Resources · 4 min read
What age should children start ballet?
The short answer is four for most children — but readiness matters more than the birthday.
Four is the usual starting point
Most syllabus schools, including ours, take children from four. By that age a child can usually follow a simple instruction, wait for a turn and stay with a group for three quarters of an hour — which matters more than any physical readiness.
Earlier is not better
There is no advantage in starting at two or three. Ballet asks for a kind of concentration that comes with age, and a child who starts before they are ready often decides they dislike it. Nothing is lost by waiting a year.
Starting later is entirely normal
Children join at seven, nine or twelve and do perfectly well. A beginner of nine learns faster than a beginner of four and simply starts in a different class.
What to look for in your own child
Enjoys music and moving to it, can be apart from you for the length of a class, and can follow a simple two-step instruction. If that sounds like your child, they are ready.
Draft written from general ballet-education practice. Every paragraph needs Miss Chew’s review before publication.
Ready to start?
Classes at Orchid Country Club, Yishun, for ages four and above.