There’s a lot to love about the circus. It’s fun, exciting, creative, physical, and best of all, it’s for everyone.
With circus activities for young people and adults becoming increasingly popular worldwide, evidence is emerging that it is a perfect activity for young children.
Learning circus skills supports early development, creative play, and crucially, as an early support activity for children experiencing developmental delay. It’s also a great activity to learn with a parent, grandparent or guardian.
As Raisingchildren.net.au says, children’s brains develop connections faster in the first five years than at any other time in their lives. This is when models for learning, health and behaviour are established.
In these early years, your child’s main way of learning and developing is through play and interactions with you. Play gives your child opportunities to explore, observe, experiment and problem-solve.
Circus is also showing promise as an early intervention tool for children born prematurely. On average, about eight per cent of babies in Canberra are born pre-term, and data shows they are likely to experience some form of developmental delay as a result.
Research conducted at the University of Melbourne explored whether circus skills could be used as an early invention tool in premature toddlers. Using circus as physical therapy, researchers wanted to see if the children could catch up to their peers in their developmental milestones. They found positive results.
Warehouse Circus trainers underwent training modules devised by the creators of the study to support teaching circus to young people experiencing developmental delay.
“Children born pre-term, and especially born extremely pre-term – prior to 28 weeks of gestation – often encounter obstacles in participating in physical activities compared to their peers,” the study identified. “As these children approach preschool age, there is, of course, a need to engage in community activities. However, many parents and children face uncertainty and barriers when seeking to participate in such programs.”
It can be daunting to learn how to support a child in creative play, exploration, and physical capability. Especially to support development when the child might face additional barriers to participation.
Warehouse Circus Classes for 0-5s (Tiny Tribes) are inclusive and taught with parents, incorporating activities that can advance as you both do. These classes impart a lifelong language of shared physical skills and activities to enjoy with your family. Circus teaches safe climbing on parents, improves hand-eye coordination, promotes muscle growth, enhances balance and proprioception, increases flexibility, fosters problem-solving skills, supports creativity and creative play, and encourages a long-term interest in physical activity and creative expression.
Warehouse Circus is Canberra’s youth circus, running classes for young people of all ages from social to professional. We have graduates represented in major circuses around the world, and run circus as therapy programs for people living with complex disabilities. Warehouse Circus has been supported by Healthy Canberra Funding to promote the benefits of circus as an ideal early intervention tool for supporting physical activity for young people of varied needs.
The diversity of circus apparatus makes it an ideal activity to support people of all shapes, sizes, and needs. Its non-competitive, varied, and fun nature makes it a great activity for people of all ages who don’t enjoy traditional sports but wish to find an engaging physical activity.
Tiny Tribes Classes at Warehouse Circus are one hour long, and feature student-led learning opportunities, guided group activities, child-and-carer partner activities, and activities for parents, too!
Warehouse Circus
4/70 Maclaurin Cres, Chifley ACT 2606
