Dancing - How much is too much at 5 & 6 years old?

[Ejm2009]

I have a 5 yr old DD and 6 yr old DS
both dancers and currently DD does 1 hr of tap and 1 hr of jazz a week.
DS is and does 1 hr of jazz and 1 hr of acrobats a week.
They both love it and look forward to go each week they also do swimming lessons for 30 minutes once a week.
Now my 5 yr old is wanting to start ballet and acrobats also this would be 4 hours of dancing a week at just 5 years old,there is other kids in the class this age doing 4 dances but Im worried its too much, especially as the run up to the christmas concerts there is lots extra practises, not to mention the cost.
My boy also wants to start tap so that would be 3 hours a week for him but he is 6 coming up 7,
what do you think?

[madwomanintheattic]

dd1 (9) does 4 discips, but only did two up until 8 when she added in freestyle and modern.
ds1 (7) does 2.
dd2 (just 6)does 1, but may add in another next september.

all 3 do swimming lessons twice weekly and the older two also play ice hockey (twice weekly).

tbh, none of mine are going to be pro athletes or dancers - dd1 might end up with a training qual so she can keep it as a sideline for later, but i'd rather they got as many experiences as possible, rather than tying them into one thing so young. if they keep up ballet, they can pretty much start any other dance discp for the next 8 years lol.

bit too much at 5 and 6 i think.

[islandofsodor]

When dd was 5 she did 2 hours per week (half an hour each of ballet, jazz, drama and singing). However her schools do not have any extra practices for shows or exams It is all done in class time except for 1 dress rehearsal which is not charged extra.

From the age of 6 onwards she did 3 hours 45 mins (1 hour drama, 1 hour singing, 1 hour jazz/modern 45 mins ballet. Last year she did also do an extra hour per week (free) as she was picked for a touring professional show.

She has now added individual singing lessons to that but only becasue dh is a vocal teacher.

It is all her choice.

[ellokitty]

Depends on how active your child is. Ignore what other people do, its what is the right balance for your child that counts. Does she cope with the amount at the moment? Or does she get tired? If she's coping fine at the mo, and wants to do the extra class, then why not?

My DD is five and does 4 hours of gymnastics a week, plus 1 and a half hours of dancing. People always say to me doesn't she get tired, but if you knew her, you'd see that actually she needs a lot of physical exercise to burn off her energy. Usually, she comes home from a two hour gymnastics lesson and will spend a further 20 mins to half hour bouncing on the trampoline just to unwind before bed!

That's just the way she is! Each child is different, my DD2 could never cope with anything near that amount - it would be far too much for her, and I would never let her do that much. But for DD1, it is the right amount. Every child is different, you need to do what is right for her!
HTH

[Ejm2009]

I might just see what the dancing teachers thinks,
both love going and its their choice and dont seem to tire from what they already do and do continue to run around the garden and dance about the house showing me what they have done in their lesson!
Thanks though to all who replied