If you have a child, most certainly you wonder which is the best way to channel their endless energy into something they may help them on long-term perspectives. Maybe you are thinking about traditional sports, such as volleyball, football and swimming. But you might want to start considering the option of enrolling them in dances classes since this seems to bring plenty of advantages for both the parent – and the child. Exhaust your precious moppets, especially if they’re on the hyperactive or temperamental spectrum and notice how their whole behaviour will improve. Below are some of the ways in which dancing can improve your child’s life.

First comes health…

If you’re concerned regarding the reduced amount of physical activity in which your child gets involved daily, then enrolling them in dancing classes might be the solution that you’re searching for. Dancing classes are soliciting children’s bodies in a beneficial way, and enrolling your child in such courses might significantly improve their overall health, starting with their heart. Craig Revel Horwood, member of the Strictly Come Dancing jury, claims that in children, dancing improves flexibility, bone density, heart health, posture and resilience. Children nowadays usually lack all these physical attributes, as their daily schedules revolve around sedentary activities. Another health-related benefit that dancing seems to have on children’s bodies is improved balance and coordination.

Improved social skills

If your child is shy and always seems reluctant to socialise with others, dancing might be the perfect solution. Dancing is a highly social activity and according to various studies, dancing courses may help children improve their communication abilities, learn how to work as part of a team and socialise more effectively. Dancing classes seem to have a positive impact on shy children’s behaviour as they learn how to communicate and express their ideas and feelings, while new circumstances, such as new children and places, won’t cause so much anxiety as previously. Also, another big advantage of dancing classes targeted towards children is that these can reduce significantly their fear of performing in front of others, which will prove a useful ability in the future.

Their self-esteem will go through the roof

Children are also under a lot of social pressure and they feel less than they are in numerous circumstances. A great way to deter a mindset like this is, again, enrolling them in dancing classes. Both boys and girls become more aware of their bodies, posture and qualities when attending such classes and most importantly, they start to appreciate differently their self-worth. They start to appreciate correctly their value, as most children have difficulties in establishing if they are equally important as their peers. Also, dancing teaches them to explore their abilities and qualities and express themselves more freely. This comes as a great advantage for those particular children with mild to severe mental impairment.

Dance classes promote memorization and focus

Dance techniques and movements are complex and require high levels of attention and memorization on the child’s part. Where each leg is going when the arm positioning is in a particular spot, where the head should be located in various dance moves and so on. If your child is the kind to never pay attention and seems quite careless, dancing might help them improve their memory by forcing them to access information and build it into a fluent flux, before each dance. Practice makes everything better and you will shortly observe how your child is will memorize their papers more easily and become quite skilful at accessing the needed information, when needed. Once the neuronal paths are developed, it becomes easier to access and use information.

Also, in an era in which our focus is daily disturbed by out little techy helpers, dancing seems to make children and teenagers focus better in class. In fact, a recent study showed that those students which attended dancing classes have less likely to become inattentive and restless during class, while their focus levels improved quite significantly. Dancing is similar to a project that must be accomplished, and this teaches students to work and persevere, and more importantly, focus on a certain goal until accomplished.

Dance teaches respect

All dance classes have an authority figure, the dance instructor. In fact, many parents seem to hope that by attending such classes, their children will become more respectful and show higher appreciation towards the authority figures in their lives. Also, dance teaches children other forms of respect besides authority figures. Dance teaches children to show respect to a certain dress code, good behaviour and values, which makes them less likely to rebel against the norms and values appreciated and praised by their family and society in general.

Dance brings plenty of educational benefits

If you want children with higher educational performances, dance is once again, the answer. Practice, discipline and focus are necessary in order to become a skilled dancer. These are also necessary to become a better student, a more intelligent child and sharp-minded individual on long-term perspectives. Also, dance seems to promote and boost creativity in children, making them find unexpected solutions more easily. And more than this, these solutions can be applied in real-life and educational circumstances with ease. A recent study showed that students in dancing classes seem to score better at important tests, such as SAT tests.

These are only some of the benefits that come with enrolling your child in dance classes. Children, generally, have an incredible amount of energy, and channelling into the right direction certainly comes with big advantages for both children and parents. That energy can be used to feed so many great goals, it would be a shame not to do it!