20 REASONS YOUR CHILD SHOULD DO DANCE (THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH LEARNING DANCE)
Many parents ask 'I dont know if dance is right for my child' or 'I'm not sure if I should sign them up', or even afterwards 'I dont know if my child is really learning enough or progressing in class'
The answer- YES!
Aside from dance being fun and physically healthy for their bodies, here are 20 reasons your child should dance.
1. Separation. Learning to leave your parent/caregiver in the lobby while you go into class is the beginning of learning how to separate before a child goes to school. the ability to adjust to new situations is an important part of education and life.
2. Follow Directions Dance teaches kids to follow many directions. Learning a dance, listening to the teacher and following along with others while remembering what to do. While maybe not always wanting to do the specific task that is asked of you, but acknowledging that rules and directions are to be followed.
3. Following safety rules Listening to the rules of how we keep ourselves and our friends safe while dancing helps children learn how to follow rules at home and school.
4. Patience No one likes waiting. practicing standing in line for short periods of time and containing your excitement as you wait for your turn across the floor or to do your part in the dance teaches patience in all real life circumstances.
5.Working Cooperatively From partner work to dancing at the same time in sync with each other.
6. Responsibility in cleaning up Learning to put your mat, bands or any objects that we may use in class away is an important skill and one that many parents will be grateful for to have their children master ;)
7. Conflict Resolution Learning how to cope with situations that may not always make you happy or that you do not always get your way is extremely important to learn early in life. In dance, we aid children in this lesson and help them in learning the appropriate ways to resolve their conflicts.
8. Interacting appropriately with adults and peers Learning to have good manners and speak in a way that is respectful is an important skill for kids to learn. Dance class helps a child learn to treat their teacher with respect and how to navigate social dynamics with their peers.
9.Persistence Dancers must try and try again to achieve even the simplest skills and technique. Dancers learn to stay with it and keep trying until its completed. Also, that it is OK if we dont get it first, and that not everyone will excel at the same pace.
10. Discipline Combining listening, respect for rules and patience leads to discipline. when a child has the basics of discipline, self discipline is the next step, and thus they will learn to regulate their behaviour on their own.
11. Co-ordination In Dance it is fundamental that you train your muscles to work along with your brain in order to achieve many steps.
12. Asking for Help Dancers always are taught to ask for help if needed and take corrections with a positive attitude.
13. Coping with Jealousy Inevitably another child will learn a skill more quickly, or become stronger, more flexible or a better at a certain style and your child will not like it. Dance gives your child an opportunity to cope with these feelings and deal with them appropriately.
14. Character dance stresses the importance of doing the right thing, even when the teacher isnt looking.
15. Resilience A child falling in front of their class or on stage and getting back up while trying to master a dance step helps recover quickly from difficulties.
16. Grit When you learn to keep trying in order to achieve a goal is called grit. Educators around the world link achievement and grit together. watching a child attempt the same step over and over again until one day they finally get it is laying the groundwork for success.
17. Value of Effort dance is not easy!! However, if a child tries hard they will see progress. They will learn and understand the relationship of effort / trying hard and success.
18. Ambition Setting goals and believing that you have the capacity to reach them is the core of dance! Watching older dancers and thinking that someday, if you work as hard as they do, you can do it too is a huge stepping stone and beginning of ambition in life.
19. Courage Dance can be very 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 when we have to do something that we don't want to do.
20. Self Confidence Self confidence is belief in yourself!
