For Boys Who Dance

Inclusive Children's Book Teaching Guide

by José “Hollywood” Ramos

Illustrations by Craig Cartwright

What is this book about?

Gender biases and prejudices about boys who dance are nothing new. The inclusion and acceptance of boys who dance are often predicated on an argument that dance is not masculine.

This poem-based book will inspire, uplift and encourage all young boys who love to dance with the simple but powerful message to follow your heart and do what you love.

Who is depicted in this book?

Boys who transcend gender stereotypes

What early childhood themes and concepts does this book explore?

Movement and dance feel good and enhance joy
Adults and children can have different ideas about what it means to be a boy or a girl

How does this book support anti-bias education?

For Boys Who Dance depicts adult disapproval of a boy dancing. Teachers can use this story to spark a discussion about what it means and how it feels when adults prevent children from participating in activities that they enjoy. Teachers can also use this book to encourage children to participate in the diverse activities that are needed to foster their full cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.

Depending on how the book is shared or used—and the developmental level of the children—For Boys Who Dance may be used to support the following core goal from the book, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves:

Identity—Teachers will nurture each child’s construction of knowledgeable and confident personal and social identities so that children will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.

How can this book be used to meet early childhood learning standards?

For all ages

Use For Boys Who Dance to meet early childhood literacy standards >

For children from birth to age three

Teaching suggestion: Point out and imitate movements, dances and poses from the illustrations in this book. While sharing this book, have a dance party and encourage the children to model what you are doing and then imitate one another.

What Illinois Early Learning Guideline does this meet for children from birth to age three?

Developmental DomainCognitive Development

Standard: Creative ExpressionChildren demonstrate the ability to convey ideas and emotions through creative expression.

Indicators for children:

Demonstrates interest in sounds, songs, music, and colors (Birth–9 months)
Participates in music activities by performing some accompanying hand movements (7–18 months)
Imitates basic movements during an activity (16–24 months)
Initiates and engages in music and movement activities (21–36 months)

For preschoolers (ages three to five)

Teaching suggestion: The book features different boys dancing in different ways as a rhyming story unfolds. After reading the story, children can practice moving their bodies in different ways to different types of music. Encourage them to participate in a dance party in class and create their own dance moves as they listen to the music. Talk about the different ideas and emotions that can be conveyed through different dance moves.

What Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards does this meet for preschoolers?

The Arts Standard25AInvestigate, begin to appreciate, and participate in the arts.

Benchmark 25.A.ECc:

Music: Begin to appreciate and participate in music activities.

See inside this book.

What other resources are available?

Learn more about the author at Dance Spirit and Vibe.

What are the four core goals of anti-bias education,and how do they apply to LGBTQ+ social justice?

Goal 1: IDENTITY

Teachers will nurture each child’s construction of knowledgeable and confident personal and social identities so that children will demonstrate self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social identities.

Early childhood educators can work toward this goal by:

Encouraging children to express positive feelings about their gender identity and become comfortable with their own way of expressing gender

Creating opportunities for children of any gender to explore a wide range of opportunities, interests and activities

Encouraging children to share openly about their families

Goal 2: DIVERSITY

Teachers will promote each child’s comfortable, empathetic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds so that children will express comfort and joy with human diversity, use accurate language for human differences, and form deep, caring connections across all dimensions of human diversity.

Early childhood educators can work toward this goal by:

Teaching children about the diversity of people both within and across genders

Celebrating the uniqueness and assets of diverse families

Goal 3: JUSTICE

Teachers will foster each child’s capacity to critically identify bias and nurture each child’s empathy for the hurt that bias causes so that children will increasingly recognize unfairness (injustice), have the vocabulary they need to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts.

Early childhood educators can work toward this goal by:

Engaging in activities that help children recognize and challenge stereotypes

Helping children understand the unfairness of identity-focused harm

Questioning unfair depictions or erasure of LGBTQ+ families

Goal 4: ACTIVISM

Teachers will cultivate each child’s ability and confidence to stand up for oneself and for others in the face of bias so that children will demonstrate a sense of empowerment and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions.

Early childhood educators can work toward this goal by:

Empowering children to claim their identity and gender

Modeling how to support others, regardless of their identities

Teaching children how to resist rejection, teasing or bullying

Interested in learning more about anti-bias education? Check out the book, Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, by Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards (Second edition, 2020)