Tips for Teaching Turnout to Children

When it comes to teaching turnout (to any age), there are some tried and true tips you should always think about.

1. Turnout should always come from the hips.

2. The knees should always be over the toes in plié.

3. The arches should always remain lifted (feet, arches and ankles should not roll forward).

4. Correct posture should be maintained (as in, the hips should be neutral, the lower back long, shoulders relaxed, and neck long).

But when it comes to teaching turnout to young children, there are a few more things you should be thinking about.

At What Age do You Introduce Turnout?

The previous four points are exactly why we don't recommend teaching ballet turned out until a child is at least 4, or even 5 years old.

Child Development and Turnout

Developmentally, most students don't have the body awareness or strength to be able to turn out CORRECTLY while performing even basic ballet steps in the preschool years.

There are other things you can focus on with your children other than turnout. It's better to work on the coordination of basic steps in parallel in your toddler and early preschool classes. Then add the turnout later on!

When It Comes to Turnout, Ask Yourself…

Take a look at when you begin teaching movement with turnout. Ask yourself if your students are ready. And if they are, how can you help them dance with correct turnout successfully.

Find a Curriculum Rooted in Child Development

At Once Upon A Ballet, all of our dance curriculums are story-based, concept-driven, and rooted in early childhood research. But it doesn’t matter if you use our curriculum, as long as you use one rooted in child development.

Seek Out Training

If you don’t have a background in education (many dance teachers don’t!), find ways to fill in the gaps.

Our toddler and preschool dance teacher certification course gives teachers the tools to teach effectively (as in to engage their students and keep their attention) AND correctly in terms of child development). We want teachers to teach what is age appropriate and builds from one level to the next.