Movement (or physical activity) plays a crucial role in a child’s overall development; motor skills, cognitive development, psychological well-being, emotional maturity, confidence and social skills. 

Educators are finding that a large number of Primary aged students lack strength and muscle coordination in their hands and lower arms as a direct result of the overuse of technology. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 40 per cent of children aged between five and 14 watch more than 10 hours of television a week. 
Studies from Oxford University show Physical Education in Primary school provides opportunities for children to understand the importance of having a healthy relationship with physical activity and skills that have real world value and use.  The more exposure to Physical Education the more likely children are to adopt lifelong healthy habits.  

What is often overlooked is the importance of physical fitness and development in children and its relationship between fine and gross motor skills.  Fine motor skills are those that are necessary for many aspects of our lives, for example: eating, cleaning, putting on shoes etc. Dance specifically develops gross motor skills, which involves whole-body movement giving children the educational environment to develop large muscle groups needed for everyday tasks. 

At Kinect2Dance, through our one-of-a-kind and tailored dance lessons, we aim to develop the following gross motor skills in students:

• Agility – constantly transferring weight throughout their body during a dance 
• Speed – learning how to control their movements under a high pace environment 
• Muscular power – having energetic explosive jumps spread throughout routines 
• Balance – challenging them to maintain equilibrium while stationary or moving
• Reaction time – everyone loves a good game of musical statues 
• Coordination – the ability to efficiently control, execute and direct their movements
  
  

This is why we believe that Dance is such a great activity for primary kids to participate in. Not only does it develop gross motor skills, but it also creates a joyful environment for children to learn together