Children's dance classes — understanding the benefits
We're proud to offer a number of classes designed specifically to support children's development. First and foremost they're fun and engaging; the learning is a bonus.
Our pre-school classes this week
From six months old with a grown-up, through to age four.
Loading class times…
Physical health
Dancing is a great aerobic form of exercise at any age. The repetitive movements improve muscle tone, correct poor posture, increase balance and coordination, and improve cardiovascular health generally.
Physical health matters throughout life, but it matters especially during a child's development. That's why our classes are designed to build flexibility, range of motion, strength and stamina.
Social skills
Our classes are built to encourage interaction — with the teachers and with each other. We've had the privilege of taking hundreds of children through the journey from initial nerves, shy and unwilling to join in, and we understand it has to be a gentle process that never overwhelms.
During classes children are encouraged to communicate, share and work as a team, which builds an understanding of cooperation and trust with their new friends.
Once they're familiar with the routine, the natural next step is a part in the annual show — a very small one at first, when the teacher feels they're ready, growing into larger roles. It's designed to take the fear out of performing.
Educational benefits
Learning to dance takes practice, discipline and focus, and those carry into every other part of life. Starting a child on that path through dance is a form of education that doesn't feel like education.
Our syllabus is tailored to support creativity, with subtle threads of numeracy and spelling woven in — children listening to the teacher count time, usually one to eight, and recognising their own name and their friends' names on arrival. That kind of gentle repetition helps them along at home, at nursery and at pre-school.
Confidence
From crawling to walking to running, children learn by pushing at the edge of what they can already do. We think of dance as the next natural step on that journey. As they adjust to new movements and postures they develop a better sense of their own bodies and a stronger centre of balance — which improves every physical move they make, and with it their confidence and self-esteem.