* Always appear confident, enthusiastic and be prepared to get fully involved! (Dress appropriately for floor-based work).
* Aim to strike a balance between demonstrating and joining in, observing and sensitively supporting, encouraging, and offering suggestions and posing challenges.
* Make sure children are comfortable in the dance space. Check that the floor is clean and that it is not too cold underfoot (if it is cold, consider using mats or asking the children to wear plimsolls, and include plenty of energetic activity).
* If the children are very lively, start with plenty of floor-based work, draw their attention to the different movements; provide opportunities to 'let off steam' and contrast these with calm activities, and use music to create an appropriate mood.
* If a child is unsure at first, do not pressure them to get changed or to join in but always give them the option - in the meantime, involve them by asking them to watch for someone making a particular body shape or action, or to provide percussion accompaniment.
* Ensure all children take an active role as dancer, choreographer or dance commentator. Physically disabled children may be moved along the ground or swung in blankets.
* Children who dislike physical contact may tolerate partner or group work if they are not required to be 'hands on', such as making a human tunnel.
They may accept contact if held from behind, for example, by being rocked or swung around by an adult.
* Always start 'small'. Work from a secure place (for example, on mats or in a corner) or partition off a large space, and stay in the nursery rather than outside.
* Use appealing stimuli for the dance session, but ensure that they do not dominate and distract children's attention away from their movements.
* Demonstrate movement possibilities clearly to inspire the children then encourage them to use their initiatives to inspire one another.
* Ask children about dance that they have watched to help them recognise and describe movement and translate it into their own body.
* Ask open questions ('How did the dancer move around?), but be ready to follow up with closed questions if necessary ('Did the dancer do lots of jumping?').
* Break down material for a session into manageable sections to maintain a clear teaching and learning focus.
* Be aware of the complexity of the challenges - the social dimension as well as the physical - and adjust demands according to individual needs.
* Provide plenty of opportunities to repeat movements to clarify and refine skills.
* Give clearly structured choices to enable a reticent child to make a creative decision ('Shall we shake out our hands next, or our feet?').
* Keep your language succinct with a limited amount of information to be processed.
* Use your voice expressively to inspire movement ('Str-e-e-e-tch as high as you can'), to set phrasing and establish rhythm ('step, step, step, BOB...step-step-step-BOB').
* Allow children to correct you and perhaps show rather than tell you their responses or ideas: 'Did the dancer kick her foot this way (out from the body)...or was it like this (across the body)?'
* Brief supporting staff clearly about the movement aims for the session, their role working alongside particular children, organising stimuli and musical accompaniment, and how best to draw out the children's ideas.
* Ensure that musical accompaniment is at a pace that is suitable for the children (not too fast) and has a clear beat.