Des Moines Performing Arts: On Tour For Little Learners
Des Moines Performing Arts: On Tour for Little Learners brings the theater to young children, offering free performances right where they learn and grow!
Open to preschools and pre-K classrooms in Polk, Dallas and Warren counties, the initiative presents a season of professional performances designed especially for early childhood audiences. Each experience is selected to spark joy, wonder and imagination while inviting children to listen, explore, connect and discover the magic of live performance together.
How It Works
How It Works
1. Tell us what works for you.
- Complete the request form, telling us about your site, available dates and performance preferences.
- Performances can take place in a variety of spaces, including libraries, gyms, cafeterias and other gathering places. You don’t need a theater – we’ll help you determine what will work best based on your space and the artist’s needs.
2. We’ll build the experience with you.
- A member of our team will follow up with a proposed performance date and will work with you to create a schedule that fits your school day.
- If needed, we can schedule multiple performances to accommodate all your early learners, including students who attend half-day programs.
- Older students may also participate when they fall within the performance’s recommended grade levels.
3. We’ll handle the details.
- Once your performance date is confirmed, our team will collaborate with you on remaining logistics, including the performance space, artist parking, arrival details and anything else to make the experience run smoothly.
4. Gather your learners and experience the arts together.
- We'll bring the artists and the performance. You bring your students. It’s time to experience the wonder of live performance, right where they learn and grow!
2026-2027 TOURING PRODUCTIONS
Four titles are available to preschool sites this school year, each touring within specific date windows.
Ringo’s Sing Along Road Trip
Touring Oct. 26-29, 2026
Join Ringo the singing dog and his owner on this musical road trip to the Doggy Dance Party! Audiences are encouraged to sing, clap, and stomp along as the duo performs such favorites as “B-I-N-G-O,” “Wheels on the Bus,” and “Do Your Ears Hang Low?” They’re even joined by a joke-telling chicken!
Due to the fall timing of this tour, we recommend requesting no later than October 1, 2026.
Art Form:
Theater/Puppetry
Length:
30 minutes
Target Audience:
PreK-2nd grade and their adults
Education Ties:
Creative play and problem-solving
Swing Along with Allegra Levy and Friends
Touring January 25-28, 2027
Acclaimed singer/songwriter Allegra Levy’s has made her foray into jazz for the juvenile set! Songs from her celebrated album “Songs for You and Me” not only teaches both kids and adults how to say hello in 12 different languages, but she and her all-star big band make it all sing…and swing! From bedtime and bath time to boogers and boo-boos, it’s a swinging affirmation of childhood experiences.
“ …ten thousand times better than ‘Baby Shark’ could ever dream of being.” -The Syncopated Times
Art Form:
Music
Length:
30-45 minutes
Target Audience:
PreK-K grade and their adults
Education Ties:
Language and Communication: Vocabulary, Rhyme and Repetition, Languages and Multilingual awareness
Emotional/Social Development: Identifying and Expressing Feelings, Empathy, Self-Expression, Self-Regulation
Music and Creative Expression: Rhythm and Beat, Movement, Instruments and Musical Sounds, Improvisation and Making Musical Choices
Little Half Chicken
Touring March 22-25, 2027
Based on a folk tale told in many countries around the world, Little Half Chicken follows an unusual little bird on his journey to discover where he belongs. Mama Chicken brings three little chickens into the world, but one is a little different… he is only half a chicken! As The Little Half Chicken grows up, he is teased by his siblings, but he knows there is more to him than meets the eye. Follow The Little Half Chicken as he makes his way in the world, expertly problem-solving his way through obstacles and discovering his purpose along the way: using his unique gift to show which way the wind blows!
Art Form:
Theater/Puppetry
Length:
30 minutes
Target Audience:
PreK-2nd grade and their adults
Education Ties:
Empathy, Accepting Difference, Safety, Story Sequencing
Uncle Jumbo: One Big Family
Touring April 12-13, 2027
Grammy-nominee Uncle Jumbo layers heartfelt lyrics with messages of positivity that inspire young minds to dream big and chase their passions. His "One Big Family" concert performance includes hits from his Touch the Sky and Garden Groove albums, as well as the single 7 Days of the Week Dance! His music draws on rhythms and melodies that merge soul, funk, R&B, and more, with uplifting songs and dance-alongs that focus on connection, kindness and wellbeing.
Please note: this offering is best suited for sites with enrollment that would support a minimum of 75 students experiencing the performance.
Art Form:
Music
Length:
30-45 minutes
Target Audience:
PreK-3rd grade and their adults
Education Ties:
Science: gardens, bugs, and how things grow
Emotional/Social Development: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Identifying Emotions, Empathy, Courage, Curiosity, Respect for Others, Perspective-Taking, Relationship Skills, Social Engagement, Relationship-building, Family, Teamwork
Creating pathways to belong through the arts
At Des Moines Performing Arts, we believe every child should have the opportunity to visit the theater and discover that it is a place where they belong. For many preschool and pre-K classrooms, however, transportation can present unique challenges. Young children often require car seats or specialized safety accommodations that traditional school transportation may not be equipped to provide.
Des Moines Performing Arts: On Tour for Little Learners offers another pathway to arts access by bringing the theater directly to young children. By meeting young learners where they are, we can introduce the transformative power of the arts early, nurturing creativity and building meaningful connections from the very start.