Ballet Games That Teach: Somatic Awareness Activities for 9-Year-Olds

If you get my newsletter, you know I've really been focused on somatic awareness this month. One of the great things about springtime is that all the work we've been putting in all year long really starts paying off. Because students have made so much progress towards our key principle and key vocabulary for the year, we have the freedom to spend class time exploring and playing with elements of artistry like somatic awareness.

Nine-year-olds aren't ready for extensive somatic awareness—we're still waiting for crucial brain development. But we can build excellent foundations for future learning by tapping into children's natural love of play. My systematic-yet-playful approach uses carefully designed games that help dancers notice the experience of being in their own bodies.

Example: The Balloon Body Game Students imagine different parts of their body filling with air like balloons. Rather than creating a relaxation exercise, we encourage movement with these "balloon" body parts. How does it feel to pirouette with balloon ribs? What about when the air leaks out? This approach helps children notice body parts and movement simultaneously—a crucial foundation for advanced somatic work.

This represents just one approach from my comprehensive resesarch. Each game serves specific developmental purposes while building toward more sophisticated body awareness. The key is understanding which activities support different aspects of somatic development and how to progress complexity appropriately. My book, Artistry Inside Ballet Technique, Volume 1, explores somatic awareness development in much greater depth with activities for all ages, progressive complexity guidelines, and frameworks that transform technique-only lessons into intentional artistry education.

By introducing these concepts through play, we're laying crucial groundwork for the advanced body awareness dancers need as they progress.

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This playful approach to somatic awareness builds essential artistic foundations through evidence-based methodology. My book provides the complete frameworks that develop sophisticated body awareness alongside technical excellence - proving that games can be powerful teaching tools.

Explore the complete somatic awareness system in my book →

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