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Many toddlers love to dance. This isn’t surprising, they are just discovering what their bodies are capable of and how they can move them around.
It’s a great way to help them burn energy and an opportunity to introduce them to pre school dance lessons. After all, learning to dance is an opportunity for them to make more friends and it is a useful skill throughout life.
Of course, dance lessons are only available at certain times per week. You’ll want to keep your toddler active when they are at home to help them get the most of the lessons they are having. It also helps that being active is more likely to tire your child out and give them, as well as you, a good night’s sleep!
How to encourage your dancing toddler to stay active at home
The good news is there are several ways in which you can encourage your dancing toddler to stay active at home.
Dance With Them
You’ve probably gone to the class. But, whether you have or haven’t seen them in dance class, a great way for them to learn their steps and stay active is to ask them to teach you the steps.
This will encourage them to keep moving as they illustrate what you need to do.
Best of all you don’t need a lot of space. All you need is to create a little time to dance with them. It won’t just improve their dancing, it will help the bond with your child grow deeper.
After they have taught you, it is a good idea to teach them a new move or routine. Just remember to keep it fun, light-hearted, and simple.
Create Dancing Space
Another way to encourage activity is to create a dancing space at home. It can be inside or even outside if it’s covered. Your child can then practice dance at any time, whether you are with them or not. This will help them to stay active. But, the space is also useful for them to try a variety of other things, such as skating. These kinds of activities help them to improve their balance and coordination as well as fitness.
Spontaneous Play
Having created a dance space you can use this for spontaneous play. This is when you tell your child to do something and you do it as well. It can be things like hopping on one leg or pretending to be a dog. It’s fun and active, helping to keep your child away from the television. After all, research suggests children are spending longer than they should in front of the television.
Let Them Melt
All you need is a piece of music and then tell your child to pretend they are melting. They must continue to melt until the music ends. They will get better at this the more you do it. It’s a great way of keeping them active while encouraging them to control the movement of their body while listening to the music.
The bottom line is that you know your child best and you can adapt any of these techniques to ensure they stay active at home. It will help them with dance lessons and life in general.
