns, such as step, step, turn, freeze. They learn to remember a short sequence, repeat it, and perform it with a clear start and finish, on their own, with a partner or in a group.

Simple dance patterns, explained

A movement pattern is a short series of actions that repeats. It might be as simple as “step, step, clap, clap” or “jump, turn, freeze”. Patterns help children remember what they are doing, and repeating a pattern is what gives a dance its shape. In Key Stage 1, patterns are short, often just three or four movements, so that a five- or six-year-old can hold them in mind and do them without help.

Children learn a basic vocabulary of movements. Travelling steps move you across the space, such as walking, skipping and sliding. Actions include jumping, turning, stretching, curling and swaying. Stillness is a movement too: a freeze in a clear shape gives a dance a strong beginning and ending. Teachers help children think about how they move, using ideas like fast or slow, high or low, and big or small, so that the same step can look completely different.

Building a dance usually happens in stages. First children learn a pattern from a teacher. Then they make one of their own and practise until they can repeat it. They might link two patterns, so a dance has a beginning, a middle and an end, or add a repeat so that it goes pattern A, pattern B, pattern A again. Working with a partner, they copy each other, move at the same time, or take turns. Schools choose the music and the style, so some teach simple folk dances while others focus on creating new ones.

These activities also connect to the wider PE aims. Children use balance, jumping and agility in a creative way and become more confident in moving individually and with others. They are asked to watch each other’s dances and say what they notice, which helps them think about quality and improvement. A child doesn’t need to be good at remembering long routines: the goal is a short, clear pattern done with care and enjoyment.

Words your child will hear

Pattern: A short series of movements that is repeated in the same order.
Sequence: Movements put together in order, with a beginning, middle and end.
Repeat: Do the same movement or pattern again.
Travel: Move from one place to another, for example by skipping or sliding.
Turn: Rotate the body, either a quarter turn, a half turn or a full turn.
Freeze: Stop still in a shape and hold it, often at the start and end of a dance.
Partner: Someone you dance with, copying them or moving in time together.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 1 says:

Pupils should be taught to perform dances using simple movement patterns
Pupils should develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: making and repeating a four-part pattern

How can your child create a simple dance pattern, remember it and perform it with a partner?

Pick four movements together: for example step, step, turn, freeze. Say them aloud as a chant, “step, step, turn, freeze”, while your child walks through them slowly.
Practise each movement so it is clear. Steps are big and slow, the turn is a full turn on the spot with arms by the sides, and the freeze is a shape held still for a count of three.
Put them together and repeat the whole pattern four times. Say the chant at first, then whisper it, then do it silently in your head.
Change one thing to make a second pattern, for example “skip, skip, jump, freeze”. Now you have pattern A and pattern B.
Link them: A, B, A. Start in a freeze, do pattern A, then B, then A again, and finish with a freeze. This gives the dance a beginning, middle and end.
Add a partner. Face each other and dance one after the other, or do the dance side by side at the same time. Ask what was easier or harder with a partner.

A strong performance at this level is a clear A, B, A dance with a still start and finish, where the patterns are repeated the same way each time. For example: freeze, step, step, turn, freeze, skip, skip, jump, freeze, step, step, turn, freeze. It does not matter if the steps are simple. It matters that your child chose them, remembered the order and finished neatly.

Common mistakes and how to help

Believing a dance is just moving around randomly

Free dancing at parties is all about moving to the music, so children don’t realise a school dance has a shape that is planned and repeated.

What helps: Compare it to a song: it has a beginning, middle and end, and repeats the chorus. Use that language when you plan a pattern.

Forgetting the order of the moves

Young children can only hold a few ideas in mind at once, and doing a movement also takes concentration.

What helps: Keep patterns to three or four moves. Say the moves aloud as a chant, draw them as pictures on paper, and practise a little each day instead of for a long time.

Rushing so the movements are small and unclear

Children are eager to get through the dance, and a quick, tiny movement is easier than a big, slow one.

What helps: Practise the pattern in slow motion first. Ask for the biggest stretch, the clearest freeze or the highest jump, then speed up gradually.

Thinking you cannot dance with a partner unless you do exactly the same thing

Children often think partner dancing means copying perfectly, which can feel stressful when one of them forgets.

What helps: Explain the different ways to dance together: at the same time, one after another, or mirroring. All are valid and give lots of room for creative choice.

How to help at home

Make a pattern chant. Create a pattern with a simple spoken rhythm, such as “step, step, spin, stop”, and say it as you move. Then change one word to make a new pattern.
Draw the dance. Help your child draw their pattern as a row of stick figures or symbols and use it like a map. It helps memory and links to early reading and sequencing skills.
Copy me, copy you. Take turns inventing a short pattern for the other to copy. Start with two moves, then three, then four, and see how many you can remember together.
A, B, A dance. Make two patterns, A and B, and perform them in the order A, B, A with a freeze at the start and end. Perform to a family member and ask them to say one thing they liked.
Safe space first. Clear the floor of toys and check there is nothing slippery. Bare feet on carpet or grass, or flat shoes with a good grip, are safer than socks on a smooth floor.

Leads on to

Key Stage 2: Dance and movement patterns