4 Ways To Help Dancers Achieve Their Goals in 2022

We’re in the final days of 2021 (thank goodness), but most dance teachers’ minds are already well into 2022, thinking about all manner of things, like recitals, summer programs, costumes, competitions and casting. And that’s just on the admin side of teaching/studio owning. It goes without saying that a goal of all teachers, no matter the time of year, is to help their students achieve their goals, but it might be on our minds a little extra right now as we wind down the year and look towards a new one.

But how can we actually do that? We wear so many hats, and have so many to-dos once we’re in the studio with our dancers, that it can often feel like goals are something we encourage, and assume our students have, but don’t actually get a chance to work on with them. We might do a little worksheet the first week of January, but then we’re off to the next thing, and that worksheet (and the goals) are forgotten until the next year.

Here are 4 tips dance teachers can use to help dancers set, and achieve their goals. Use these now (it’s the perfect time of year!), during the entire month of January, or for real impact, quarterly; the more frequently, the better. Because as the saying goes, a dream without a plan is just a wish…

1. Reflect on what they already accomplished this year.

We’re more likely to be motivated to set a goal when we can recognize the growth and improvements we’ve already made. Dancers are often their own worst enemies, and critics, and the practice of dance is so rigorous that we tend to not even notice when progress and growth has been made. Taking time to reflect on this is a way to honor all we’ve done, and serves as proof that we’re improving all the time, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

2. Use the SMART model to set new goals.

Dunno what this is? Check out the New Year Goal Kit for dancers 11+ right here to learn more about it! Research has been done that shows individuals who use this model to set goals are 75% more likely to achieve them. 75% is huge! The New Year Goal Kit not only teaches dancers about setting SMART goals, but also provides them with a goal and habit tracker, so they can keep their foot on the gas pedal and feel real ownership of their progress.

3. Identify why this goal is important.

Goals should never be arbitrary, and are more powerful when they’re internally driven. For example, if a student wants to have a solo in a competition because their best friend did, that’s not as compelling of a reason as wanting to do a solo because they feel moved by a specific piece of music, or enjoy working one on one with a choreographer, or because they want to feel more comfortable performing by themselves. It’s important to understand each dancers intentions behind their goals, so you’re both on the same page and can work together towards achieving it cohesively.

4. Break it down into steps.

This makes the goal more manageable and less likely to make a dancer feel overwhelmed or have them give up. How often have you had a dancer try a combination, or a new step 2 or 3 times, get frustrated, and then declare, “I can’t!”, or “This is too hard!”. To avoid those responses, and avoid getting stuck in that mindset, it’s important to break goals down into steps. The New Year Goal Kit for dancers ages 4+ has an excellent worksheets for this: Ladder to My Goals. This printable worksheet encourages dancers to identify a goal, and then break down their plan for how to achieve it. The added bonus of this is that it also encourages dancers to be autonomous; instead of relying on you, or your feedback for answers, they’re depending on themselves and building trust in their own thought process.

Click on the buttons above to see a free video preview of each of the Goal Kits! Each Kit is full of over 20 pages of beautiful, easy to use materials, that you can instantly download, print, and use after your purchase. Each Kit is just $19, or two for $32! These are the perfect thing to use in your holiday classes, and as you welcome dancers back to class in the New Year!

After the challenging year(s) we’ve all had, we all need a little extra motivation and support to refresh, and realign with our goals, and these Kits couldn’t make that any easier - for you, or your students! Happy goal setting!