As activities undertaken by children are often heavily focused on supplementing their mainstream educational journey, it is dance that is so easily overlooked as being a beneficial, important extracurricular pursuit. In every education system on the planet, there is a hierarchy of subjects. Within each of these hierarchies, the arts are placed at the bottom. Children’s dance franchise babyballet® is taking important steps to change perceptions, placing dance as one of the most beneficial formative activities that young children and tots can get involved in.

Dance is incredibly important for the overall development of young children. As well as the physical benefits, including strength, flexibility and fitness, there are many non-physical benefits that dance helps to develop in young children. While creativity and imagination are given the platform to flourish in young children who dance, it is self-esteem, confidence and discipline that offer huge advantages in their development going forward.

Soft skill development is imperative for young children, with projections suggesting that 85% of the jobs available in 2030 don’t exist yet. Soft skills, therefore, are nine times more likely to be endorsed than technical skills. Considering this, it in fact makes more sense to focus on transferrable skill development for young children than it is to focus too heavily on the ‘set path’.

One franchise celebrating the successes of their work with tots is babyballet Liverpool, which has recently seen former student Paige O’Brien perform at the Dance World Cup.

Miss Chris of babyballet Liverpool said, “We were so excited to hear that Paige had been invited to compete in the Dance World Cup. She used to dance with us when she was younger and often comes back to dance for us at special events. It’s great to see that attending babyballet classes has given Paige the confidence and skills to perform at such a high level. We are so proud of her. We hope to see more of our students go on to develop their dance skills and enjoy dance when they are older!

“Here at babyballet Liverpool we have seen an increase in the number of younger children joining us. Parents are telling us that they are looking to get their child involved at a young age in an activity that promotes confidence, social skills and creativity, whilst also teaching their child new skills and keeping them active.”

Paige’s mum, Claire O’Brien, urges parents to consider getting their children involved in dancing, as parents see benefits far beyond the physical advantages to dance, “Dance has been such a huge part of Paige’s life and has certainly helped her become the fabulous young woman she is today! Aside from the physical benefits, Paige’s confidence and energy shines through on a day-to-day basis, which is something that has certainly been encouraged by her dancing.

“Paige was non-verbal as a tot, so we got her involved in as many activities as possible to help. Choosing to get Paige involved in activities such as babyballet when she was younger was a steppingstone for her to not only find a passion and amazing talent but has given her a voice.

Although Paige has previously struggled with bullying, she has risen above it all. We can see her strength in her schoolwork, attitude and social life. As a parent, I couldn’t be prouder and couldn’t recommend getting your child involved in dancing enough.” Explained Claire O’Brien, Paige’s mum.

Claire O’Connor, founder of babyballet, started the company so that children could enjoy dance whether they wished to compete or just enjoy it as a hobby, “Through dance, children can develop key skills that will benefit them far beyond the stage, ultimately making dance an incredibly valuable activity to pursue for tots. babyballet classes help children build character through encouraging confidence and creativity, while also developing their transferrable skills that will be advantageous to them in whatever field they may want to move into later in life.”

With the demand for children’s dance classes on the rise, now is a great time to get your child involved in an enriching, beneficial extracurricular activity.

For more information, click here to find your nearest babyballet school.