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Story writing activity: Creating a Character Page 3Story writing resource: Character Inspiration and Description Worksheet Page 4 An icy escape: maze puzzle Page 5Create your own character: drawing exercise Page 6Dance activity: Overcoming the Obstacles Page 7 Mickey’s magical dance party: colouring in Page 8Dance activity resource: Obstacle Card Page 9 Mickey Mouse face mask: role play exercise Page 10Tell your own Mickey and Friends story: finger puppets Page 11

Contents

Welcome to your Fit to Dance

activity booklet!Packed with educational activities and fun games, it gives you and your children a little taster of Fit to Dance – our free educational

programme that captures the imaginations of children by combining the magical powers of stories and dance!

Fit to Dance encourages children aged 5 to 11 to create their own magical stories and then express them through dance – helping

them build their literacy skills and confidence, while keeping them energised, engaged and entertained.

Within this booklet you’ll find two activities, along with complementary support materials and fun activities. Some of

the activities are even more fun if more children are involved, so you why not try getting your children’s friends to join in? You can

download the programme’s full range of resources at www.disneyonice.co.uk/fittodance

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Story writing activity:

Creating a CharacterThe Fit to Dance programme consists of four story-building activities, in which children develop their own unique stories with a beginning, middle and end by deciding on the characters, settings and obstacles that they want in their adventure.

Downloadable resources available ⁕ Character Inspiration and Description Worksheet (also found on page 4 of this booklet)⁕ Educational Character Video to inspire your children

Activity suggestions1. Start off by describing a well-known character, perhaps from the Disney On Ice show, without revealing their name, and ask your children to guess who he/she is.2. Ask your children to describe a character to you. What do they look like? What are they wearing? What do they like doing? What is their personality like? 3. Using the Character Inspiration and Description Worksheet (page 4), ask your children to choose some characters to feature in their story. The characters in the list are based on typical characters from different Disney stories.4. Take ideas from your children to build up a bank of descriptive words and sentences for the chosen characters in their story. 5. Ask your children to draw a picture of what the character of their choice looks like.6. Explore how different facial expressions can show how each character is feeling. Ask the children to draw different emotions like happy, sad or scared and show these feelings with their own facial expressions.

What’s next? Further activities tackle describing settings and obstacles the characters will overcome, before putting it all together in a story. For comprehensive activity plans and supporting resources, like videos, dance music and worksheets, go to www.disneyonice.co.uk/fittodance

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Story writing resource:

Character Inspiration and Description WorksheetOn this worksheet you’ll find different character ideas along with some descriptive words for five of these characters. These can be used to inspire your children in their storytelling. Encourage children to adapt and challenge these characteristics.

Characters DescriptionsDragon Powerful, huge, fire-breathing, grumpy, angry Fairy Light, mischievous, nimble, funny, cross Mermaid or fish Elegant, inquisitive, shy, happy, beautiful Prince or princess Proud, brave, athletic, noble, cheerful Army cadet Strong, bold, loud, serious, jerky

Further character ideas

Describe a character in the story

Who is the character?

What does the character look like?

What does the character like to do?

These words might help you to describe your character:

Witch or wizardDog

LionBear

BabySnowman

ReindeerGoblin

StepmotherPirate

grumpyscarynoisyspookyugly

wicked hairy shiny strong tall

smelly slimy beautiful brave friendly

funny kind thoughtful wonderful clumsy

cold lonelymischievoussparklyhappy

An icyescape

Buzz challenged Woody to an ice-skating race but has got himself

lost in the maze. Find the way out and help him catch up with Woody.

Be careful not to take a wrong turn!

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Create your own characterUse the props below and any other prop ideas you have to draw your very own character to use in your story.

Character name

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Dance activity: Overcoming the ObstaclesCharacters, settings and obstacles established in the story-building activity are connected directly to dance moves and sequences, helping your children understand how stories can be performed through dance as well as through speaking, acting and drawing.

Resources ⁕ Music – a range of Disney On Ice music is available for you to use on the Fit to Dance website ⁕ Any props to help your children visualise an obstacle – beanbags, hoops, benches, etc. ⁕ Obstacle Cards – see example on page 9 of this booklet ⁕ Disney On Ice Video: Expressions and Gestures

Lesson outline1. To warm up, play music and lay out three different obstacles explaining the movement the children will need to perform to navigate each one. For example, crouching to dodge flying cannon balls from a pirate ship or freezing on the spot as they’ve seen a shark in the water. Shout out one,two and three in a random order, gradually getting quicker so they have to think on their feet!2. Start with the children taking on the character they created in the storytelling activity. On your cue, their character meets the obstacle. Ask the children to consider how their character will respond; how will they travel under/over/through it? Use the suggestions on the Obstacle Card or let the children choreograph their own movements. You’ll find the Obstacle Card on page 9.3. Ask the children to show how the character changes mood when they reach the obstacle using expressions and movement. For example, if a witch comes home to find a sleeping troll, she may stomp her feet and cross her arms to show how angry she feels. 4. Ask them to think about how their character is feeling. Will they be brave or scared?5. Watch the Disney On Ice video (find this online at www.disneyonice.co.uk/fittodance) which shows how the ice skaters express feeling happy, sad, scared, grumpy and frustrated. Notice how they exaggerate their actions; ask the children to think why they do this.

What else? To review all four dance activities in the programme and to download more Obstacle Cards, go to www.disneyonice.co.uk/fittodance

Mickey’s magical dance party

Brighten up the party for Mickey and Minnie. Colour in the characters to bring Mickey’s dance party to life!

Then create your own party skates using different materials such as paint, crayons or even tissue paper!

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Dance activity resource:

Obstacle CardThese obstacle scenarios are to be used to support the activities on page 7.

Obstacle: Lily pad lakeThe lake needs to be crossed but there is a crocodile lurking underwater. The lily pads can help the character to cross the lake. Dance movement idea: Place mats or rugs on the floor to help the children to see the position of the lily pads. How will theytravel across? Use leaps and jumps to move.

Children should think about how their character will travel across and the pace they can do it,e.g. a fairy can leap elegantly across as she is light, while a bear could be slow and clumsy andmay fall in! Practise balancing by stopping on a lily pad and staying for a few seconds on one leg.

Obstacle: Enchanted pear orchardAsk the children to think of ways of moving through a dense orchard in which cursed pears areconstantly falling from trees and must be dodged.Dance movement idea: Travel through the forest, by combining jumping, running, hopping and leaping to dodge treesand falling pears. Build on this by asking the children to change direction, level or add a transitionmovement. For example, they could leap from side to side, and then duck to avoid a branch.

Obstacle: Icy BridgeCharacters have to ascend and descend a steep and dangerous bridge.Dance movement idea: The children pretend to ascend the steps of a bridge, before reaching the bridge itself, which has an icy patch that their feet are sliding on. They must walk slowly with caution, pretending to slip, wobble and fall. Further along the bridge, sharp icicles are melting and falling from above – use quick, dodging movements to avoid being hit. To finish, coming down the other side of the bridge is like an icy slide – the children should explore the best way to get down the bridge, e.g. shuffling on their bottoms, skating on their feet or sliding on their bellies like penguins.

Want more? You can find further Obstacle Cards, as well as plenty of other support materials at www.disneyonice.co.uk/fittodance

Mickey Mouse face maskHere’s a mask template of Mickey Mouse.

Cut him out and follow the instructions below to make a mask

to use in role play.

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How to make:1. Tape the mask onto thin card and cut out

around the dotted outline, with the help of a grown-up.

2. Don’t forget to cut out the holes for your eyes so you can see where you are going!

You will need:Child-safe scissors

Sticky tapeThin card

3. Cut a strip of thin card long enough to wrap around your head. This will be your headband. Using sticky tape, attach the headband to the reverse side of the mask in line with the tabs.

4. Fasten the headband around your head.5. You are now ready to role-play as

Mickey Mouse!

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Tell your own Mickey and Friends story

You will need:Child-safe scissorsGlue or sticky tapeThin card

How to make:1. Cut out the pictures along the black outlines, with the help of a grown-up.2. Glue your pictures onto pieces of thin card.3. Tape or glue the strips into hoops big enough to fit on your fingers.4. Tape or glue the hoops onto the back of each character.5. Think how you can make your story come to life with music,

scenery and movement.6. You are ready to put on a puppet show for your friends!

Glue Glue Glue Glue

Tape or glue together

Tape or glue hoops to the back of each

character

and Friends storyand Friends storyand Friends storyand Friends story

Cut out the pictures along the black outlines, with the help of a grown-up.

Like what you’ve seen? You can review and use the complete Fit to Dance programme, free of charge, at www.disneyonice.co.uk/fittodance

“I liked being a soldier because it was good when me and my friends were crouched down, and looking

left and right.”Noah, age 8

“When we did the acting out I enjoyed being a dragon because

we got to flap our arms like wings.”Hayden, age 8

©Disney