8 Essential Tips to Begin Your Child’s Ballet Journey

Many parents want their kid to be a well-rounded person, and part of that would be the pursuit of an art form.

There are many out there, but one great choice would be ballet. Not only is it a form of art, but the physicality of it means that your child is moving their body as well.

If you’re interested in getting your child to pursue ballet, then here are some pointers on how you can guide them in that direction.

1. Read the story about ballet to your children

If you want to entice your child to get into ballet, then you can start by telling them stories that incorporate ballet into it.

You can’t get your kid to get into this art form if they have no interest in it. Foster that interest or at least spark that into them with the help of some kids’ stories that talk about ballet or have ballerinas in them.

The more exposed they are to it, the more they may enjoy having that in their life in some way. That way, getting them into that ballet class won’t be something that you force them to do.

There are even kids’ stories that can help teach your kids how a ballet show goes. If they understand how a show goes, it will help them know what the show is about and how the events are supposed to go as they watch.

2. Play the ballet music

Another simple way you can get your child to enjoy ballet is simply by getting them to listen to ballet music.

A lot of ballet music would be classical pieces, and they can enjoy them to the point where they can develop a taste for classical music in general. You can develop a love for ballet even further by encouraging them to dance along to the music in some way.

There are plenty of ballet songs that are great for kids to listen to. “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker is a great song for them to start.

Some Disney tunes are also a great choice, like the song “A Whole New World” from the animated film Aladdin.

What’s important is that they get a sense of appreciation for not only the music but also for dancing to it.

3. Choose the right class

Once your child feels like they’re interested in dancing ballet, it may be time to start looking for a ballet class for them to enroll in.

Most of the time, finding a ballet class is relatively easy to find, depending on where you are from. What may be more challenging is finding and qualifying which class is most right for your child.

The best way to know that a dance studio will be the best choice for your child to enroll in would be that other parents whose kids have enrolled in it before are happy with the studio. Who better else to know that it’s a good ballet studio than its patrons?

If you can’t get in touch with other parents enrolled in this class, then you can look online for reviews to see what others have said about it.

Also, make sure to check that your dance studio of choice offers classes for kids the same age as your child. You don’t want to go through all that effort just to find that they’re not even accepting lessons for kids in the first place.

4. Invest in a proper ballet outfit

If they’re already in the class, then it makes sense that you should already be keeping in mind that you should get them their ballet outfit.

Usually, the girls would wear a leotard and rights. The studio also usually requires them to put their hair into a bun.

On the other hand, boys most likely will have to wear a tight shirt or an undershirt with some shorts and socks.

Ballet shoes are important but if they’re going to be doing ballet often, then it’s best to prepare yourself to repair their shoes or have to replace them at one point. That’s part of their clothes that will get a ton of usage, after all.

5. Practice at home

If you’ve got the privilege to be able to have your child practice ballet at home, then you might as well go all the way by getting them all the equipment they need. For example, you can get them not only their clothes but also equipment like a ballet barre or floor-length mirrors.

These will work great to supplement their practices since they can have an at-home ballet studio at this point.

Aside from the usual, don’t forget to get them a sound system to play the music that they will dance to.

However, don’t think that your child needs to have all of these just to be able to practice their routines. Sometimes all they need is some space and music, and they can be good to go.

6. Attend ballet performances

Once your child starts learning how to dance ballet, you can motivate and inspire them even more by attending a ballet performance with them.

Watching a ballet performance live is a lot different from watching it online or hearing about it. That’s why it’s a good idea to get your kid to watch a performance of one with you.

You can use that as a day of bonding while at the same time, you can inspire them to make the most out of their ballet training by seeing other professionals do their performances.

7. Talk to your child about it

The best thing to do before you go full-force with your pursuit of a child in ballet would be to talk with your child about their experience.

Asking them if they think dancing ballet will be something they feel like pursuing first will help them feel independent in their choices. If they don’t feel it, then forcing them to do it will only make them hate it more.

However, by talking to them about it, you can figure out where their head is regarding ballet.

8. Keep an open mind

Now that you feel like you have a kid who’s fully on board with the idea of pursuing ballet, the only thing left to do is to keep an open mind.

Keeping an open mind will help you and your child not only enjoy an art forum together, but it will help stroke the balance between fun and seriousness.

Thus, it will make ballet a long-term thing that your kid will have in their life.

Conclusion

With these tips, it won’t only be you as a parent who will enjoy ballet, but so will your child. They’ll have a life-long art and activity that they will take with them into adulthood, and you will be there to guide and foster that relationship from the start.