Has your brand new P1 suddenly announced they’re retiring from dance?
Don’t panic.
We see this every single year.
Starting school is HUGE. Even when they absolutely love it, suddenly they’re expected to listen, concentrate, remember approximately 400 belongings, navigate friendships, eat lunch in a busy dining hall and generally hold it together for six hours a day.
By the weekend, they are DONE.
And sometimes that comes out as tears, enormous emotions, wanting to stay glued to Mum or Dad and suddenly declaring they no longer want to do the activities they’ve happily loved for years.
Sometimes “I don’t want to go to dancing” actually means “I am five and I am absolutely shattered.”
Of course, we should always listen if a child is genuinely unhappy. But if your previously dance-mad little one has started wobbling at exactly the same time as P1, we’d encourage you not to give up on their class too quickly.
Because while almost everything in their little world has changed, dance hasn’t.
Same teacher. Same studio. Familiar faces. Music. Movement. Fun.
For 45 minutes nobody cares where their school jumper is (probably lost), what reading group they’re in or whether their water bottle has made it home for the third time this week.
They get to move, dance, laugh and just be little.
And after a whole week of concentrating, physical activity can be a brilliant way to burn off some energy, release some tension and help them feel a little more settled.
The other thing we know from seeing this year after year?
The P1 wobble usually passes.
That first term until Christmas is exhausting. Gradually their stamina catches up, school becomes normal and the little person who could barely make it through Friday without a meltdown starts finding their feet.
So sometimes they just need a bit of help getting through this stage.
A quiet morning before class. A snack. An extra cuddle. Fewer plans that weekend. Or occasionally a confident “Come on, shoes on, we’re going dancing” when getting out of the house feels like climbing Everest.
And quite often, the child who absolutely, categorically, DEFINITELY wasn’t going to dancing is the same one who comes bouncing back out afterwards.
Most importantly, please talk to us.
If your little dancer is struggling, tell their teacher. We deal with the P1 transition every year and have plenty of tricks up our sleeves.
Maybe we meet them at the door. Give them a little job when they arrive. Buddy them up with a familiar friend. Give them some extra reassurance or simply know that this week they might need a little more TLC.
We’re on your team, and we’d always rather know so we can help.
Starting school is a massive milestone. Give your P1 plenty of rest, cuddles, snacks and grace while they find their feet.
But before you retire the ballet shoes for good, give them a little time.
When everything else suddenly feels very big and very new, their familiar little dance class might be exactly the bit of normal they need.
