Dance = Exercise + PE

Stuck on What to Do for PE? Dance for joy!

Do you have kids who just aren't into sports? You've tried everything ... basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball ... nothing clicks. They just don't like anything related to PE and complain whenever you suggest the subject. Time to think outside the box for your fine arts credit!

Dance in the Homeschool

Dance in the homeschool can be as simple as playing Just Dance on the Wii daily for PE. You can also combine this with learning about dance in your homeschool. Check out these Online Resources to Learn How to Dance for some inspiration. You can incorporate dance into other subjects as well. Practice dances from the historical period you're learning about or the places around the globe you're studying in your homeschool.

Dance in the Community

Check out some community dances, such as square dancing or English country dancing. Did you know square dancers can cover 5 miles in one evening? What a workout! You can tie your dancing to literature you read. My son loved English Country Dancing, which he learned about while reading Jane Austen books. You can read about it in this blog post  The Downside of Literature-Based Education. Consider creating your own event. Even the most modest homeschool families might love to create a fancy Pemberly ball, perfect for any Jane Austen fans. You can read some tips from the local Jane Austen Fan Club, High School Pemberly Ball.

The Benefits of Dance

Do you need more reasons to incorporate dance in your homeschool? There are also many benefits of dancing. It's great for a person's health - physically and mentally. Don't be afraid to include your little ones in dancing at home - it can benefit their auditory, motor, and cognitive skills, as well as their self-esteem! It's especially helpful for kids with special needs, improving those gross motor skills and social skills, as well as flexibility, and overall health. Dance is also great for teens. At this downright tempestuous time of their lives, dance can act as an outlet for all those feelings, and can be helpful for combatting depression. Dance can also help stave off dementia, so start dancing with your kids!

Dance at a Studio

Perhaps your child already takes dance lessons! Hours at the studio, recitals, and competitions can all add up to a lot of credit hours! If your child takes more than one discipline, i.e. tap, jazz, AND ballet, you may be able to split this up into three credits – perhaps one for PE and the remaining two for fine arts.

Dance on your High School Transcript

Did you know that dance can be used as a PE credit? Of course, dance can be used as a fine arts credit, but if your child just isn't into sports and you're having trouble fitting in a PE credit, use dance as that credit. Just be sure not to double dip. You can't use the same class as a PE credit AND as a fine arts credit - it just counts as one credit. You can call that credit “Physical Education: Dance.”

Check out my YouTube video on how to put dance on the transcript.



What kind of fine arts are your children interested in? Please share!