Is It Beneficial For Children To Do Ballet And Gymnastics Simultaneously?
Gymnastics, Ballet, Or Both?
A child’s interest in gymnastics and ballet often go hand in hand. Yet as a parent, a lot of questions can arise as to whether or not practicing both activities could negatively affect your child. The following are a few of the pros and cons of dual sport practicing. As you’ll learn, important to take into account each individual child’s wants, needs and abilities before making a decision.
Pros of Ballet and Gymnastics Together
There are a number of benefits to practicing both gymnastics and ballet:
- Social interaction: Your child will enjoy even more social interaction with fellow young athletes. Your child will gain more friendships and socialization by practicing two sports with two different groups of participants.
- Managing priorities: Practicing multiple sports will help teach your child effective time management. He or she must balance multiple practice sessions per week with school, homework along with other obligations.
- Complementary disciplines: Gymnastics and ballet require many of the same physical skills, which often means children who excel in gymnastics perform well in ballet, too. The balance and maneuvers required for gymnastics often carry over into ballet practice and competition.
- Decision making: Allowing children the opportunity to practice gymnastics and ballet will give them the chance to choose which (if not both) activity they want to focus their energy toward going forward. You may find that your child enjoys and excels at one activity more than the other.
- Strength and ability: Gymnastics and ballet both demand core strength, flexibility, proper posture, leg strength and a number of other abilities that result in a healthy lifestyle as a child and later in life.
There are a number of benefits to practicing both gymnastics and ballet:
Cons
Practicing dual sports isn’t for everyone. These are a few reasons why some parents decide not to enroll their child in gymnastics and ballet at the same time:
- Potential exhaustion: Practicing ballet and gymnastics together can mean your child spends more time training than focusing on other aspects of being a kid. Potentially, your child could “burn out” and lose interest in both activities.
- Expense: Sending your child to multiple practices and training sessions each week can be expensive. It’s not an option for all families, and it’s essential to understand the expenses of practicing both disciplines before starting them.
- Injury: It’s important for you and your child to understand that more exertion can mean a bigger chance of injury. Make sure your child has plenty of time to rest between practices.
- Time management: While being a dual sport athlete can teach your child the value of time management, it can also be difficult for other family members. More time at practice means less time for other interests and time spent together as a family.
Factors to Consider
The decision to participate in dual sports is different for every child and family. What works for one child may not work for another — that’s why assessing your child and family’s needs is essential to making the right decision. If your child is showing a strong interest in gymnastics and ballet, is dedicated to both of them, and the training is manageable with your time and finances, you may find several benefits to enrolling your child in both at the same time.
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