How does breakdancing teach social skills?  It seems like a pretty individual activity and there aren’t any ‘teams’, so it wasn’t our first thought when we wanted to find an extra-curricular activity for JP.  We tried soccer when he was 4 – the practices were great, but the games were tough – only one ball for all of those kids?  We tried baseball when he was 5.  Standing around on the field waiting for someone to hit the ball to you was not the most engaging activity and although JP enjoyed baseball when we played with him at the park, it was tough in a team game environment.  We knew that encouraging him to commit to something and finding an activity he enjoyed was important so we weren’t going to give up on finding something for JP.  JP has always enjoyed dancing and he definitely had his own crazy moves, but when the music came on he just moved.  He seemed to be a able to follow the beat and he always loved it when he danced, so we started our search for a dance class for 5 year old boys – not an easy task!

We found a great breakdancing class for boys age 5-9, taught by a professional B-Boy who has his own crew.  JP started breakdancing in the Fall and it has been wonderful to see his development not only in his breakdancing skills, but in his ability to perform in front of others and to understand the ‘unspoken’ language of the cypher (*breakdancing circle where each dancer takes turns dancing in the center while others watch and wait for their turn to dance).  When he first started breakdancing JP would stand outside the cypher at the start of class and watch the others, would participate in the direct class instruction and occasionally participate the cypher at the end of the class.  After the first few months he started participating in the cypher with prompting from the teacher and was pretty proud of his moves.  Over time JP was able to join the cypher on his own, without the prompting.  It was great to see this growth and increased confidence.

In January there was a breakdancing event showcasing the top youth B-Boys in BC, as well as a DJ competition and a lot of opportunities for the youth dancers to dance in cyphers throughout the evening.  This was the first time JP had gone to a Breakdancing event and the first time he had danced in public, outside of the dance studio.  The event was from 5-9 pm, about 45 minutes from our house.  I was hesitant to go as this is often a challenging time for many kids, but especially for JP who at times has rebound from his medication, but he really wanted to go and I wanted to give him a chance, so we went.  Once we were there JP started slow – hanging back, watching the professional B-Boys in their youth battle.  In between battles some cyphers were happening that all dancers could choose to participate in.  At first he stood back and watched. He asked me when it would be his turn and I explained that there aren’t really set ‘turns’ but he just had to watch the dancer in the middle, wait until he was done and keep an eye on the other dancers watching to find the perfect time to enter the cypher, before anyone else did.  He tried a couple of times, but someone else always got there first so he had to back off.  He didn’t get frustrated, or storm off or give up – he just kept waiting and trying again. Eventually a B-Boy in his 20’s who saw he was trying but couldn’t get in said ‘come on little man’ and brought him in.

JP rose to the challenge and did a great job dancing and leaving the cypher after a reasonable time.  I was so proud of him.  Throughout the remainder of the night he danced at least 5 more times and even had his own ‘battle’ at the back of the gym with a 10 year old dancer.  He just got it.  He learned to read the cypher, to identify when the other dancer might finish so he could get ready to enter, watched the other dancers to give the unspoken signal that he was going next and he seemed to intrinsically understand when he should leave the circle.  We stayed at the event until 9pm and JP was focused, engaged and enjoying every minute of it.  I was amazed.  I almost didn’t take him as I was worried about the time of night but he proved me wrong – he stepped up, he learned and he found his element!

After reflecting on JP’s breakdancing journey I realized how it was such a great way for him to gain confidence, develop a new skill he feels pretty good about and learn to read social cues.  The ability to participate in a cypher, learn the ‘unspoken rules’ of the culture and to read the B-Boy in the middle and the other members of the circle to identify when you should enter and leave the circle are skills that are transferable into other situations. Something JP struggles with at school is learning how to make and keep friends, typically for many grade ones and definitely a common challenge for kids with ADHD.  To know when to approach a peer or group and how to follow the ‘unspoken rules’ of the social world are challenging for all kids, but in particular for kids with ADHD.  Breakdancing was an excellent opportunity for JP to safely learn and develop confidence in sharing a part of him, and to understand how to read body language as a communication tool.  When I asked him how he knew when to enter the circle he said ‘you just have to watch the dancer.  When he is dancing low to the ground he is still in the middle and when he starts dancing high up he is close to being done.  Then you have to look around and watch the others in the circle to see who else might be trying to go in and just go in when there is space.”  Learning to read those non-verbal social cues of the cypher helped JP understand people and read situations more clearly.  Who knew that breakdancing could have such an impact on his social skill development? The life skills kids gain from extra curricular activities are immeasurable and for JP it has been a great journey so far!

What activities or sports have helped your kids?