Benefits of Dance for your child

Author: Jeanette Briggs

When thinking of the benefits of dance the obvious is of the physical benefits. There are so many benefits of dance as well as the physical benefits including mental well being. Dance brings out endorphins making us feel good and being a real mood changer. You can start a class feeling down or mediocre and end with a smile on your face. It distracts us from our day to day worries. Dancing also relieves stress. Social skills and making friends are also an important benefit. In addition there are the added benefits of improving concentration, thinking skills, improving confidence and self-esteem.

Dance is a healthy and creative activity for children. Dance has been around for centuries and is valued in all cultures as a way of expressing feelings and story telling. It has many benefits. As young children we dance instinctively. Dance often begins before words are even spoken. Children move naturally. Dance has many benefits including physical development, social skills, emotional maturity and improved self esteem.

Dance develops many attributes of a growing child. Dance helps children develop socially, physically, emotionally and cognitively. The physical benefits of dance are widely recognised but people don’t often realise the emotional and cognitive and social benefits.

Physical development is one of the obvious benefits of dance. Dance moves the whole body and improves co-ordination . It involves a greater range of motion, co-ordination, strength, flexibility, balance and endurance than most other physical activities. Dance uses the entire body and is an excellent form of exercise for fitness. The repetitive movements in dance can improve muscle tone, correct poor posture, increase balance and co-ordination and improve overall cardiovascular health. Dancers develop a greater range of movement.

Dance promotes psychological health and maturity. Children are able to express their emotions through dance and gives an awareness and appreciation of themselves and others. Dancing can make a child feel better and improve their mood. This can aid in serious issues such as depression and anxiety. Dancing can be used to reduce stress. It is a distraction from everyday worries and is a creative and emotional outlet.

Dancing is highly socially interactive. Children learn to work well in a group. They learn how to make new friends, develop a greater sense of trust and co-operation. They must take turns, share, understand space, form lines, watch and support one another, perform, and interact.

Being part of a group activity, such as learning a dance routine, promotes the importance of teamwork and develops the ability to work successfully in a group environment. The process also helps a child learn patience, listening and leadership skills as they start to help each other with learning and practising the steps. They also learn to that it is okay not to be able to do everything the first time.

Dance lessons can help children with their communication skills. Nonverbal communication represents two thirds of all communication. If you have a child who is shy, dance is really beneficial. It helps them to interact with others and reduce anxiety about new people and places. Dance also helps children to feel more comfortable about performing in front of others. This helps them at school when they need to speak in front of their classmates. Learning to socialise with others is an important trait for children to learn from a young age. I have had so many students who come to me and are shy or lacking self confidence and want to learn dance. Their parents have been so happy to see them come out of their shells and blossom. It is really very rewarding for me, them and their families.

Becoming a skilled dancer requires practice, discipline and focus. These skills are useful in all areas of life. Children who participate in dance often perform better academically . It is vital for children to learn trial and error. If at first they don’t succeed it is important that they try again. The sense of success they gain through learning a complex movement will help them to transfer this skill to other aspects of their life.

Exercise and repetition helps with childrens minds. Learning body movement helps children to absorb and hold information.

As children learn movement they become more aware and comfortable of their own bodies. This produces more confidence and self-esteem. Dance helps children to feel positive in all areas of their life.

Dance is basic to learning. Children learn mostly from experiences. Pre school and young children learn mostly through physical experiences. Dance helps children develop knowledge, skill and understanding. Dance helps children develop literacy. To the young child, movement and literacy are one.

Dance has so many benefits and life skills that it is beneficial to both the child that wants to dance as a career as well as the child who will take the skills they have learnt at dance and transfer them to other areas all the way throughout their lives.

Now is the perfect time to start dance class. We have lots of classes to offer you. We cater for children from 2 years old and even have an adults tap class that is lots of laughs. Contact us now to discuss a class that will suit your schedule and request our information booklet.