What if your child never becomes a professional dancer? Would there still be any value in putting your child in a dance class?

Yes.
Yes, Sir.
Yes, Ma’am.
Absolutely, I say yes!

In addition to having a fun and positive experience, here are 19 reasons why your child should take a dance class…nineteen legitimate reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with tutus, sequins and bows.

1.      Independence. Learning to enter a new situation all by yourself, teaches children independence and the confidence to try new things. The ability to adjust to new situations independently is an essential part of a child’s education.

2.      Following directions. Dance class teaches kids to follow multi-stepped directions. Remembering sequencing, and following directions in the order they are given, is an important step in a child’s cognitive development.

3.      Following safety rules. Listening to the rules of how we keep ourselves safe in dance class places importance on the concept of personal safety that is relevant for life, helps children respect safety rules at home and school, and gives them to tools to prevent their bodies from injury and damage.

4.      Patience. No one likes waiting, especially children! Developing flexibility, strength and dance technique takes time and lots of it! Children in dance class learn that the best things in life come with time and patience. 

5.     Teamwork and cooperation. From working together in the classroom, to preparing for a stage performance, dance class teaches kids to work together for a common purpose, regardless of differences in individual personalities.

6.      Responsibility in cleaning up. Learning to take care of props and keep a tidy dance studio is an important skill, and one that many parents will be grateful to have their child master the next time that their bedroom looks like a tornado hit it!

7.      Conflict resolution. It’s not easy when you don’t get the part you want, the spot you want, the costume you want or the class you want, when you want it. Dance class teaches these lessons, and helps children learn appropriate ways to resolve their conflicts.

8.      Taking constructive criticism. Dancers learn through taking correction given by the teacher. Dance class helps a child learn how to take constructive criticism gracefully, without feeling personally attacked, and apply the correction in ways that helps them learn and grow. 

9.      Persistence. Dancers must try and try again to achieve even the simplest of skills. Dance class teaches kids determination and persistence.

10.  Self-discipline. Teaching children listening skills, respect for rules, and patience leads to child-regulated self-discipline. When a child has the basics of self-discipline, he or she is able develop the ability to self-regulate behavior.

11.  Coordination. Dance engages all of the major muscle groups, teaching agility at different levels, and utilizes a variety of movement patterns. These are building blocks not only for dance training, but for any future athletic pursuits.

12.  Asking for help. Dancers learn how to ask for help from their instructor, and we know that asking for help is not easy – even for adults. Children who learn to self-advocate are less likely to feel bullied or helpless in other situations because they are not afraid to speak up and ask for help from a friend or person in an authority position.

13.  Coping with envy. Inevitably another child will learn a skill more quickly, receive praise for their performance, or be chosen to lead the line for the day, and your preschooler will not like it. Dance class gives children an opportunity to cope with those yucky feelings and express them appropriately.

14.  Integrity. Dance class stresses the importance of integrity – doing the right thing, even when the teacher isn’t looking. Preschool dancers begin developing this important life skill in dance class.

15.  Resilience. A four year old falling down and getting back up while trying to master a skill is learning resilience- the capacity to recover quickly from challenges.

16. Determination. When you learn to keep trying in order to achieve a goal, it is called determination. Educators around the nation understand the relationship between achievement and determination. Watching that same resilient four year old persist at learning a skill is laying the groundwork for a child who is determined to master skills of all varieties as they learn and grow.

17. The value of hard work. Dance is not only an art form, it is a physical activity that requires balance, strength, agility and flexibility.  In each of these components of dance allow children to experience progress if they work hard. Through dance class, children develop an understanding of the relationship between hard work, proper planning and a successful performance.

18. Goal Setting. Setting goals and believing that you have the capacity to reach them is the core of what it means to ambitious. Observation of older dance students plants seeds of ambition in young dancers as they begin to think that someday, with enough hard work they can “do that too”.

19. Courage. Dancing in front of an audience can be scary. It is when we face something that pushes us out of our comfort zone that we have the opportunity to develop courage. Courage is not only being brave when we fear something, but it is also a trait we can call upon when we have to do something that makes us feel anxious or fearful.

So, while I hope all of the students enrolled in our dance program learn solid dance skills, have a lot of fun doing so, possibly fall in love with dance and enjoy dance throughout their childhoods, these nineteen traits will serve your child well no matter where his/her dance experience takes him or her.

If you are ready to introduce your child to the many benefits of a dance education, please visit www.3-Ddance.com or call us at (469) 296-0150.  We would love to assist you in finding the perfect dance class for your child!