Parent Watch Week: A Window into Your Child’s Dance Journey

I wanted to write a little bit about Parent Watch Week to help you understand why we do it, what happens during the lessons, and what you can expect from it.

During Parent Watch Week, our classes run exactly as they normally would. Our lesson plans are already in place before the week arrives, and when parents come in, they are simply watching the class that would have happened anyway.

There isn’t a performance involved, and the children haven't prepared anything special for you to see. Instead, it’s a chance for you to observe what we teach, how we teach it, and to get a glimpse into the syllabus and the way your child learns in class.

You get to see how the children are in lessons, who they tend to work with, how they interact with their teacher and their friends, and what a normal class at the studio really looks like.

Seeing the bigger picture

As a parent myself, I’m always really curious about what my son does in school (he's recently started nursery). I ask him lots of questions about his day, the games he’s played and who he’s friends with. However, I can never fully picture his day, and I am always wondering how he approaches his learning and relationships in the classroom.

The same can be said for the time they spend with us at lessons. There’s always something really reassuring about actually seeing the environment for yourself. Being able to put faces to the names of the children they talk about, hearing the songs they try to sing at home, or recognising the exercises they tell you about helps paint a much fuller picture of the experience they are having each week.

Parent Watch Week gives you that opportunity.

You get to see:

• how the teachers interact with the children

• what your child is learning

• how they work with partners or groups

• how they respond to instructions and corrections

• how they engage with the music and exercises

• how they are progressing

It’s often in these little moments that you start to see the bigger picture of their development, not just as dancers but in terms of confidence, focus and independence too.

What a typical lesson looks like

During the class, you’ll see the lesson flow in the same way it does each week.

We usually begin with a warm up to get the body moving and ready to dance. From there, we move into exercises that build technique, coordination and strength. Some of these will be familiar exercises that the children are practising each week to develop muscle memory, while others may be newer steps that are being introduced and broken down.

For our younger classes, you’ll often see storytelling woven into the lesson. We use imagination and themes to help the children understand movement, whether that’s tiptoeing like fairies, marching like soldiers, or jumping over imaginary obstacles.

As the lesson progresses, you may see:

• exercises repeated to help children refine their technique

• new steps being demonstrated and then practised together

• children working individually, in pairs or as a group

• moments where we pause to give corrections or encouragement

For our older students, this may look more structured, with set exercises from the syllabus, across-the-floor work, and combinations that challenge their technique and memory.

For our younger dancers, it may look more playful on the surface, but every activity is carefully designed to build important foundations like balance, coordination, rhythm and listening skills.

Seeing their development over time

Shows are always a wonderful way to see how far the children have come, but Parent Watch Week gives you a slightly different perspective.

In the studio you can see the process behind the performance. You can see how exercises build year by year, how coordination improves, how concentration grows, and how children gradually develop the strength, control and confidence needed for their dancing.

Sometimes parents notice things they weren’t expecting, like how much their child has improved in their listening skills, their ability to remember sequences, or how comfortably they work with others in the class.

For our exam students

For students working through the exam syllabus, Parent Watch Week can be really interesting because you get to see how the syllabus progresses from year to year.

You can see the exercises they are working on, how the expectations gradually increase, and how your child is coping with the level they are currently studying.

It also gives students a chance to practise demonstrating their work while being observed. In many ways this mirrors the environment they will experience when an examiner is in the room, so it’s a gentle way of preparing them for that kind of situation.

When children behave differently

One thing I always like to mention before Parent Watch Week is that children can sometimes behave very differently when parents are in the room.

Children who are normally confident may suddenly become shy. Some might run back to sit with mum or dad, while others may become quieter or a little hesitant to demonstrate exercises the way they normally would. Our year 4-6 classes, typically become silent, where we usually have lots of back and forth with questions being asked and answered, Children who are usually more reserved, they may choose to sit with mum or dad for most of the lesson.

For parents who are excited to see exactly what their child does in class each week, this can sometimes feel a little disappointing.

But the truth is that this is a very normal part of a child’s development and whatever happens in Parent Watch Week is part of their journey towards building confidence and resilience.

Being watched by a small group of familiar faces can feel intense for children. In many cases, performing in front of parents can feel more intimidating than performing on a stage.

On stage, the audience is further away and the lights are bright. In the studio, parents are close by and children are very aware that people are watching them.

That can suddenly make them feel a little unsure.

Turning nerves into confidence

Moments like these aren’t setbacks. They are actually valuable learning experiences.

Situations like Parent Watch Week give children a chance to practise important life skills such as:

• managing nerves in front of others

• trying again when they feel unsure

• continuing even when they feel self-conscious

• focusing while people are watching them

Even if a child spends part, or all of the lesson sitting with their parent, watching instead of dancing, or taking a little longer to join in, they are still learning to navigate those feelings in a safe and supportive environment.

Often we see children slowly rejoin the class once they realise everything is still the same as it normally is. And the more experiences children have like this, the more comfortable they become with it.

Over time, these small moments help children develop confidence, resilience and independence.

Quite often the child who felt a little shy one year is the same child confidently showing everything they can do the next time parents come in to watch.

A chance to chat too

We finish the classes a little earlier during Parent Watch Week so there is some time for parents to chat with each other or to come and speak to us if you have any questions.

It’s a lovely opportunity for us to connect with you as well and to hear how things are going from your side.

And a little honesty from us!

I should also say that Parent Watch Week can be very nerve wracking for our staff, often more so than any other event we run during the year.

When parents are in the room we suddenly become very aware that we are front and centre as well. Teaching a normal class is one thing, but teaching while being watched by a room full of adults can feel quite different.

So if a teacher loses their train of thought for a moment or seems a little nervous, please bear with us!

Thank you for being part of it

Parent Watch Week is one of the few times each year where you get to see the day to day learning that happens in the studio.

We hope it gives you a helpful insight into your child’s class, their friendships, their learning and their development.

And most importantly, we hope you enjoy seeing a little glimpse of what your child experiences each week at dance.