As a parent, you want to help your kids grow healthy and you want to foster a passion for an activity such as dance. However, you may be wonder what age should kids begin ballet? The very simple answer, any age!
The longer answer, which I’m sure is what you’re looking for, there are pros and cons to starting at different ages. True classical ballet training begins about age 8. However, beginning dance before that has many benefits.
At the International Ballet Academy, we offer ballet to people of all ages. From early walkers through senior citizens, we have a class available to meet your needs.
If you’re wondering when what age your child should begin ballet, here are our different age groups and what their benefits:
Baby and Toddler Dance With Me Class
Can a toddler really do ballet? Well, your fourteen-month-old probably isn’t ready for pointe yet. However, these early dance classes with a caregiver have lots to offer.
A baby and toddler dance class offers parents a fun and engaging activity to do with their child. It also offers significant benefits for the child including:
- Positive interaction
- Exposure to music and patterns
- Vestibular and proprioceptive input
- Muscle strengthening
- Gross motor development
- Supports cognitive development
Your toddler may not be ready for a sold-out ballet performance in center city, but that does not mean it’s too early to begin ballet. These early classes provide many physical and cognitive benefits.
Dance With Me: Parent and Child Classes – Preschool Age
As parents, we might wish our three-year-old had the attention span to make it through a full-length independent ballet class. However, that isn’t quite developmentally expected just yet.
Even though your three to five year old isn’t ready for traditional ballet training, the benefits of ballet are still available to them. A parent and child class is a perfect way to spend quality time with your child while helping them enjoy the benefits of ballet.
These benefits include:
- Learning patterns through music which aid in future academic skills
- Improved coordination
- Gross motor development
- Improved balance
- Greater confidence
- Core strength and stability
Our modern sedentary culture has led to many children having weak cores and even gross motor delays without underlying conditions. Early and frequent movement is an important part of helping your child achieve lifelong health.
While they have a few years before sold out recitals showing off their pointe skills, they can still enjoy all that ballet has to offer with you by their sides.
Primary Ballet – Ages Six to Eight
This age group is not quite ready for very structured and long ballet training classes. However, if a child hasn’t already done dance with me classes, this is a great time to start ballet!
Primary ballet is much like a pre ballet class. It helps children set some basic foundational dance skills so they’re ready to begin ballet training around 8 or 9 years old.
Primary ballet is a great transition class from having a caregiver dancing with them to working just with their ballet teacher. It’s a class to help encourage independent learning while continuing to foster a love for dance.
Ballet Classes Levels 1-4
For children and adolescents over the age of 8, this is when classical ballet training often begins. Children now possess the attention span and independence to learn more advanced ballet skills.
For children who took primary ballet, they are now able to build on their previous early or pre-dance skills. If your child has not taken ballet before this stage, it’s not too late to start!
In fact, it is never too late to begin ballet. At the International Ballet Academy, we over true adult beginner ballet classes. We strongly believe everyone should have access to the joy and art of ballet.
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