Dance with grandchildren

I think it's a lovely idea Dance.

I would advertise locally, if you have a local news paper there's usually a section for advertising local events.

I have no idea how much people would be prepared to pay so it would be a good idea to find suitable premises and how much that would cost as this will give you an idea of what you'd need to charge to cover your expenses.

Saturday morning might be a good time, I was thinking tea time but that might not work if you're potentially looking at children as young as one.

You could put in an ad. outlining what you're wanting to do with your contact details, and asking for feed back. That would give you some idea of the potential number of people who'd be interested.

I hope it takes off.

I’m just off to pick my GS up from school.
It would be nice and convenient to go dancing from there so for that age group perhaps 3.30pm?

Good idea.

However there may be something similar in your area already - this sort of thing is often run by local dance teachers - search their websites for info.

Do you have qualifications, DBS check, insurance, will you need a licence for the music you use (you usually do)? Will you be committed to hiring a hall/facility for a set period of time in which case what happens if there’s insufficient numbers to cover all costs?

I take my GD to something similar in the city where she lives and she loves it - good luck!

I’m also planning on doing an adult ballet class too, would daytime or evening be most suitable ? Thanks for your advice so far.

I used to go to a music and dance session with the DGD when I looked after them.
It wasn't expensive, can't remember the exact cost now. We had tambourines and other items to shake, more of a music session with movement and great fun.

It was aimed at pre-school children but, if you are a qualified dance teacher, could be a great idea for older children too.

I went to an adult tap class in the evenings (I was useless so be prepared for those adults who have never danced beforel)

Yes, you will need all the DBS checks etc.

Pre-school mornings best, advertise on local forums on Facebook, fliers in libraries, community centres. School age from 3.30 again use same to advertise. Many young people don't buy newspapers so online is better for them. Check what other providers charge. Council led tend to be around £5 ish for 45 minutes. Pre school might not manage an hour but school age an hour is ok unless parents/grandparents have smaller children they have to bring.

We managed an hour, at least DGD did.
I had to be helped up after singing and enacting Ring a Ring a Roses

you would need things like insurance plus as mentioned suitable space to run this. Good luck. Hope it takes off for you.

My children attended something like this - it was under 5’s and the lady played a tape of about 10 action songs and they respected each week for 6 weeks then we would get a new set - small children live repetition, keep the movements simple and they quickly learn the routine for each one.
The final song always caused great excitement as they got a foam stick with a really long ribbon on it -al different colours and had to run around the room like the wind. Of course they were all so focussed on the ribbon that they they all ran in circles but it was very cute and they loved it!
Parents and granny’s joined in.
Definitely go for it and keep it simple.
Good luck.

*sp. Repeated each week!

I’m in London and we have a website called ‘dance near you” it lists all dance classes for all ages but I don’t know if it’s nationwide - might be.

I don’t know that you will need dbs checks if they are to remain with their parents, don’t see why you would but I may be wrong. - photographic consent forms would be needed for advertising pics though.

Talk to your local library, they may well be only too happy to have you run it there (they are desperate to have people attending regularly to justify keeping the library open) and then you save on heating and electricity bills which you can pass on as a big subsidy to your clients

My daughter goes to something similar with her toddler. Her older children go to classes at the same dance school. She pays half termly I'm not sure how much it works out per session maybe about £6 for a 40 min session you should do some research at your local dance schools and pre school toddler groups. If you are in the UK I would guess that all towns will have some

Perhaps straight after school would help them to unwind in a healthy/fun way. Think it's a lovely idea. Good luck!

Make it an after school club? Use the school hall. You could go to different schools on different days.

How would that be possible?

This is going to be a long process...The protocol for working with children is going to be very stringent..... with hard work and patience you will get there. All the best with your new project.

Sounds a fantastic idea and one that would suit grandparents on childcare duty.Fun, exercise and social interaction all round. Be no idea on charges for such a venture but would suggest you keep it lighthearted.

Thank you everyone for your feedback and thoughts.

Despite advice up thread, I would avoid Saturday mornings. There are so many children's activities on Saturday mornings, most parents are already run ragged.

If you are aiming at small children and grandparents, I would think midweek between 10.00am and 4.oopm would be better.

The logical step is to contact the agency that handles the sites and have them do the right analysis. Tips are good, but knowing the exact numbers so as not to make a mistake is much better.