Give it another try or give up? Navigating trial classes for children's activities.

New dance families often wonder how to determine if their child will enjoy dance as a new activity, wanting that sweet spot of finding an activity that balances fun, learning, and social development. Some parents are not sure how to approach trial or intro classes in a way that avoids putting too much pressure on the child, gives them the space to explore without the influence of adult opinions, and allows them to determine if the activity is something the child will enjoy for several months.

We offer the following guidelines to help you evaluate your own young dancer, and remember, all children are different. Some of our most successful dancers started out crying for their mom, or minimally participated in the first class. Crying for their parent, asking for a drink or the bathroom, and even refusal to enter the studio are not necessarily signs that the child doesn’t like dance. It’s something new and what they might have imagined about dance while twirling and tip toeing at home is very different from an organized activity with a Teacher. As a wise woman once said, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

Don’t Give Up if Your Dancer*:

• walks into the studio independently
• participates when he/she is invited to join an activity
• is given a job by the teacher and he/she does it
• watches the teacher or participating children during class
• takes a prop when given
• cries but also participates
• stops crying for a certain activity
• observes other classes with excitement
• talks about dance at home
• dances and does class activities at home
• has parents that are supportive about working with the teacher during the separation (anxiety) process

The child might need a change if *:

• crying on the way to dance class does not end after 3-4 weeks
• the teacher has to take him/her from a parent's arms after 3-4 weeks
• dancer seems sleepy and irritable due to time of class (naptime, end of day)
• crying and no participation during the entire class does not end after 2-3 weeks
• dancer hits or kicks the teacher, assistant, or other students
• dancer runs for the door and tries to exit studio after 2-3 weeks
• dancer is distracting or upsetting other students in class after 2-3 weeks
• attendance is not consistent

The change could be:

• class on a different day or time of class
• a different adult brings dancer to class
• a snack is given before class
• waiting a couple of months to try again
• waiting for a change at home to resolve - a recent move, parent going back to work full time, sickness, starting school/daycare, loss of pet

*Readiness indicators used with permission from our friends at DiscoverDance.net