And the Benefits they get from joining a dance school
There’s no doubt that kids love to dance and have no hesitation about throwing themselves around the room, jigging and shuffling to the music with no care about how they appear. As we get older, we get more self-conscious and the desire to dance madly fades in some of us. But there are more benefits to dance for children than just having fun – here’s a look at why it is so beneficial to them.
Dance & Physical Health
Childhood obesity is a big concern for parents at the moment and balancing the whole eating well but not dieting thing can be trick. Key to good physical health and weight is exercise but what about when it is snowing? Or they can’t go to park because it is a mud-bath? This is where dance comes in – physical exercise that is great fun and isn’t effected by the weather.
Dancing regularly can improve a child’s flexibility, their physical strength and stamina and even their range of motion. The repetitive nature of dance, doing the same steps or moves over and over, increases muscle tone, coordination and balance. These benefits can last them well past childhood too, when balance and coordination can sometimes fade.
Dancing uses up those calories and means eating can be to restore what has been used – this helps with weight management. Using up excess calories can also help lose weight for kids who are overweight to start with and makes them feel more energetic.
Dance & Social Benefits
The current Xbox generation do have social skills but often they can be based around their computer games or social media for the older ones. Dance, however, can’t be done via the computer and has to be done in person, with others. This means that their socialisation skills are worked upon simply as part of the activity.
Dancing is often about working as a team with other dancers or even getting to know a dance partner to enable you to both coordinate together. Shy kids learn to come out of their shell somewhat while bolder kids can learn to tone it back when needed. And everyone can get over that innate fear of performing in front of others that can help with anything from job interviews to a career in dance later in life.
Dance, Education & Discipline
Dance is a form of education and involves everything from the history of the dance to a better understand of our own bodies. It involves learning steps and routines and training the mind to remember them. Listening to a teacher, following instructions and practicing to improve in their own time at home are all excellent skills that can be learnt at a dance class. This means that not only is it educational, dance also teaches discipline. These skills can then be used in other areas of life, such as school education or learning new skills for a job.
Dancing can also help kids learn about self-expression, another skill with many applications. Explaining how a dance makes them feel or what they think about a routine allows them to gain confidence in their own opinions and to express these to others. It can also be helpful for children who have trouble telling others what they feel as emotion is such a key part of dance.
For the Love of Dance
Most children love music and love to move to music so harnessing that natural rhythm and getting them to join a class is an easy choice for many parents. While many children join a dance class to learn to dance, it is the additional skills and experiences they have while at class which has lasting and transferable benefits.