For parents, the milestone of starting kindergarten is a big one. Our little ones are finally old enough for elementary school. Are they ready? Well, ballet for kids is an excellent way to help ensure your kid is ready for school.
How does ballet for kids help with kindergarten readiness? Ballet has significant physical, social, and cognitive benefits which aid in optimal development for kids.
Whether your little one loves to dance already, or they are just open to exploring dance, the International Ballet Academy is ready to help.
How Does Ballet For Kids Improve Cognitive Development?
For years, research has shown a clear connection between physical movement, gross motor milestones, and cognitive development. The more movement a child has, especially ones requiring motor planning, the more their cognitive development can progress.
Penn State University Extension shared important research in Movement Builds a Child’s Brain. The article shared:
“This messaging is important for the brain-body connection. The ability of the brain to develop and maintain neural connections is based on new movement and play experiences of young children (Choosy Kids, IMIL 2016). Brain cell connections are lost or pruned away as a result of limited activity or stimulation. “Move it or lose it” is true for both children and adults.”
It went on to explain:
“[There are windows of optimal development] If a child misses this opportunity, that does not mean that the child will be impaired, but her brain may not develop circuitry to its full potential, or optimal development, in that area.”
When you provide your child with activities which encourage movement, you are helping them reach their optimal development. The more a child moves and engages with the environment around them, the more neural pathways are developed and maintained.
Certain early movements aid in pre-reading and pre-math skills. It also aids in problem-solving skills and even improved visual processing.
How Does Ballet For Kids Improve Social Skills Needed For Kindergarten?
An important part of kindergarten readiness includes the ability to follow instructions and take turns. With ballet, your child will follow step by step instructions from their ballet teacher. This is a great time to practice listening skills and following instructions.
Best of all, ballet classes are fun. Your child will not be aware just how much they are learning. They will take turns watching their instructor, and then doing the dance moves themselves. This is a simple way to practice taking turns.
Once a child begins kindergarten, they will need to take turns with their teacher and their new friends. They must have the skills to know when it is their turn to speak, use an item, and more. Practicing these skills during ballet classes is a fun way to reinforce and practice.
What Are The Physical Benefits of Ballet for Kids?
When kids take ballet, they can improve many areas of their overall physical wellness. Some important gross motor milestones occur before and around the time of kindergarten.
It is important for young children to learn how to balance, skip, spin, hop, and more. All these things can be mastered during early ballet for kids, often referred to as creative movement.
Another important part of physical development in children is maturing the vestibular, proprioceptive, and interoceptive systems.
The vestibular system is necessary for balance and posturing. Our proprioceptive system lets us know where our body is in relation to the things around us. It helps us walk without bumping into a wall or tripping when we switch from a sidewalk to grass. Our interoceptive system is important for understanding the things we feel internally.
With ballet, each of these systems are engaged. This provides important opportunities to develop each of these systems.
For kindergarten, your child needs to be able to sit comfortably (vestibular), be aware of their space and how close their peers are (proprioceptive), and know when they may need to use the bathroom or get some water (interoceptive). By enrolling your child in ballet, you can help them be kindergarten ready.
Help your child reach their optimal development. Register today and get immediate access to their classes!
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