Here at BümoBrain, we pride ourselves in providing an abundance of opportunities for children to learn in a myriad of ways, whether that’s through reading, writing, or physical expression…such as dance!
When it comes to learning through physical expression, we’ve got you covered! Introduce your child to counting, dance sequences, and movement using child-appropriate songs with BümoBoogie, a class ideal for Pre-K and Kindergarten-aged young learners.
If your student wants to go the extra mile, they can join us in Butterfly Ballet! This class will introduce budding young dancers to the art of ballet, helping them practice and master first and second positions.
The BümoBrain enrichment dance classes represent a commitment to reaching the learning needs of all children and understanding the ever-developing body of research exploring the mental and physical benefits of dance for children.
For many of us, these benefits may seem quite obvious at first. “An opportunity for my kid to get all their energy out? Sign me up.” Or perhaps, “The perfect chance for my kids to express themselves artistically! AND get all their energy out at the same time?? This is a no-brainer!” And, of course, you would be right: dance is an ideal way for a child to learn to express themselves creatively through movement and expend all that abundance of energy.
It may come as a surprise, however, that these benefits only scratch the surface of what dance has to offer our rambunctious, curious young learners.
Here are some of the main benefits of dance classes for children…
PHYSICAL FITNESS
It certainly seems obvious that dance—which requires full-body engagement and intermittent bursts of energetic movement—provides a clear way for children to expend great deals of energy in a singular activity.
But growing research tells us that there’s so much more to gain with dance classes in terms of physical fitness for our little ones. Dancing provides children with extensive physical engagement, which helps with cardiorespiratory fitness, strengthening the heart muscles, and improving respiratory function and fitness.
The full-body movement also strengthens bones, which is especially beneficial since children experience rapid and crucial bone growth in their younger years.
Finally, dance is preventative. The physical fitness development inherent in dance ensures your child is more likely to have a healthier, more fit adult life! This serves to prevent certain motor and mental function illnesses later in life.
SOCIALIZATION
Even in the space of virtual learning, dance classes provide opportunities for young learners to socialize with their peers.
In a dance class, students will be required to work together toward a common goal. This kind of exposure to practicing teamwork is highly beneficial to many other areas in their social (and academic) lives, and, perhaps more than anything, it teaches them about social awareness and cooperation.
Engagement in a dance class helps children understand and incorporate themselves into group dynamics, and it helps them develop an understanding of themselves in relation to others.
MENTAL FITNESS
Dance also has the ability to help children in one of the most important areas of all: mental fitness. And we all know what this means…likely improvement in academics! Dance can help your child with the future of their academic achievements.
Research shows that the movement requisite in dance education and practice can lead to improvement in mental cognition. The cognitive skills developed through dance include memorization, focus and attention, and academic performance.
This means that dance classes can strengthen many of the skills they’ll need both now and in the future, in their academic and professional lives both!
Growing research has also demonstrated how dancing can reduce symptoms of depression—a benefit that cannot go overlooked in the virtual culture of comparison inherent in the world of social media.
In addition, scientists have found that decision-making skills and neural connections are strengthened in the practice of dance.
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So whether you’re simply looking to give your little one a chance to express themselves physically or artistically, or you’re looking to expand their opportunities for cognitive development, dance may very well be an ideal solution.
Come join the bümo family in some learning-focused dancing fun in our BümoBoogie and Butterfly Ballet enrichment classes today!
