By: Tanvi Ambekar

World Editor

Throughout elementary school, most children participate in mandatory physical education (PE) classes, which often involve playing group sports, like basketball or baseball. While traditional PE sessions provide sufficient physical activity, these classes could better support elementary schoolers by incorporating modifications that promote emotional well-being, provide necessary exercise, and reduce the stigma surrounding traditionally feminine sports. The easiest way to do this is to incorporate dance into standard PE; elementary school PE curriculum should replace one-third of mainstream sports with dance classes.

Studies have shown that dancing is an effective way for young children to regulate their emotions healthily, especially when they may not have the skills to verbally express those feelings. In 2026, researchers conducted an experiment where children between the ages of six and 12 with emotional regulation problems received dance lessons at the same frequency as conventional PE lessons. In comparison to the control group, which continued with regular PE, the children in the experimental group showed improved emotional management as well as decreased anxiety and depression rates. Given that a majority of young children share traits with that of the experimental group—emotional dysregulation, social awkwardness, and attention problems—regular sessions of dance may be a beneficial way to help them with their psychological development. 

Additionally, dance offers important physical benefits that current PE curriculums do not. In fact, a 2022 meta-analysis of a variety of structured exercise programs revealed that regular dance classes can lead to substantially improved musculoskeletal function. In kids, taking just one 45-minute dance class per week resulted in statistically significant gains in balance, grip strength, and flexibility. Importantly, flexibility can also prevent long-term injuries, as it lowers the probability that a muscle sprain or torn tendon will cause permanent damage. 

Finally, making dance mandatory for all kids, regardless of gender, will help break down hurtful stereotypes around the sport. Field interviews with 436 children and teens affirmed that gender norms stereotype dance as feminine and associate it with homosexuality, so society views boys who dance as effeminate and not “real men.” This, in turn, discourages both boys and girls from pursuing the activity—and other activities labeled “too feminine”—because they fear others will consider them weak or not real athletes. Children should never feel pressured to fit into stereotypes, athletically or otherwise. 

Integrating dance does not mean getting rid of all other sports entirely; it means incorporating dance in a way that supports students’ physical and emotional health. If elementary schools across the country replaced just one or two of their weekly PE sessions with a dance class, drastic improvements in kids’ emotional, physical, and mental health would follow. 

(Sources: Frontiers in Physiology, Frontiers in Public Health, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, NIH, Research in Dance Education)