8 Reasons Why Dance Is Good For Kids | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

8 Reasons Why Dance Is Good For Kids

All four of our daughters dance – a lot. Between the four of them, they are racking up an average of 8 hours a week of classes in genres such as ballet, RAD ballet, tap, jazz, commercial jazz and contemporary. In addition to that, they have singing, drama and musical theatre classes too.

We don’t force dance classes upon our daughters. They actively wanted to take on all these classes and there are some excellent reasons why we think it’s great.

Whenever we attend class observations during the last week of term it often gets me thinking about why our girls dance. So, I’ve come up with 8 reasons why dance is a really great hobby for your children to get into.

1) Confidence

Without a doubt, dance brings out confidence in kids. At first, they may be shy and reserved but a good dance teacher will encourage them and they will break out of their shell. I’ve seen it with not only our girls but with other children too.

As they learn and develop their technique children will grow in confidence. Learning how to express themselves is what dance is all about.

There’s no greater feeling than confidence and having enough of it to go out on stage in a dance competition for the first time at 15 must mean something. That’s what our eldest daughter did.

There’s also body confidence. Us human beings come in all shapes and sizes and there’s no such thing as a typical dancers body. Developing confidence in your own skin is vital.

8 Reasons Why Dance Is Good For Kids | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

2) Body eduction

A good dance school will not only teach the right technique but will also educate children about the human body. Understanding human mechanics is fantastic knowledge to have and this helps them to develop better technique and continue to improve.

Out girls learn all sorts from dance classes that you wouldn’t immediately think of as dance related. But, I’ve come to realise that just as a footballer can get injured – so can a dancer. It’s as much a sport as it is an art form and it’s important to learn how to maintain your body condition to prevent injur.

3) Social & friendship

Being part of a dance school requires social skills. Being able to work together in a team, not only with friends but maybe people you don’t get on with is a life skill.

Our girls have built amazing friendships with other kids at their dance school. In fact, some of their best friends are through dance and they don’t go to the same school during the day. A shared passion is a great bedrock to a great friendship.

8 Reasons Why Dance Is Good For Kids | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

4) Health & fitness

It’s a sad fact that the children of today do not get enough physical exercise. Taking dance classes will certainly tick the box on the recommended activity levels and help to promote a healthy lifestyle.

I consider myself fit given the amount of running I do. But recently, D ran me through some of her PBT (perfecting ballet technique) class exercises. Wow was I unprepared to feel that level of pain! I concede that my dancing daughters are super fit.

5) Time management

If your child takes a few classes like ours do then learning to manage their time is crucial. Our eldest daughter is doing her GCSEs now so she really has to ensure she makes enough time for study around her dancing. Time management is definitely a like skill worth developing from a young age.

6) Organisation

Being organised with dance kit and the class schedule is important. Turning up on time, ready to dance, with your hair as required takes good organisational skills. Our girls don’t always get it right but it’s a skill they are constantly developing.

8 Reasons Why Dance Is Good For Kids | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

7) Discipline

Being a disciplined dancer is important. There are rules to follow and learning the discipline required helps things run smoothly. But you also have to be disciplined to practice at home for dance exams and competitions. Learning this kind of discipline is also a key life skill.

8) Fun

They have fun. Probably the most important thing of all. During the last week of term, parents can go watch their children in classes. The biggest thing I enjoy is seeing how much they enjoy what they are doing.

8 Reasons Why Dance Is Good For Kids | The Yorkshire Dad of 4

Many of the skills learnt through dance can be taken throughout life. Life skills are vitally important and the ones learnt through dancing can be applied in school and any career, not only that of a dancer.

Thanks for reading.

Dave


3 thoughts on “8 Reasons Why Dance Is Good For Kids”

  1. I could say virtually the same things about gymnastics. My eldest is the big gymnast in our house, although both kids do it. Confidence, discipline, organisation and social skills, not to mention keeping active and fit.

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