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When’s the Best Age for a Child to Enroll in a Dance Class?
By Stacy DeBroff

Taking a dance class offers many benefits beyond the unique talent acquired; it allows children to hold themselves with grace and balance, it increases endurance and muscle tone, builds stamina, and it even allows shy children to become relaxed in front of a group. And that’s just a sampling of what a child receives when she decides to enroll in a class. 

If you think your child might be interested in pursuing dance, encourage her to start moving and shaking at a young age. Dance around the house and ask your child questions like, “Besides standing, how many ways can you balance yourself?” and “How many different ways can you move your head, arms, and legs?” Get your child to clap, rock, or hop to music on the radio.

By the time a child is 3 to 6 years old, she uses physical expression to communicate. Children are warehouses for enormous amounts of energy, and dance helps channel this energy in positive ways. A good pre-dance program or a movement class supports creativity, curiosity and natural movements, and is usually offered locally in recreation departments or local dance studios.

Best ages to start specific types of dance:

• Creative movement or pre-ballet classes: For children between the ages of 2 and 6, these playful classes are a helpful precursor to ballet, and children often learn the principles, music, and stories of classical ballet.

• Ballet: For a child with good coordination, strength and balance, a good age to start is 6 to 8 years, while pre-ballet classes will start as young as age 3.

• Modern Dance: Some instructors advise beginning modern dance before other dance types. Others suggest taking ballet first as a foundation. Either dance will strengthen and prepare your child for the other and encourage her to think about her body in relationship to dance.

• Jazz: Children typically start at age 6 and up, although pre-jazz and pre-ballet classes can start as early as 3 years old.

• Tap: Classes usually start around age 6 when children can remember move sequences.

• Irish Step Dancing: Children can start as early as 4 or as late as their mid-teens.

• Ballroom Dancing: While classes will start for children as young as age 7 or 8, most children do not start until middle school or junior high.

Stacy DeBroff is the author of four books, including “Sign Me Up! The Parent’s Complete Guide to Sports, Activities, and Extracurriculars,” and she runs the Web site www.momcentral.com.