Your child is of the age where they’re becoming increasingly fascinated with moving their body. They haven’t expressed interest in a particular sport though, which is why you’re feeling torn between gymnastics vs. dance. Which should your child learn first?
Dance is the better sport for your child to learn first, as it could foster a love of music and movement that they can carry with them for a lifetime. Gymnastics focuses more on upper-body strength and dance more on lower-body strength, so both activities are great if your child is up for it!
In this extensive guide, we’ll examine the gymnastics vs. dance debate from every conceivable angle. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll feel more confident about which sport you’ll enroll your child in first.
Our Recommendation and Why
You might not be surprised to see us recommending dance over gymnastics considering the subject matter of the blog, but that’s far from the only reason that we’d suggest your child start with dance.
Your child will become a better listener through dancing and more organized as well. They’ll still improve their flexibility and posture even if they don’t start with gymnastics.
If you hope your child will someday become accustomed to performances on the stage, dance will prepare them for that more than gymnastics would.
A gymnast usually performs in a fitness center or gym whereas a dancer’s ultimate goal is to get on the stage under the spotlights.
They’ll also develop a theatrical performance edge that gymnasts necessarily do not while becoming very disciplined.
That’s not to say that gymnastics doesn’t require listening or discipline, as a gymnast certainly needs both in spades. Dance offers these characteristics more readily, we think.
Your child will be on their own more so as a dancer than as a gymnast. Sure, they may be part of a dance class or a dance troupe, but gymnastics relies more on the team element.
How is Gymnastics Different from Dance?
Dance and gymnastics diverge in some other interesting ways than solely those that we discussed in the section prior. Let’s take a look at some more critical differences now.
Which is Better for Children’s Muscles?
Any physical activity will develop a child’s muscles, but if you want to push those muscles to the max, that would be gymnastics over dance.
Dance utilizes muscles across the body, although it’s usually one’s lower half depending on the type of dance. It’s less about power and strength though and usually more about flexibility and grace.
Gymnastics utilizes more upper-body muscles and pushes one’s strength to the limit!
Which is Less Stressful?
The last thing you want to do is stress out your child when you’re only trying to get them into the fun that is moving their body. Between gymnastics and dance, which is the less stressful activity?
Both sports can be stressful, especially as you get into high-level competitive gymnastics and very strict, refined forms of dance such as ballet.
Some forms of dancing though are more about having fun with it and freestyling whereas gymnastics doesn’t really get that relaxed. Thus, while it very much depends on the type, we’d say dancing is less stressful.
How Does the Culture Diverge?
The cultures of both dance and gymnastics are pretty disparate.
As we mentioned before, gymnastics is usually regarded as more of a team sport than dance. You can be scored in dancing, but that usually happens a lot more often in gymnastics.
With dance, the goal is for each dancer to learn their parts so that a recital or performance goes smoothly. There typically are no points and no scores, just a sense of personal pride.
Dancing may be a more solo sport, but that doesn’t mean that friendships and sense of camaraderie can’t be borne out of dance; that happens all the time.
When you spend enough hours training and performing with someone, you can become very close to them.
The gymnastics culture though will certainly be more team-oriented from the outset.
Which is Less Expensive?
When deciding on a sport for your child, the cost will certainly be a factor that you will weigh quite heavily. So which sport is the less costly of the two?
That would be gymnastics. The uniforms are typically less flashy, and a gymnast can go through fewer leotards in a season than a dancer will costumes. The flair and panache of a dancer’s costumes tend to come through in the price.
Gymnasts don’t need special shoes whereas dancers often do. In the case of ballet, it’s not unheard of to go through several pairs of flats a season.
Which has More Variety?
If you’re looking for a sport with variety to keep your child engaged from week to week, then dance is certainly the sport for them.
Your child could even enroll in several types of dance at the same time until they can pick their favorite!
How Similar is Gymnastics to Dance?
As we’ve made clear, gymnastics and dance may share similarities, but they’re largely considered different forms of dancing. Your child will build more strength and power through gymnastics, and they’d work some different muscle groups as well.
Going back to our point from the first section though, in terms of teaching discipline, listening, good posture, and flexibility, both gymnastics and dance have that in common.
The Types of Gymnastics for Children
In this section and the next, we’ll examine the most kid-friendly types of sports in both gymnastics and dance, beginning with gymnastics.
Parent and Children Gymnastics
With parent and children gymnastics, your child can learn gymnastics as early as their toddler years. Parents are directly involved to oversee their child’s progress and can move their bodies as well, which is something we can all use more of!
Aerobic Gymnastics
Although aerobic gymnastics may sound challenging, it’s actually a lot easier than other forms of gymnastics. Free of equipment, aerobic gymnastics are done in short bursts of no more than 90 seconds at a time.
Recommended for kids six and up, a child will boost their flexibility and strength with aerobic gymnastics.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
For the parent who just can’t decide between dance and gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics is like the best of both worlds. Part ballet and part gymnastics, kids will get to use the ribbon hoop, which makes rhythmic gymnastics very appealing!
The Types of Dance for Children
Next, let’s look at the most kid-friendly dance styles out there.
Tap
What kid doesn’t love the taps underneath their shoes and the sound they make when on a hardwood floor? The chance to make that sound rhythmically might inspire your child to want to stick with tap dancing, which can often be done a cappella.
Contemporary
What is contemporary dance, you ask? Well, it doesn’t have a formal definition, and that’s why we’d recommend it so much for kids.
Blending a variety of tones and cultures, contemporary dance sometimes entails drops and leaps, although that would be unlikely in a child’s dance class.
Hip-Hop
Hip-hop dancing originated from those with no formal dance background, and thus, it’s a great option for kids who are just starting out in dance. Kids will enjoy listening to an assortment of music and moving their bodies in interesting ways!
Ballet
Of course, you had to expect to see ballet dancing on here. By far the strictest dance form in that it has less room for error, many kids take up ballet, although far fewer stick with it.
A child can improve their fluidity, grace, technique, and form by taking up ballet, and they’ll get to wear very cute costumes.
At what Age Should a Child Start Gymnastics vs. Dance?
As the last sections made clear, a child can start doing gymnastics or dancing in their toddler years. However, you’re worried about what’s too young versus too old?
In gymnastics, a child can be as young as two years old and take their first class. Of course, you shouldn’t expect much at this early developmental stage besides tumbling and rolling.
If you want your child to learn gymnastics more seriously, then wait until they’re at least five or six years old.
As for dance, this is again a sport that very young children can do. That said, for more serious results, enroll your child when they’re even older, such as between seven and nine years old.
How to Choose Between Gymnastics vs. Dance
Are you still having a hard time determining whether enrolling your child in a dance or gymnastics class is the right move? This section full of pros and cons ought to help you make up your mind!
The Pros and Cons of Gymnastics
Let’s begin by talking about all that’s great about gymnastics, as there is plenty.
- Less expensive to start than dance.
- Builds strength and power as well as flexibility.
- Teaches a child discipline and listening.
- Relies on a team culture, which will teach your child the value of teamwork.
Now let’s examine the downsides of gymnastics.
- Can be difficult for children who start later or struggle with flexibility.
- Has less of a payoff regarding performances compared to dance.
The Pros and Cons of Dance
Next, let’s switch gears and look at the pros and cons of dancing for children beginning with the benefits.
- Children can select from several types of kid-friendly dance styles, all of which are vastly different from one another.
- Dancing is a great way to learn coordination, flexibility, and discipline while having fun.
- Children will still work with others but get to focus more on individual performance.
- Dancing often isn’t scored, which can relieve some pressure.
To be fair, let’s look at the downsides of dance for kids as well.
- It’s often more expensive to get a child into dance than it is gymnastics.
- Performing can be a high-pressure environment for some children.
Should You Choose Both?
If you’re still feeling torn, maybe that’s a sign you should enroll your child in both gymnastics and dance (eventually, not all at once!). Having both the upper-body and lower-body strength will make it very easy for your child to excel in whichever sport of the two they stick with.
Conclusion
Gymnastics and dance are really two sides of the same coin regarding fostering a child’s flexibility, listening skills, and teamwork. While we recommend dance for your child first, you can just as easily start them in gymnastics and then switch them to dance later. Good luck!
If you would like more information on related topics such as dance type difficulty, have a read of our article The 6 Most Difficult Dance Styles: Including tips to mastery.