Preschool Class and Tumbling Tots Readiness

I remember when I enrolled my daughter in her first preschool class. Because I was teaching at the studio, I tried to put her in at 18 months. Within ten minutes, I knew she was not ready for this. She ran up to the mirror and kicked it when she didn’t get her way. She got the first sad face by her name for the dance year. We tried once more, but she just refused to listen.

 The next year, we tried again. I held my breath and sent her in the room with her dance bag. Wow! What a difference a year made! She could sit on her spot and follow directions. She truly enjoyed the class and now at 11 years old, dance has become her passion.

Yes, we start our tumbling tots class and preschool class at two years old, but it depends on the child when they are ready. Here are some basic questions to judge if your child is ready:

1. Can they follow instructions from you and others? They will need to copy the teacher’s steps. If they have a hard time listening to you, they are not going to do better for us.

2. Can they sit for two minutes? Our classes move fast and actively engage children. However, there are times each class that the teacher will work with a child individually or in groups of two. Your child will need to sit while being monitored by an assistant.

3. How will your child handle leaving you for a 30 or 45 minute class? If they have severe separation anxiety regularly, hold off on enrollment. It becomes really hard to have moms in the class with their children and we only allow this for a class or two.

Moms, I fully support you “trying” our program out for your young ones. After a class or two, you will know if they are ready or not. Don’t try to force it! You want this to be a wonderful experience for your family and we want the same. If you are uncertain, I would be glad to set up a time to speak with you. I’m looking forward to our 3rd year!