Taking dance class for the first time can be a huge moment in a child’s life. Slipping into those pink tights, leotards, tutus and a brand new pair of soft shoes is just the beginning. The class must be fun for the child, but it can have a major effect on her overall social development and sense of self-worth. The skills these students acquire can extend way beyond the classroom setting.
Retired elementary school teacher Patty Woolf, of Lufkin, Texas, has seen firsthand how dance changes the lives of young children. Woolf taught at the same campus for more than 33 years. She developed a deep-rooted interest in researching the connection between learning development and movement exercises. As part of her work, she conducted a three-year pilot program for second-graders with behavior problems who were behind their peers in reading and math. The program involved movement, music and fine-motor activities.
“All three years, 90 percent of the students in this control group were no longer having behavior problems and were performing at or near grade level," she said.
Woolf had a daughter who experienced fine-motor skill delays as a young child. She was trying to find new ways for her daughter to overcome these difficulties.
“I enrolled my daughter in dance class at the age of 3 to help her learn body awareness and body control," Woolf said. "She had difficulty skipping, hopping and controlling her body. She quickly began to improve in all these areas. In addition, she began to learn left from right, balance and rhythm.
“Studies have shown that body awareness and movement stimulate brain development. I witnessed this personally with my own child.”
Dana Loving-Sparks has shared her passion for dance with children for 23 years. She has run the In-Step Dance and Performing Arts Center in The Woodlands, Texas, for 13 years.
“Dance is very important to all shapes and sizes," Loving-Sparks said. "It physically helps get kids in shape, and emotionally and mentally, it helps kids find themselves while allowing them to create."
Well-run dance classes can give children a safe, structured atmosphere where they can play, interact, challenge their minds and bodies, while using their imaginations to explore new possibilities. These youngsters can experience improved flexibility, coordination, balance, body awareness and focus, memorization skills and overall confidence.
Tracey Moat has noticed some of these changes with her daughters, 4-year-old Ashley and 3-year-old Marissa. After just three weeks in a dance class, she said there was a notable difference in their listening skills and self-confidence.
“I have also noticed increased coordination and balance in my older daughter when she dances,” Moat said.
Woolf said dance is a mood altering activity.
"Most students enjoy the music and movement of dance," she said. "Dance enhances physical and mental development and can also foster a sense of accomplishment and self-worth.”
If a child finds joy in dance early, there's a chance that feeling will continue as she matures and ages. Loving-Sparks says she thinks her past students learned a lot about life through dance.
“I teach them to express themselves through movement and to love themselves, and to continue that for the rest of their lives,” she said.
Finding a regular dance class that your child enjoys can introduce her to an entirely new world, one that she may grow to love.
“She isn't old enough to explain what she loves about dance, but I'd say she really enjoys all the movement and the ability to be creative in the Hip-Hop class,” said Meg Samuel-Siegel about her 3-year-old daughter, Ella. “She certainly looks forward to participating and asks several times a week when she's going to dance class.”
The big night for most dance programs is the recital. However, preparing for the big day can be extremely stressful on child and parent alike. There are expensive costumes to buy, multiple dance numbers to learn, and, of course, that first moment on stage in front of a real audience. If all of the participants don't prepare correctly, the recital could turn into a nightmare.
Dana Loving-Sparks, who runs a dance center in Texas, said there is one major thing to remember to avoid this.
“Communication -- with the parents, teachers and students," she said. "That is all you need to have a successful performance."
Planning will eliminate the need for last-minute scrambling. This includes having plenty of helpers to keep the recital running smoothly. Instructors should try to keep costume budgets affordable and give parents plenty of notice. A brief letter is an effective and efficient way to remind them about upcoming events.
The teacher can also make copies of the performance music on CDs and send them home with the parents. That way, the students can practice their steps at home with the proper music. Loving-Sparks said the parents should have the children practice at home at least once, but remind them the recital is just a fun way to demonstrate all the work they've done in rehearsal.
Sometimes, a parent might feel more anxious about the performance than his child. Loving-Sparks had this advice for those folks.
"Stay calm and enjoy the performance of a lifetime. There is nothing like watching your child perform. There is no need to worry -- they will be great."
It is never too late to start a child in dance, but the parent must consider the reason. If the dance class is just for recreational purposes, the starting age is not important. On the other hand, most serious adult dancers began their training before or around the age of 5. So while starting young is not necessary, it is apparently helpful for those with professional ambitions.
“Age 3 is a great start for coordination and movement; development with any activity at a young age is easier learned,” Loving-Sparks said. “An older child has the attention span that is easier to work with ... but younger children develop flexibility easier and motor movement faster than an older child.”
Regardless of the reason, Woolf said dancing can support educational success.
“Dance can help young children develop body awareness, balance, rhythm, mental and physical agility, all which are essential for children to become good students in school,” she said. “I am totally convinced that if we required public and private schools to offer opportunities for young children to participate in dance, musical movement and structured fine-motor activities, our children would have more success in school.”
Some children may dance while they are young and move on to something different when they get older. As the parent, your can encourage and support change and growth. Loving-Sparks stressed that dance is challenging. Not every student will want to keep attending dance classes, and very few will become professional dancers.
However, those early lessons can inspire some to keep using movement as a lifelong form of physical and mental exercise. According to Woolf, the discipline dancers carry throughout their careers can help keep them stay self-motivated as adults, making a healthy lifestyle more achievable.
Woolf said dance can continue to serve students within other areas of their lives, giving them the skills they need to excel in a wide range of scenarios.
“When children reach their preteen and teenage years, they are often faced with the opportunity to take part in dances in social and school settings. If a child has learned to dance at an early age, (the child is) more comfortable in these situations,” Woolf said. “For girls, dance can teach them a sense of gracefulness and is an advantage if they want to be cheerleaders or dance team members. For boys, dance has been shown to help athletes to have better body control and body awareness.”
Children need plenty of encouragement in class. The instructor has to have creative teaching plans that keep the activity fun. Many teachers incorporate games and props into their lesson. Moat says this keeps her daughters excited about dance class.
“I think relating the dance moves to something the girls are familiar with, such as animal motions, or dancing around the room as a fairy or swan helps them," Moat said. "They also enjoy learning dance moves while watching themselves in the mirror or dancing together with other kids in the class. Lastly, I think they enjoy when dance moves are part of a game, like red light-green light, or if there are props involved, like pompons.”
Loving-Sparks said music also plays a huge role in making class enjoyable. She said children feel more motivated to learn when they hear music they love. It makes the dance lesson exciting and positive.