The Importance of Physical Education for Preschoolers
See below for a great article on the importance of physical education for pre-schoolers from Disney Family.com!

The Council on Physical Education for Children (COPEC, a council within the National Association for Sport and Physical Education), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services all recommend that physical education be offered to children enrolled in preschool programs. There are a number of reasons why.

First, habits are formed early in life. We don't wait until children are in elementary school to teach them to brush their teeth, bathe or eat the right foods. So why should children wait until they're school-aged to learn about physical activity? To begin acquiring the skills they need to successfully participate in it and to understand why it matters? There's evidence to show that even among children as young as 3 and 4, those who are less active tend to stay less active later in childhood than the rest of their peers. And individuals who are less active in childhood remain less active as adults.

Furthermore, early childhood is the best period for the acquisition of fundamental movement skills. Contrary to common belief, motor skills are not acquired and refined without instruction and practice. Not even basic body management skills – body-part identification, spatial awareness and such abilities as stopping on signal – take care of themselves to the extent that we'd want for our children. Many a child has arrived in the early and even upper elementary grades not knowing his elbows from his shoulders, unable to line up without getting too close to someone else, or lacking the ability to come to a timely halt when faced with an unexpected (or even an expected!) obstacle. And many a child has failed to develop mature patterns for basic motor skills.

These are the children who eventually lose confidence in their ability to play like the other kids. They feel clumsy and inferior and, to avoid humiliation, avoid physical activity. They grow up with the belief that they "can't throw," "can't dance," are "uncoordinated" or are "lousy at anything physical." They become the couch potatoes among us.

Someone needs to teach children where their elbows and shoulders are, about the space immediately surrounding their bodies (and what it's possible to do within it), how to stop and start and the many ways in which it's possible to move. Someone needs to offer instruction, practice opportunities, assessment and the chance to fine-tune. And that someone should have a plan.

Too often, even when early-childhood professionals fully believe in the value of movement for young children and, with no false intent, assure parents that movement is very much a part of the program, what they mean is that they let the children go out to play once or twice a day. Maybe they put on a CD during "circle time" and encourage the children to dance for a few minutes. Or they might set up an obstacle course once a week and give the children some time to explore it.

However, these scenarios don't begin to meet children's fitness and motor development needs. Even if the children were doing all of the above, these scenarios couldn't be considered physical education. Movement lessons need to be planned and taught just as other lessons are taught in early childhood. As Linda Carson, professor at West Virginia University and director of the West Virginia Motor Development Center, writes in the September 2001 issue of Teaching Elementary Physical Education:

"Many preschool children in homes, agencies, centers and schools participate in physical activities that are 'unplanned' and self-selected. While self-selected play is important for young children, so is movement instruction that has been planned, sequenced and delivered by an informed teacher ... Without planned instruction and teacher-directed practice opportunities, the under-informed staff is really leaving movement learning and the acquisition and improvement of motor skills to chance."

Dr. Carson goes on to say that simply offering toys, props and a "gross motor area" is not enough – that parents and teachers would never leave children's cognitive development to chance. She insists, "They would not advocate learning to read or communicate by having their children enter a 'gross cognitive area' where children could engage in self-selected 'reading play' with a variety of books."

She's absolutely right! The notion of leaving cognitive or, for that matter, social/emotional development, to chance is completely ludicrous. (Do we thrust children out into the world and let them figure out how to get along in it on their own?) Yet we feel no similar sense of absurdity at the idea of leaving physical development to chance – that all we need to do is let the children play and they'll become ready for all the physical challenges life will bring their way.

COPEC has developed a position statement titled "Appropriate Practices in Movement Programs for Young Children Ages 3-5." The introduction includes the following paragraph:

"Childhood is the time to begin the development of active, healthy lifestyles. The development of skills, knowledge and attitudes leading to active, healthy lifestyles must be taught. Placing the child on the road to a lifetime of movement should begin early to ensure a lifetime of good health."

Something to think about!
Love, Ms. Paige!
Swimming... It Can Be Complicated!
My father in law lives in a WONDERFUL area in the Texas Hill Country. He is within walking distance of eclectic and interesting antique shops, wonderful restaurants with amazing views, the famously old and very charming Greune Hall, and numerous tube (or “toob”) rental huts staffed with rowdy college students on Summer Break. He lives along the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, Texas- a place often visited by our college friends on hot Summer weekends when they are itching to “re-live the glory days”. Typically we eat, sit, talk, and float down the river in oversized black tubes. This is a young man’s “sport”, if you will. While it seems relaxing and serene, it can turn into a stressful situation at the drop of a hat.

CJ, a friend we met at Texas A&M a few years back, came with us a couple of years ago and was excited to partake in the tubing festivities. It started out as usual: we woke up late, piled in the car, rented some tubes, and walked down to the water. The staff at the tube rental warned us that it has been raining the past few days and the river was higher than usual. We shrugged it off, got in, and started drifting down the river. .

We were drifting faster than usual but that did not bother us. The faster we floated, the closer we were to lunch! Towards the end of the float, we hit some quick rapids. Most of us were tossed out of our tubes and actually suffered a few small cuts and wounds. We all came up, started laughing, and moved to the bank so that we could get back in our tubes. After a quick survey of the group, I realized CJ was missing. In a panic, I started yelling his name. My husband spotted him struggling under the water and swam over to grab him and pull him to the bank. .

It turns out that CJ never learned to swim. He was born in a country where swimming lessons were not a normal thing that parents did for their children (which is beside the point, however, because MANY children in the US never learn to swim, either). He was embarrassed about not knowing how to swim and therefore did not tell any of us about it. He was afraid that if we knew, we would be less likely to invite him along on the trip. .

“I thought I could handle just sitting in a tube and floating down the river,” he whimpered. .

As parents, it is our job to set our children up for the rest of their lives. We introduce them to different foods, we encourage them when they are learning to walk and run. We make sure they learn to ride a bike, drive a car, and play sports. By the time they become young adults, we have done our best to achieve many goals we have set for them. Hopefully, we have created socially mature and physically able people who can (for the most part) think rationally and creatively. .

It’s our job to also arm them with the most basic and seemingly natural skills, too. Had CJ been taught to swim as a child, he would have never had to have been a 27 year old man with something to hide. He was missing two skills which essentially could have ended his short life. Obviously, he was missing the ability to swim. Simple as that. Secondly, he was missing the confidence and maturity it takes to admit that and to do something about it. .

A few weeks passed and I asked CJ why he hadn’t pursued learning to swim on his own and his answer did not surprise me. Just as he was embarrassed to tell me that he couldn’t swim, he was also too embarrassed to sign up for adult swim classes. He was worried about what he’d look like in the pool at the local YMCA as he learned the strokes. I don’t blame him for that. .

These days, I am a HUGE advocate for teaching small kids to swim. The sooner you can get them in the water learning skills that they need to survive, the better. It only takes a moment to loose a life that could have been saved through preventative measures. There are many great swim schools in the Houston area. Some have parent and child classes, some have private classes, and some will even send a coach out to your house (if you have a pool of your own). Let the professionals coach the physical part of this. I urge you to work on the confidence part! Below are some tips for getting little ones in the water early from Karen Murphy, a swimming safety blogger. Her blog discusses difference topics for different ages of kids learning to swim as well as safety and tips for adults. Her blog is: www.teachyourkidstoswim.com. .

Love, Ms. Paige

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What You Can Expect From Infants in the Water
- Developing comfort in the water
- Some conceptual understanding of movement in the water

What You Shouldn’t Expect From Infants in the Water
- Independent Swimming
- Water Safety

The most important things you can do when your child is this age:
- Make sure the environment is safe
- Give him plenty of experience in the water

Kids this age are too young to understand the danger of drowning, and they’re too young to coordinate their bodies well enough to truly swim. Just think about how they move on land. At the younger end of the range, they’ve just started crawling. At the older end, they’re toddling around. Their mental and physical development doesn’t give them the ability to swim at this point.

At this age—as at every age—making sure that they’re well supervised whenever they’re near or in water and that any pool is secured with an appropriate fence are the most important ways to keep them safe.

Once that’s taken care of, you can practice getting comfortable and learning to move in the water. You can progress to getting your child’s face wet, gliding, and floating. With enough practice, your kids will be able to toddle around in the pool as well as they do on land.

A Word about Infant Swimming
There are programs that work to teach kids this age to hold their breath underwater and flip onto their backs to float. Use common sense. Until they’re cognitively and physically ready to swim, this kind of training is unlikely to hurt them*, but only supervision will keep them safe.

*There are risks associated with using infant swimming training, including the possibility that an infant will aspirate water. Use common sense. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.
Go, Diego, Go! Birthday Adventures at The Little Gym
Throw a special birthday adventure with Diego and his friends!

For several months, Dora the Explorer has been helping children celebrate special birthdays at The Little Gym. It’s been such a great adventure that Diego has decided to join in, too! “Go, Diego, Go!” Birthday Adventures are now available at The Little Gym of Memorial for parties scheduled after July 1st!

During a “Go, Diego, Go!” Birthday Adventure, the birthday child and guests will travel through the rainforest and mountains of Latin America, working together to become official “Animal Rescuers” just like Diego! Along the way, the kids will encounter Baby Jaguar, the Bobo Brothers, and other friends from Diego’s world.

In addition to leading the fun, The Little Gym team will handle everything from invitations to clean-up so you can rest easy and enjoy the day! Many dates and times book up weeks in advance, so call today to reserve your celebration. Let us help make this the most memorable milestone yet!
"Building" New Skills with LEGO® DUPLO®!
Building healthy bodies and minds is already a part of The Little Gym experience. Soon, you and your child can also enjoy building with LEGO® DUPLO® preschool building toys! Children ages 19 months through 4 years old will have an opportunity to build upon their problem solving, imagination and socialization skills through new, exclusive activities and programs. Look for DUPLO experiences in:

WonderKids Club: Each session of The Little Gym's supervised learning program will incorporate a 20-minute DUPLO building activity that corresponds with the Learning Unit and Lesson Plan theme for the week. Parents are even invited in to join the fun!

Special Parent/Child Events: Bond and play together at The Little Gym! Parents and their Beast and Super Beast members (19 months to 3 years old) can participate together in monthly, complimentary DUPLO experiences called "Let's Build, Let's Play".

Awesome Birthday Bash parties: Looking to "build" a little more fun into your next Awesome Birthday Bash? Ask about adding special DUPLO experiences into your next party!
Contact us for more details!
What is Pregnancy Brain?
Even though I don’t have kids of my own (and before you ask… I am not having any time soon), I am genuinely interested in pregnancy, children, development… and everything having to do with how these little guys and gals grow. I have seen a lot of talk online about pregnancy brain lately… especially in regards to whether or not it is “real”. Spending 4 years with pregnant women all day everyday I have to say… YES! It is real, it is funny/embarrassing/annoying/weird/smile-worthy AND I have always been super interested in why it happens.

Is the body too busy doing other things to remember to pick up the dry cleaning or to come to you’re class at The Little Gym? Is your brain trying to make room for more important things? Is it a side effect of exhaustion?

Obviously I am no neurologist and am simply speculating. So, I decided to consult “What to Expect” (famous book on pregnancy… not the movie with Cameron Diaz). I learned a lot and I think it’s worth sharing. Think of these points and tips next time you get frustrated with you pregnant sister for not calling on your birthday or your pregnant boss for not paying you on time (ok… maybe get frustrated with that one).

Enjoy!
Love, Ms. Paige

Pregnancy Brain — What It Is
Pregnancy-induced brain fog, a true (and truly frustrating) hallmark of pregnancy. You may forget appointments, what you just walked into the store for, where you left your purse, whether you turned off the stove — and maybe, your phone number.

Pregnancy Brain — What Causes It
As usual in pregnancy, it's just your pregnancy hormones having some fun, this time at the expense of your memory. And believe it or not, your brain-cell volume actually decreases during the third trimester of pregnancy (which could explain why you can't remember what you just read about in that last paragraph). Not to worry, your brain will plump back up a few months after delivery.

Pregnancy Brain — What You Need to Know
First of all, pregnancy forgetfulness is completely normal — and extremely common. It's also temporary — you'll have total recall again long before you start to have your "senior moments." And try not to be too hard on yourself, as stress will only cloud your pregnancy brain even more.

Pregnancy Brain — What You Can Do About Forgetfulness During Pregnancy
• Write it down. If you really need to remember something — an appointment or to take your prenatal vitamin, for example — leave a big note in an obvious place. You might also stash a notepad and pen in easy-to-remember spots like your purse, your car, and your bathroom.

• Turn high tech — using your Blackberry, laptop, or other electronic organizer to help keep you, well, organized and less forgetful.

• Reduce the number of things you need to remember — cut down on what you're responsible for by delegating some jobs to others. Easier said than done, but worth a go. (You'll forget about the less important stuff, anyway.)

• Have a sense of humor about this airhead stage and encourage your partner to do the same. Who cares if you left the car keys in the refrigerator?

• Forget about taking the herbal supplement gingko biloba. This "memory-booster" has not been proven safe for use during pregnancy.

• Expect the haze to hang in during the first weeks after you give birth. Postpartum fatigue may take the place of hormones as the primary culprit, but that too shall pass.

www.whattoexpect.com
Hip Hop is on its way to The Little Gym!
A Hip New Dance Program is Rollin' Out! We’re changing up the beat and introducing a new new Hip Hop class! Hip Hoppers will introduce fun and funky moves to kids 4-6 years old! This class combines the best parts of Hip Hop and Gymnastics to put a fresh spin on some old-school moves! The class is half dance, half gymnastics. Kids will be exposed to jazz and Hip Hop styles, learning specific moves and exploring creative freestyle dance. They will even have the chance to choreograph and interpret their own self-expressive moves, dancing their way to a more confident groove! Ready to join the dance crew? Hip Hoppers (4-6 years old) classes start the week of January 21st! For more information or to enroll, speak with a team member today! 281-558-9500
The Little Gym's Member Promises


MEMBERSHIP HAS PRIVILEGES!
While your child benefits from classes, your whole family can enjoy the privileges of membership. Discounts on Awesome Birthday Bashes, Camps, and even Parent Survival Nights allow everyone to get in on the fun. Plus, members benefit from Priority Enrollment status, ensuring first choice of classes in subsequent semesters. See, it’s good to be a member!

LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!
Your child will accomplish amazing things while they are participating in class. We encourage all parents and visitors to observe these accomplishments through the viewing windows in the lobby (unless you are enrolled in a Parent/Child class). To ensure your child’s safety and the safety of the other children in class, we ask that you assist us in keeping other children and siblings out of the gym.

IN CASE YOU CAN’T STAY.
Your child’s enrollment at The Little Gym is an investment in his or her future; however, we understand that certain circumstances prevent members from continuing with the program. With a 30-day cancellation notice, you will be entitled to a refund for any scheduled classes which occur after your 30 day cancellation period is over. Refunds do not apply to classes that have already occurred, so be sure to give us immediate notification when you are choosing to withdrawal from the program. Once the 30 days are over, you will be refunded any unused tuition less of any discounts received upon enrollment. Members will be entitled to refunds when there are more than 6 weeks remaining in a semester.

CAN’T MAKE IT TO CLASS? NO PROBLEM!
Attending classes each week is the best way to keep the excitement and momentum going. But, whether it’s a stuffy nose or a trip to Grandma’s, we know some circumstances may keep your child from attending each week. You will be given a make-up class in the place of a missed class as long as notification is provided before the missed class begins. In order to maintain proper student-teacher ratios, reservations are required for a make-up, so please call ahead. Make-ups will carry over into subsequent semesters, as long as the child is enrolled in that semester!

SAFE, SOUND & SQUEAKY CLEAN!
Now that you’re a member, our home is your home. So, we work hard to ensure each visit is clean and safe for you and your family. Daily and weekly cleaning and sanitation helps keep things sparkly and neat. Rest assured that all mats, equipment, floors and furniture were selected with safety in mind. How can you help? We’re glad you asked. To maintain a safe environment, we simply ask that all children enter the gym in their bare feet, without jewelry, and with appropriate clothing.

YOUR BEST INVESTMENT, EVER!
You have the option of paying your tuition in full or choosing from one of our payment plans. You will be provided with the due dates associated with each payment plan to help you choose the best tuition option for your family. When you choose one of our payment plans you will be guaranteed hassle-free automatic recurring payments to the credit or debit card of your choice. If you would like to change your card information, simply notify us in writing and we’ll be happy to update your account. Your child’s spot in his or her class is guaranteed by maintaining current tuition.
The Little Gym is Hiring

Here We Grow, Again!
 
The Little Gym of Memorial is actively recruiting for the following positions:
 
Part-Time Instructors and Full-Time Instructors
 
NOTE: All positions may require some evening and/or weekend shifts.  Please do not apply if you cannot meet this requirement.  In addition, applicants will have to pass a criminal background check and reference check.

Our The Little Gym Family

For over 33 years, The Little Gym has set the standard for progressive motor-skill development, by providing children with a foundation of confidence through non-competitive, gymnastics-based programs.  Our Parent/Child, Pre/K, and Grade School classes are all taught in a fun, safe and nurturing envrionment.
 
The operators own 3 The Little Gym's in the Houston area -- West Houston (Memorial), Copperfield, and Katy.  Instructors must be open to the possibility of working at more than one of our locations.

Why is The Little Gym a great place to work?

  • Positively impact children's lives
  • Strong sense of fulfillment
  • Keep fit as you work
  • Competitive compensation and benefits
  • Comprehensive, ongoing career training
  • Fun, high energy work environment
  • Excellent opportunity for career growth and advancement

Instructor Responsibilities

Typical responsibilties include (but are not limited to):

  • Your primary responsibility will be to teach great classes based on our proven curriculum and teach methods, including Parent/Child, Pre-K, Grade School Gymnastics, and Birthday Parties, Camps and Parent Survival Nights
  • Know and understand The Little Gym philosophy and program.
  • Teach assigned classes and arrive in a timely manner in order to complete setup for class in accordance with lesson plans
  • Perform all other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Program and/or Gym Director
  • Provide excellent customer service and build relationships with new and existing members of the program

Experience Requirements:

  • Experience in child development, gymnastics, dance, team sports, or education
  • Outstanding customer service skills/ability to market programs
  • Coaching/teaching experience
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Organization, time management, and ability to multi-task
  • Positive attitude, high-energy, enthusiastic
  • Desire and ability to work in a team environment
  • Demonstrates high level of initiative and self-motivation
  • Exhibits professional demeanor
  • LOVES working with kids (4 months - 12 years)!

To apply, please forward your resume and cover letter to Angela Thacker at tlgcareers@gmail.com

Thank you!

 


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