Not every dance student who starts out in a beginner class will make it to an intermediate level. Only a choice few of those who get to an intermediate level will end up becoming advanced students. Those who rise to the highest levels in their schools tend to develop some unique character qualities that put […]
Education
Essential Character Qualities & Habits of Successful Dancers, Part 2
In our first article in this series, we focused on basic rules for dance etiquette. Our next article deals with some important habits which dancers should seek to incorporate into their lives. These are some of the building blocks you’ll need to spring forward on your pathway to success in the realm of dance. These […]
Essential Character Qualities & Habits of Successful Dancers, Part 1
What’s the most important part of being a dancer? Some might argue that it’s the thrill of performing before an enthusiastic audience. Others may care more about winning competitions. But being a great dancer is about much more than wearing elaborate costumes and impressing crowds or judges with complicated steps and flawless form. It’s about […]
Kids Learn Crucial Life Skills from Extracurricular Activities
When parents sign their children up for extracurricular activities, it’s often because the child expresses an interest in a particular sport or art form. Though these activities can help children stay busy and out of trouble, they also teach kids important skills which they can carry with them throughout their lives. These would include: 1. […]
Gymnastics Center Goals: Developing Physical Fitness Goals for Kids, Part 2
At your gymnastics center, you want to do more than provide one more “extracurricular activity” for the kids you serve: you want to help them establish healthy habits that will lead to lifelong physical fitness. In that endeavor, it’s important to not only understand what “physical fitness” entails but also the most significant areas of […]
Gymnastics Center Goals: Developing Physical Fitness Goals for Kids, Part 1
When it comes to physical fitness, do you ever wonder exactly what it entails? Or to pose the question differently, what constitutes a healthy lifestyle or suitable fitness goals for children? Especially where kids are concerned, the obesity epidemic may be a significant symptom, but it’s also only a symptom of a more pervasive problem. […]
Encouraging Healthy Habits in Your Childcare Center: Movement, Part 2
Movement is a healthy part of life for those of all ages (see Part 1), but it’s especially important for preschoolers. While educational standards soar, the youngest children are being robbed of the very thing that they need in order to lay the foundation for healthy emotional, social, and cognitive development. Exercise and Experience Many […]
Encouraging Healthy Habits in Your Childcare Center: Movement, Part 1
While seeing young children sitting quietly at desks and doing worksheets may seem like a great start to a successful academic career (see this previous post), that kind of setting is actually far from ideal for the developmental needs of young children. Instead, movement and sensory experiences provide children with what their bodies and brains […]
Encouraging Healthy Habits in Your Childcare Center: Imaginative Play
While it won’t make its way onto standardized tests or college entrance exams, movement is an important aspect of how children learn. Your childcare center has the important opportunity to help lay the foundation for later academic achievement by giving the children in your care opportunities to play, build, and create. While those kinds of […]
Child Care Tips – Teaching Life Skills: Sharing, Part 2
In Part 1 we introduced the topic of sharing by discussing motivation and some basic means of teaching sharing. From modeling sharing behavior in front of children and pointing it out when you witness it in others to positively affirming sharing behavior when you see the child engage in it, you’ll probably be well on […]