Dance is the joy of movement and the heart of life. Dancing is a physical activity that helps to improve overall physical fitness and functioning. It helps children to improve their social and communication skills.
It helps them to explore and learn to be a part of the team. Dancing is where they open their minds and make new friends. Dance has so many positive effects on children and knowing them is important to encourage them.
Different Dance Forms for Children
There are plenty of dance forms in the world. But not every dance form is comfortable for kids. Most recommended for kids are
Bharathnatyam – combined with spectacular gestures of the face, hands and feet. Helps express emotions.
Kolattam – stick dance especially grabs the interest of girls.
Ballet – creates pleasant body movement and improves flexibility.
Jazz – a dancing form of the whole body that improves more physical activeness.
Hip–hop – includes a variety of techniques and kids tend to get great joy as it is of freestyle.
Salsa and Zumba – Sequence of steps and perfection is necessary for this dance. Step count and the beats create the syncopation
How to Choose Dance Lessons for Kids
Dance classes can be taken as early as 3 years of age. The earlier it is, the easier it is. The dance class at a young age is about fun and co-ordination among the kids.
By age of 5 and more, children are taught with the techniques in dance, paying attention, concentration, and handling the positive and negative criticism. Parents should follow the child’s interests and provide them with an introductory dance classes.
Most dance studios have classes based on age, interest and ability. At the age of 8, the classes will be more structured and coordinated. Parents need to understand the purpose as why the child wants to learn dance.
They need to understand if it is just a fun hobby or it a passion they would like to continue as a profession or competitive participant. Based on that, kids should be trained by the proper instructors. Before choosing a dance studio, parents should know about the instructor, safety and the comfortability of the kid.
Positive Effects of Dance over Children
Brings Happiness
Dancing is so much fun not only for kids but for grown-ups. It brings in daunting energy into oneself. For every parent, one of the important things that run through their mind is to keep the kids happy. The best way to combine our love and the child’s happiness is to bring it out as an enjoyable dance.
In the right environment, dance can be the most delightful event for a child. They can join with their friends, neighbours and even parents to make it more amusing. The smiles and cheers that come along with each step increase the positivity while burning up the calories.
While learning it properly, they may find it difficult to follow the steps but over the period with practice and passion, they can perfect it. The confidence and self-esteem it boosts when learned will make them a self-assured and happy person.
Physical Health
Dance is a physical exercise that burns up a lot of calories making the body and mind fit. Children get energetic and healthy by making dance their routine. Physical exercises and gym routine can be boring for many children.
But with dancing, a fun element is added and it becomes an anticipating part of their daily work-out. Dancing starts as fun from an early age but while they grow up it becomes a physical fitness regime that they would love to carry.
They help with muscle development and strengthening, increase the flexibility of the body, reduce the fat deposits, and thereby lessens heart attacks and help with better blood flow and purification.
Parents can encourage the children and make use of the dance classes conducted to entertain their children. Dancing is essential for stressed and fatigued teenagers. It provides an easy and fun way of keeping oneself active and relaxed.
There are several dance forms like Zumba and Salsa that aim at the fitness. Research and enroll in those classes conducted in your locality.
Emotional Maturity
Dance builds their self-confidence, compassion and empathy. Committing to a dance class involves showing up on time, neatly dressed, hair fixed, and involves the development of good habits. It disciplines them in a gentle way. It might be tough at first, but once they practice it, it makes them responsible.
Routine practice makes them a master which helps them to build interpersonal skills. It is the best therapy for anger management, aggression and possessiveness. Through dance, children learn dedication and being committed to something can bring positivity into their lives.
When they become masters of the steps they learn that will encourage them to conquer other hurdles in life. Yoga trance dance is one important form of dance that increases the emotional maturity of the young ones and also the adults.
Social Effects
An effective ice breaker that helps the kids to open up with like-minded people. Through dance, they explore and learn about the personality of different people. They not just understand their dance partners but also understand themselves better.
Not every step might be easy for them so it encourages them to practice and sometimes tune the step comfortable for them. By these, they practically get to understand their strengths, weakness and way to handle them both.
Currently dancing is a new norm in a most fun social gatherings to get along with people. The young ones become more comfortable socially.
Children learn non-verbal communication and listening skill with their fellow companions through dance. It helps the child to create a healthy friendship and build a wide social circle.
Concentration
When the music is played, remembering every step corresponding to each word in the song needs a better memory skill and multi-tasking. Dancing the steps in coordination with others and song requires good concentration just like their school work. When they do it in a team, children tend to bring more perfection than others.
They acquire the knowledge of their body, their comfortable movements and how to stay within the given place and time. Concentration at an early age grows along with them and helps them a lot in their life. Learning dance and the steps children strengthen their memory skills.
‘Dance is the hidden language of the soul’. Let our kids find their hidden interests and talents.