I'm trying finalize my sced for september....what do you guys offer from 2-4 yrs old....i'd like to offer tap and ballet for them..but how long of a class for each (tap and ballet) do you have them for? i can't decide what's too long or too short...help please =)

I do one hour 30 minutes of each and call it a combination class. I think an hour of just one would be boring for them and their short attention spans but getting to switch halfway through makes it new and exciting to them. If you're doing each subject separately (tap on Mondays, Ballet on Wednesdays) it should be no more than 45 minutes each.

I do the same thing. I have 30min ballet then switch into 30min. tap. It works well with the children and is just long enough that you still have their attention.

thanks guys...yea that's what i was going to do...but is it enough time for them to learn two seperate dances? for the tap and ballet, that's what i'm not sure of

For 2 1/2 -3 1/2 year olds I have a 1/2 hr. creative movement class. IMO, 2 is W-A-Y to young to tap - I don't start them with tap until 4 1/2. I tried teaching tap to younger students, but they just didn't have the balance yet.

For 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 year olds, I have a 45 minute Pre-Dance class - some baby ballet, and I introduce some across the floor tap type steps at the end of the year. (Heel toes, toe heels, brush steps.)

At 4 1/2 I start them in a 1-hour ballet/tap class. And yes, they do learn two dances for the show. I know many studios just pick one to use, but we do both. The dances are short - about 2 minutes, and we only spend about 5 minutes on each dance, so they do have time to learn both.

I know there are many other philosophies out there about what to teach, and how long classes should be, but after 20 years of teaching the little ones, this is what I have found works best for me. Hope that helps.

thank you, all of your advice was great, thanks!