Gymnastics is good for your child!

As a parent, you are doing wonderful things for your child by enrolling them in gymnastics. Study after study confirms that children enrolled in sports (including gymnastics) are more likely to avoid drugs, score higher on achievement tests, stay in school, have higher self esteem, and live a healthier life style. The children in gymnastics not only learn motor skills, but interpersonal skills, perseverance, discipline, commitment, humor, perspective, teamwork, humility and leadership. So be sure to give yourself a pat on the back for helping your child be more successful in life!

This lesson focuses on the peanut ball for forward rolling skills, back limbers and strength training. It's a bit hit with the children since it's so much fun!

Gymnastics fosters autonomy!

Experiences that encourage and nurture thinking, self-trust, and autonomy are to be valued. In gymnastics we help foster success by challenging children within their ability to succeed. In place of competition, a culture of cooperation and reward for self-improvement is fostered. Everyone can win only when winning is defined as 'your personal best', instead of being better that everyone else. This definition of winning puts each gymnast in full control of the outcome of their efforts - this is an important component of self esteem.
I love the sense of pride and accomplishment I see in children when they master a new skill!

Thanks Mom and Dad!

All children benefit from gymnastics participation. Parents, you are doing a terrific job by getting your child interested in this educational sport. Many of the benefits of gymnastics are not related to learning gymnastics skills, but more important developmental areas that will help your child become a better student and young adult.
Some of the benefits of gymnastics participation are: self confidence, coordination, hard work ethic, flexibility, social skills, discipline, fitness, overcoming fears, learning to perform in front of people, determination, and strength development.

Rolling Skills and Beanie Babies

This week's lesson focuses on rolling skills: log rolls, forward rolls, and backward rolls. All skills are done on the wedge to making rolling easier. Gymnasts will climb up the wall to practice their handstands. Please ask your child to show you how they can climb the wall! Our coordination activity is the Beanie Babies.

Tuesday's Class

The gymnasts in Tuesday's class are doing a wonderful job in class! Today we worked on 7 different stations which included handstands against the wall, wall walking, a cartwheel station, rolling skills on the wedge, the balance beam, jumps for strength and endurance, and the rock climbing wall. Each station is pictured on this blog.

Children worked in small groups and did a nice job of cooperating.

Your child is becoming strong, flexible and determined!

We love to move!

This week's lesson focuses on rolling and vaulting skills. On the floor the gymnasts will do forward rolls and handstands. We are getting quite good at these! The gymnasts will use the wedge for forward and backward rolls. With the wedge closed we will do vaulting skills, landing on the block, jumping off with tuck, pike and straddle jumps. Our coordination/ rhythmic activity is the hoops.

Please encourage your child to stretch at home this week.

A Gymnastics Success Story

Last week I ran into the mother of one of my former students. Her daughter started gymnastics with me at her school at the age of 4. She continued for several years and eventually took up volleyball. Kim is now 17 and has college recruiters looking at her volleyball skills. They asked what other sports Kim had done. When told that she had participated in gymnastics, they said 'no wonder she has such great body awareness'. Her success can be attibuted in part to her early gymnastics training! It's the best sport for developing coordination and body awareness.

This week we are working on the gymnastics bar for strength and skill training. Each week we practice cartwheel drills and handstands. We are working with the Beanie Babies for eye hand coordination.

Balance Beam and Parachute

This week we are working on the balance beam. Gymnasts will work on forward, backward, sideways and bear walking on the beam. We will also do leaps and cartwheels over the beam. More advance gymnasts will do these skills ON the beam.

We will also work on cooperation and social skills with the parachute. The gymnasts really love to play cat and mouse, shark attack and to run under the parachute.

Gymnastics provides the opportunity to learn about team work, sportsmanship, fair play and dedication. Because gymnastics is so very difficult to perform, the learning time is long when compared to other sports. The long time required to attain mastery of the fundamental skills requires patience, dedication, perseverance, and planning. Gymnastics helps people learn to work hard for objectives that can take years to achieve. In the modern world of quick-fixes, instant communications and instant entertainment, there needs to be a place for children to develop their character.

A New Year Of Gymnastics!

I am thrilled to begin a new year of training with all of my gymnasts. Great things are in store for them. All of the gymnasts will be challenged with the right level of skill for their ability. This means enough difficulty to make things challenging, but not so difficult as to be overwhelming.

Our first lesson is the peanut ball. All of the gymnasts love to see this piece of equipment. It's been requested many times! We are doing forward rolls and back limber over it. Very advanced gymnasts are doing front limbers over it.

We are also working on eye - hand coordination with the balls. These skills will give your child an advantage when they join a basket ball, base ball or volley ball team. Coaches love to have players who have gymnastics experience.

Please encourage your child to do their gymnastics 'homework', better yet, do it with them! This will be a real treat for your child.