Menu
From running around the playground to climbing stairs, riding a bike, or simply navigating a busy classroom, balance and coordination play an important role in almost everything children do.
These skills develop naturally as children grow, but activities that involve regular movement can give them plenty of opportunities to practise and improve them.
Dance is a fantastic example. Through learning steps, changing direction, balancing, jumping, turning, and moving to music, children are constantly challenging their bodies in new ways.
And because they’re focused on learning a routine and having fun, they may not even realise just how much they’re developing along the way!
Although they are closely connected, balance and coordination are slightly different skills.
Balance is the ability to maintain control of the body while staying still or moving.
Coordination is the ability to get different parts of the body working together smoothly.
Children use both constantly.
Catching a ball requires them to coordinate what they see with the movement of their hands. Standing on one leg requires balance. Running around other children requires coordination, balance, body control, and awareness of the space around them.
Dance gives children opportunities to practise all of these things in an enjoyable and structured environment.
Think about even a relatively simple dance movement.
A child might need to step to one side while moving their arms, keeping their body facing forwards and staying in time with the music.
Suddenly, there’s quite a lot happening!
As routines become more familiar, children learn how to coordinate different parts of their body at the same time.
They might be asked to:
Regularly practising these movements helps children become more comfortable controlling their bodies.
Dance regularly challenges children’s balance.
They might stand on one foot, rise onto their toes, land after a jump, turn, or move quickly from one position into another.
Each movement requires the body to make lots of tiny adjustments to remain controlled.
As children practise, movements that initially feel difficult can gradually become more natural.
There’s also something incredibly rewarding about finally mastering a movement that once made you wobble!
Learning choreography is a brilliant coordination exercise.
Children aren’t simply remembering what comes next. They have to translate those instructions into physical movements while staying aware of the music and the people around them.
At first, a new routine can sometimes feel like a lot to remember.
But through practice and repetition, children begin to connect movements together until they can perform a whole sequence.
That progression from “I can’t quite get this” to “I can do it!” is one of the really exciting parts of learning dance.
Dance adds another challenge to coordination: music.
Children learn to match their movements to a beat, recognise changes in tempo, and understand when movements should begin and end.
This combination of listening and moving helps children develop rhythm and timing alongside physical coordination.
Over time, they begin to anticipate the music rather than simply react to it.
Dance also helps children become more aware of their own bodies.
Teachers may ask children to think about where their arms are positioned, which foot they are using, where they are looking, or how they are standing.
These small instructions encourage children to think more carefully about how they move.
Greater body awareness can make movements feel more controlled and purposeful, both inside the dance studio and in everyday activities.
Children shouldn’t be expected to walk into their first dance class with fantastic coordination.
That’s what classes are there to help develop!
Some children naturally find certain movements easier than others. One child might have excellent balance but find coordinating their arms and legs tricky. Another might pick up routines quickly but need more practice with controlled movements.
That’s completely normal.
Dance gives children the opportunity to develop at their own pace, with movements becoming more challenging as their abilities grow.
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of dance is that children aren’t necessarily thinking about “improving their coordination.”
They’re dancing.
They’re listening to music, learning routines, moving with friends, and having fun.
That makes dance a brilliant way to encourage physical development without movement feeling like a test or exercise programme.
Children are simply enjoying themselves while developing useful skills at the same time.
Better balance and coordination aren’t only useful for dancers.
Children rely on these abilities for countless everyday activities, from running and jumping to playing games and taking part in other sports.
Becoming more comfortable controlling their body can also make children more willing to try unfamiliar physical activities.
Dance therefore gives children movement skills that can support them well beyond their weekly class.
Dance classes offer children an exciting way to develop balance and coordination through movement, music, and regular practice.
Every jump, turn, step, and routine asks children to understand their bodies a little better and control their movements a little more.
The improvement doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t need to.
Through regular classes and plenty of encouragement, children can gradually become more coordinated, balanced, and comfortable with movement.
And the best part?
They’re developing all those skills while dancing, learning, and having a brilliant time.
The south’s best provider of dance and specialists in street dance and cheerleading. We hope you can find everything you are looking for, however please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Address:
Unit 12, Winnall Valley Road, Winchester, SO23 0LD
Phone:
01962 808398
INTREGR8 DANCE LIMITED © 2025 All rights reserved