Physical Characteristics: At this age, dancers typically have heavy heads, round bellies, shorter limb length, and limited muscle tone. Jumping and balancing can be difficult due to having a heavier head and limited strength. They may be able to do an action on one side of the body that they cannot replicate on the other side.

Attention span: On average, attention span for a single activity is around double the dancer’s age. A three year old can attend to one activity for approximately six minutes before transitioning to the next activity.

Behavior: Dancers are learning the rules of the classroom. They are used to exploring with their hands and eyes. They may struggle to focus on important aspects of the classroom or to attend to the teacher.

Vision: Peripheral vision is still developing during the entire 3-5 year old age span. Three year olds frequently need explicit instruction on where to look. Eyes on the teachers or big people is a great general cue. At this age, many dancers have trouble attending to spots on the floor without direct instruction. The combination of a heavy head and a new skill (attending to materials on the floor) can be challenging.

Physical Characteristics: At four years old, dancers are starting to become more proportional. Their heads are a smaller percentage of their overall weight and their neck muscles are becoming stronger, their limbs are lengthening and muscle tone of the core and limbs is becoming more developed. You will see a marked improvement in balancing on one foot in the four year old year and dancers will jump with ease and begin to hop multiple times on one foot. They will become better at performing actions on both sides but will often still have a strong side and a weak side.

Attention span: On average, a four year old can attend to one activity for approximately eight minutes before transitioning to the next activity.

Behavior: At four, dancers have typically had some limited experience in a group setting outside the home. They may be attending daycare, preschool, dropping into childcare at church once a week, or attending an organized class. They have had some exposure to rules in a group setting but still need a lot of repetition. They also need expectations to be specific and explicit.

Vision: Four year olds will continue to develop their vision skills. They will more easily know where to look and attending to spots of the floor is much easier with experience and the weight of the head in better proportion. We can help dancers with vision tracking by passing objects, clapping and patting hands with other dancers, and using props during movement.

Physical Characteristics: At five, dancers are even more proportional, stronger, and have better body awareness. They will be able to balance on one foot for a longer span of time. They will be able to jump and hop in repetition. Most dancers will start the five year old class with the ability to do a movement on both sides of the body. If a dancer is struggling to perform an action on one side, it is a great idea to talk to the parent/guardian to let them know that it would be a good idea to practice the side that is more difficult. If you’re approaching the end of the five year old class and a dancer is still struggling to perform on action on one side of the body even with practice, it is an important moment to intervene by recommending that the caregiver have the dancer show the difference in these skills to the pediatrician. (These can be tricky conversations to have as a new teacher so don’t hesitate to ask for advice or to ask a more experienced teacher to help.)

Attention span: On average a five year old can attend to one activity for approximately ten minutes before transitioning to the next activity.

Behavior: At five, dancers are often starting school. They have a better sense of the rules and need less repetition, but they need teachers to follow through and be consistent in their expectations for students. They also need powerful models because they are primarily learning through observation. As an example, if a student falls down and several students giggle, the teacher should react by keeping a neutral tone and a flat affect, explaining that it’s not kind to laugh when another student falls. It could hurt their feelings, and we all fall down sometimes. It’s important to be kind because accidents happen to everyone. (I personally always add that I fall down sometimes too, because adults admitting weaknesses in front of children is one of the best ways to teach empathy and compassion.)

Vision: Peripheral vision seems much stronger by the age of five. Dancers inherently know where to look in a classroom setting (although distraction will still counter this tendency). At this age, children can begin to understand how focusing on one spot can help them balance, can dance while changing their focus (looking to the hand while flapping their wings, etc.), and can perform more difficult patterning throughout their movement due to their wider scope and better focus.