What Is Cheerleading? A Parent's Guide

Cheerleading is a team sport that mixes dance, jumps, chants and, at some levels, stunts and tumbling, performed as a short, high-energy routine to music. In the UK most children start with cheer dance: routines with pom-poms, sharp arm movements, kicks and jumps, done together as a team. It suits children who love music, moving and being part of a group, and no experience is needed to start.

If your child has asked to try cheerleading and you're not sure what it involves, this guide covers what a class looks like, the different kinds of cheer, the right age to start, what they'll need and how competitions work.

Is cheerleading a sport?

Yes. Competitive cheerleading has judges, scoresheets, age groups and national competitions, and its world governing body, the International Cheer Union, was given full recognition by the International Olympic Committee in 2021. In the UK there are cheer competitions most months of the year, from regional events to national championships.

For most children, though, the competitive side comes later, if at all. First it's a weekly class where they learn to move together, get fitter and make friends.

What's the difference between cheer and cheer dance?

"Cheerleading" covers a few different things, and clubs mean different things by it:

• Cheer, often called all-star cheer: routines built around stunts (lifting and throwing teammates), pyramids and tumbling (cartwheels, round-offs, back handsprings), with jumps and dance in between.
• Cheer dance: the dance side of cheerleading. Pom routines and hip hop, jazz and freestyle styles, built on the sharp, straight-armed shapes cheer is known for (called motions), plus kicks, leaps, turns and jumps, all in perfect time with the team.

Our cheerleading classes focus on the dance side of cheer. That makes it a brilliant first step for complete beginners: children learn the precision, rhythm and teamwork cheer is built on, without needing gymnastics first.

What happens in a children's cheerleading class?

A class at our Wallsend studio usually runs like this:

1. Warm-up and stretching, to get bodies ready and build flexibility a little every week.
2. Technique: motions, jumps, kicks and turns, broken down so everyone can get them.
3. Choreography: learning a section of a routine, step by step.
4. Run-through: putting it together to music as a team, with energy and big smiles.

Coach Talia leads our cheerleading programme, building technique, sharpness and teamwork in every routine. Beginners are the norm, not the exception: most of our dancers walk in with no experience at all.

What age can children start cheerleading?

Children can start cheer dance from around four, as soon as they're happy to follow a coach in a group. We run separate classes for ages 4 to 7 and ages 8 and over, so everyone learns alongside children their own age and pace. You can see the days and times on our cheerleading page.

There's no upper limit for starting. Older children often pick it up quickly because they're used to learning routines at school or from social media dances.

Does my child need dance or gymnastics experience?

No. Every class starts with foundations and builds from there. What helps most is enthusiasm and turning up every week: progress in cheer comes from repetition, and children are often surprised how quickly a routine clicks after a few weeks.

What should they wear?

For a first class, comfortable clothes they can move in, trainers and a water bottle. We'd also suggest hair tied back and jewellery off, so nothing gets in the way. No uniform or special shoes are needed to try it.

Once they're in, our cheerleaders usually need a T-shirt for class, and the uniform, poms and bow for competitions. There's no rush: plenty of dancers train for a while before they compete.

What are cheerleading competitions like?

A competition is a full day out. Teams perform a routine of a few minutes in front of judges and an audience, everyone cheers each other on, and the day finishes with awards. Our cheer teams compete at Cheerdance UK competitions around the North, from Darlington and Newton Aycliffe to Penrith and Leeds, and families can buy tickets to come and watch on our events page.

Competing is a big confidence boost, but it's not compulsory. Plenty of children simply enjoy their weekly class. We've written more about this in why competing is good for kids.

Is cheerleading safe for kids?

Like any active sport there's a risk of the odd knock or strain, and the biggest factors in keeping children safe are good coaching, a proper warm-up and moving on at the right pace. Cheer dance doesn't involve the stunting and tumbling that carry the highest risk in all-star cheer, which is one reason it's a good place to start.

Cheerleading in Wallsend and North Tyneside

Kanvas Academy has taught children's dance and cheer in Wallsend since 2017. Our studio is at Unit 3 Churchill Street, Wallsend NE28 7DB, and families come to us from Wallsend, North Shields, Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and across Newcastle.