I've taught differing ages of children, and what I find quite interesting is the differences of their attitudes and abilities to be in their bodies at different ages and stages.

I find it utterly fascinating to watch young children spontaneously play with movement, and older children play and experiment with dance.

Adults tend to blend their growth/awakenings into whatever sense of core self they hold within themselves, and additionally adults can draw upon a wealth of life experience and bring that into their movements. Children by comparison change and grow rapidly on all levels in a short span of time-- their lives are about constant growth on nearly all levels-- the changes in first couple decades of life are constant and immense.

In the span of a year a child can be in a totally different state of awareness and in a body that is different than the body they were inhabiting just a year prior. The emotional differences alone from one age to next can reflect dramatically in their dance and what is comfortable for them to event attempt to play with.

Children also, whether it's evident or not, truly do look up to their instructors. There is a bond that develops that can be surprisingly strong when all is said and done. It's not something to overlook-- I think it can be easy to, because as adults we may not understand that that dynamic is even going on until an experience wakes us up to it. Sometimes it can seem like nothing is happening, like no connections is being made,

Teaching a group of children with even small differences in age can be quite the good challenge for a teacher, requiring on-your-toes teaching to several distinct levels of need and ability simultaneously, including speaking to gender differences.

Oh, I love it. Gross-motor, small-motor, engaging imagination, self-consciousness, some stages need pictures painted, analogies, lots of truthful praise. Everything good about teaching in general is condensed into teaching children. Things happen fast. Teaching children is also the best for remembering things that may be overlooked when teaching adults. Meaning, the same concepts and principles that are used for teaching children apply to adults-- it's just with children things are more obvious and out in the open-- with adults there can be more hesitation, more "cool" veneers that might mask basic needs.

These are some ramblings. Thanks for taking me back into the experience so I can bring the nuggets gained though teaching children forward into my present life. Makes me want to teach children again.

Oh- teaching your own offspring-- I've seen it go both ways. Some learn great "directly" from their own parent, for some that's not the path. No right or wrong, just paying attention to what's real and what works.

Brenda that is probably it because she is that way with me on other things. I should see about that one day. She claims that if I had taken her to see Rachel Brice that she still would not have danced. I show her pictures of Suhaila's daugher and she just says, ahhhh...she's so cute. Still workin' on her though.

That's why I'm baffled at the idea of dance classes for newborns.

Oh and the parent attends until the child is 3!

We are around! I'm getting ready to go teach a full day of creative movement at a public school. It's part of the regular curriculumn and equal to PE, Music, and Art.
Lets exchange ideas, and experiences, it's a full time job for this lady!