The Benefits of Dance Lessons

Enrolling in dance lessons is a rite of passage for many children. Even if your child doesn't desire to be a professional dancer, they can still gain several benefits from their time spent in dance shoes.
• Dance lessons offer a fun opportunity for exercise at any age. Dancing can build muscle strength, agility, and balance. Dance can provide a good workout for the cardio-vascular system and some studies suggest that combining movement and music increases the beneficial effects of exercise.

• Early exposure to music, rhythm and movement help children develops language and math skills. Dances and songs - even basic music and movement activities like the hokey-pokey - can help children build vocabulary and understand abstract concepts like tempo.

• Dance can help children develop confidence and poise. Children who are comfortable with how their bodies move tend to feel less clumsy. Body awareness can lead to better posture and overall confidence. This confidence can carry over into social situations and even result in improvements in the classroom because children are less likely to feel anxious during presentations and speeches.

• Children enrolled in dance or other similar activities can develop self-discipline. It takes time and effort on a consistent basis to develop new skills. Children who persevere while learning a difficult new position or step can apply that same patience character development to homework or other challenging tasks.

• Exposure to the arts helps children develop their natural creativity. Young children love to pretend, and creativity is an essential part of their learning process. Dance and other arts help children harness that creativity beyond the preschool years, which leads to better problem solving and greater self-expression.

• Dance lessons, unlike private music lessons or hobbies, are often highly social environments. Children learn to follow the instruction of authority figures, but they also learn teamwork and cooperation.

Any dance form can help children develop in these key areas, but since it lays the foundation for all others -- ballet dance lessons are usually the best choice for beginning dancers. The time your children invest in dance lessons can return dividends in helping them grown into confident, creative well-rounded individuals.
Alison McNamara has been dancing since she was 2. Holding a BA in Elementary Education, she relates to children well in a learning and creative environment. Alison resides in the Boston, MA area and is Owner and Artistic Director of TA-DAH! Studio of Dance, http://www.tadahstudio.com, where she offers a variety of programs including beginning ballet dance lessons.

Any dance form can help children develop in these key areas, but since it lays the foundation for all others -- ballet dance lessons are usually the best choice for beginning dancers. The time your children invest in dance lessons can return dividends in helping them grown into confident, creative well-rounded individuals. More information about dance and how it can benefit development is available at http://www.tadahstudio.com.