Ballet can be a fun and rewarding activity for your child to participate in. It can also help her stay physically active, improve their mood, and boost their self-esteem.

However, ballet isn’t for everyone—both children and parents alike—and there are certain questions you should ask to ensure it’s the right decision before enrolling your child in classes.

1. Does Your Child Want to Participate in Ballet Classes?

This is the most important question you’ll need to be able to answer. Are you enrolling your child in ballet because you think she’ll enjoy it or because she’s expressed interest in it? Perhaps you were a ballet dancer in your youth and you think your child could benefit from the same type of hobby.

Unfortunately, not all young girls love ballet, and it will be a struggle for you, for her, and for her instructors if you enroll her in a class she has no interest in. She will complain and won’t want to be there. You’ll have difficulty getting her to the classes. And the instructors will likely be frustrated that they won’t be able to teach her anything due to her lack of interest. Make sure this is an activity your child wants to participate in before enrolling—it’ll be better for everyone involved.

2. Are You and Your Child Ready for the Commitment?

If your child doesn’t have much interest in dance, it may be a short one-season commitment. But if she loves it and wants to continue from a young age into her teenage years, you’ll need to be prepared for the trips to and from the studio, the recitals, the endless practice, and the competitions.

Similarly, your child needs to be ready for the same commitment. Whether she dances ballet for a few years or for a lifetime, she’ll need to commit to hours upon hours of hard work and practice. Although it may seem like an easy activity, dance can be gruelling, especially if you want to get good at it.

3. Is It the Right Time?

The moment you realized you were having a daughter, you may have immediately wanted to enroll her in ballet classes. However, it’s important to ensure your child is the right age before enrolling her in classes. If your daughter is too young, the dance classes likely won’t be useful.

Instead, it’ll likely only result in tantrums, tears, and meltdowns. Although there are toddler dance classes, you may want to wait a few years before enrollment to ensure your child is mentally and physically old enough to fully participate.

4. Can You Cover the Costs?

This is another question related to your commitment to ballet classes. Right now, you might be ready to commit to paying for one class, one pair of ballet shoes, and a couple outfits. If your daughter becomes really interested in dance, however, the costs will increase. You may need to purchase more outfits and more shoes, and pay to travel to competitions. Are you ready for these expenses?

5. Is It the Right Studio?

If you and your daughter are committed to ballet, you can afford the costs, and it’s the right time to enrol, the next question to ask is if you’re enrolling in the right studio. Not all dance studios are alike, and it’s important to do your research to ensure you’re choosing the right one. A good studio and great instructors can make a world of difference, and it also helps to know your daughter can make friends in the class she’s in and that you like the parents there as well. Take a tour of different studios and ask all your questions before making a decision.