Dance is a wonderful activity that promotes physical strength and endurance. However, dance offers far more than just physical benefits. Dance, much like many physical activities, can improve cognitive functions.
Nurturing your child’s body and mind through dance can lead to marvelous outcomes. Dance classes can help your child navigate through life’s current peaks and valleys as well as teach them how to handle themselves as adults in the future.
Here are some ways that dance can improve your child’s cognitive abilities:
- Learning
Dancers are always learning new things—whether they learn a new routine when they come to class or how to convey emotion in different genres of dance. Constantly learning new things helps keep children focused and gives them a sense of purpose and pride. Children that are very energized need an outlet to keep their mind and body engaged, and dance could be the perfect solution.
- Problem Solving
A dancer employs problem solving on a daily basis to master new techniques and skills. Perhaps they want to achieve a double pirouette, but they seem to fall after the first one every time. The child must try to understand, with the guidance of our experienced instructors, why they can’t seem to get around that second time. Were they spotting? Was their form correct? Were they focused? These are the questions that go through a young dancer’s mind when trying to master a new skill, and eventually they employ the proper technique to achieve their goals.
- Memory
Dance classes require dancers to memorize dance terms, positions and routines. This constant retrieval of information from the child’s memory challenges their mind and trains them to remember a sequence of items. This not only helps the student when they are in dance class, but can also prepare them to take tests in school and remember things like their list of chores at home.
If your child is in need of a fun after-school activity, dance could be the right choice for them. You, as a parent, can feel secure in the fact that dance will not only be enjoyable for your child, but will also help them build mental strength and character.