Happy New Year! We got a little off track at the end of 2018, but we will be back better than ever with posts on the 1st and 15th of each month. To kick us off I’d like to start with the age group that is near and dear to my heart the 2-5 year old crowd.
Did you know? In the newest physical activity guidelines for Americans published on December 12th it is recommended that children get a combination of light, moderate and vigorous activity for at least 3 hours a day in a combination of structured and unstructured. Dancing can be considered a moderate or vigorous activity. Weight bearing activity such as hopping, jumping, and skipping all found in dance class strengthens the bones, while gymnastics, and exercises such as knee bends and calf raises strengthen the muscles.
As a side note: Adults need 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity a week.
But back to the dance class room. Children gain many skills from dancing that aren’t related to technique. In fact the preschool classes I teach explore movement concepts in a more round about manor using play and songs and short dances rather than a strict technique class. Basic skills gained in the 2-5 year old set of dancers include confidently separating from parents, socialization with peers, listening skills, learning the routine of the class, rhythmic and spatial awareness, development of large motor skills, body identification, hand eye coordination and following directions as well as building confidence, encouraging creativity and extending focus. The last three I would like to talk about a bit more.
In the class room one of the first objectives is to build a child’s confidence. It can be a scary place coming into a class with teachers and students you don’t know who are asking you to do all kinds of crazy things. We are always working towards new skills in class and every time one is mastered along with teacher support, their confidence grows, showing them they can achieve whatever they put their minds to.
Another fabulous benefit that comes from class is the child being able to stretch their creativity. In class sometimes we hand them a prop, like say a pool noodle, and ask them what we can do with this, or give them a task to complete – you need to get across the room with the noodle, but you can’t use your hands.
Focus, even as an adult can be the hardest skill to master. It may be in short bursts but we do work for focus in each activity. Through tone of voice, keeping our material fresh, and eliminating as many distractions as possible we work to have the children be present with us through each activity. We do change activities often which helps as well and we slowly build up to the full curriculum over 5 months or so, incorporating each activity at it’s own pace and adding another when they are comfortable.
As mentioned before skills are rarely accomplished correctly the first time.
As dancers get older dance class can help to develop perseverance and dedication, because harder skills rarely come naturally, problem solving and quick-thinking skills through guided classroom exercises as well as sometimes thinking on their feet during a performance. They also learn how to receive feedback and accountability for their actions. We consider getting a correction in class a great honor as it means the teacher noticed you. We also work to figure out what we may have done wrong and how to fix it in order to master a new skill.
Lastly, performing for an audience, whether it be of 2 or 200, especially at a young age helps to get performance anxiety out. That way when they get older and need to do public speaking they are used to being up in front of people.
Stay tuned to part 2 on the 15th where I talk about how you can incorporate dance and movement into your everyday activity!