Arabesque Practice for Dance & Back-to-School Habits for Kids
Connect ballet arabesque practice with small habits inspired by Atomic Habits. Explore simple routines kids can use for dance, homework, and reading.
10/3/20263 min read
How Arabesque Practice Can Help Kids Explore Better Back-to-School Habits
Learning an arabesque takes practice. So does learning how to begin homework, remember a school bag, or make time for reading.
In our full arabesque tutorial, Anna connects ballet practice with ideas from James Clear’s Atomic Habits. It’s an opportunity to explore something beyond dance technique: how a small, repeatable action can become part of a routine.
As children settle into a new school year, dance can provide a concrete starting point for talking about habits. What do we want to practice? What will remind us? And how can we make the first step manageable?
Improving an Arabesque Starts With a Practice Routine
An arabesque is a ballet position in which a dancer balances on one leg while extending the other behind them. Working on it involves more than lifting the leg higher: dancers also practice placement, balance, and control.
A useful practice goal might be choosing one exercise from Anna’s tutorial and focusing on one correction at a time. Follow the warm-up and technique guidance, and choose practice appropriate to the dancer’s level.
Instead of a vague goal like “get better at ballet,” try a specific action: “At the end of my warm-up, I’ll practice the exercise my teacher recommended.”
That gives a dancer something clear to do when practice begins.
Connecting Ballet Practice With Atomic Habits
One strategy James Clear discusses in Atomic Habits is habit stacking: connecting a new action to something you already do regularly.
For a dancer, this could mean adding a brief, teacher-recommended exercise after an established warm-up. The existing routine becomes the reminder for the next action.
The same planning approach can be explored outside dance. A child could place their reading book on their pillow after changing into pajamas or check tomorrow’s materials after finishing homework.
These are applications of the idea, rather than promises that ballet practice will automatically change school habits. The connection becomes useful when children explicitly discuss where else they might try it.
Learn more in James Clear’s explanation of habit stacking.
Why Explore Habits at the Start of the School Year?
The beginning of a school year brings new schedules, activities, and expectations. It provides a natural opportunity for families to decide what they want their routines to look like.
“Be more organized” can feel abstract. “After homework, put tomorrow’s materials in your bag” gives a child a visible next step.
Invite your child to choose one routine they would like to make easier. Start with a manageable action, then adjust it together if the timing or reminder doesn’t work. If school has already been underway for several weeks, that experience can help you identify what needs changing.
Where Else Could Children Use This Approach?
Choose one example together rather than adding every routine at once. The goal is to find an action that fits your child’s day.
Reflect: What Can We Take Beyond Dance?
After practicing with Anna’s tutorial, invite your child to think about:
What is one small thing you want to practice in your arabesque?
What could remind you to begin?
Where else could you use a similar reminder—reading, schoolwork, music, or another activity?
If you miss a practice, what would help you return to it?
How could you notice progress besides how high your leg goes?
You might notice more control, greater understanding of a correction, or more willingness to try again. These observations give children something specific to reflect on.
Watch the Full Arabesque Tutorial With Anna
Want to see the exercises and explore the connection between ballet practice and habits?
Watch the full arabesque tutorial on YouTube →
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