When the kids were almost three I enrolled them in dance lessons for a myriad of reasons. I’m glad I did as today guest writer, Wendy Dressler, shares the benefits for dance for children.
Children develop at an incredible rate, especially when introduced to stimuli that encourage targeted use of their motor skills and minds. Dance is one of the many extracurricular activities that can assist with early childhood development and perhaps one of the most versatile.
If you’ve been looking for ways to help your child develop and reach their full potential, consider enrolling them in dance classes. Here are a few of the ways dance assists with development.
Social Engagement
While not viewed as a traditional team sport, dance necessitates a combination of both independent development and collaboration. Everything from syncing movements during a choreographed performance to sporting matching accessories for dance from Just for Kix helps your child become an active member of a community of like-minded individuals. The shared effort, passion, and teamwork helps a child develop social skills that will stay with them throughout their lives.
Bring a part of a dance class also teaches social behaviors like respect for authority figures and mutual respect among peers. Dancing helps develop emotional intelligence and the ability to empathize with others.
Physical Wellness
An appreciation for physical health and wellness should be cultivated at an early age, and dance can make that possible. At a base level, dance helps young children develop an awareness of their body and how they fit into the space around them. It assists with developing coordination and balance through the application of gross motor skills, plyometrics, and isometric holds.
As physical fitness is essential for improved cardiovascular health, disease prevention, and the development of muscular strength and endurance, the benefits of starting dance at a young age are immeasurable. This form of art in motion helps counteract the time spent sitting at school or on mobile screens that have become so accessible in recent years. As the disruption caused by blue light becomes more evident, movement and screen-free time is becoming more important for overall health and wellness.
Emotional Intelligence and Expression
Dance is a powerful way to express emotion through movement. Anger, sadness, joy– the whole spectrum of human emotion can be conveyed during the dance. For children, identifying emotions is a learning process. Figuring out how to express them is another task entirely, one that many adults never learn. With dance, children can learn how a certain emotion sounds, feels and looks.
Not only does learning to identify and convey emotions benefit the child as they learn to communicate and interact with the world around them, but it also helps them identify emotions in others. This will help them develop emotional intelligence and empathy.
Learning How to Learn
Dance isn’t always fun and games. Your child will have to learn how to follow directions and focus on the task at hand. This requires listening attentively to their instructor and paying attention to the instructions. In other words, your child will learn how to learn. This valuable skill will carry over to the school and beyond.
Finally, through the process of learning how to learn, your child will learn that perseverance is the key to success. Mistakes will be made, but so will progress. With time and dedication, a seemingly insurmountable task will become routine, and your child’s confidence will blossom.
Dancing benefits both the body and the mind, creating a strong foundation for early childhood development.
About Wendy
Wendy is a super-connector with Outreachmama who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.
Four to Adore 
It was mentioned that dance classes can assist with developing coordination and balance. I have noticed that my little toddler is always falling down and bumping into things. Maybe it would be a good idea to get him into dance classes to help with his motor skills.
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It’s awesome that you mention that learning how to dance can help with your child’s social development. I want my daughter to learn how to socialize, so I’m considering enrolling her in a dance class this year. I’m going to search for a good dance class in the area that she can attend.
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I like how you said that dancing helps to boost a child’s social engagement. My husband and I want our daughter’s early development to be successful. We will have to find reliable dance lessons for her to take.
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I like how you mentioned that dancing is a good way for kids to learn more about social behaviors. I want my daughter to be active when she gets older, so it might be a good idea for me to find a dance class for her to enroll in. It would probably be a good idea for me to find a dancing class that teaches the basics to children.
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