Liberty location to merge with our Mason location!
Whether you've heard yet, or need more information, we are merging our Liberty location with our Mason location.  As of January 28th all Liberty members will be directed to Mason. 
 
Our Mason gym is located off Mason-Montgomery Rd, directly next to Kroger, and near Half Priced Books, Mr. Clean Car Wash, and many other great stores. 
 
Please contact our Mason gym for future enrollments at 513-204-1400 or visit our Mason website!
 
Thanks for understanding, and thanks for the millions of smiles and laughs over the last few years!
 
We look forward to seeing you at The Little Gym of Mason!
The Groupon Challenge- THe Little Gym of Liberty Township

The Groupon Challenge

Half off tire rotation, half off a massage, half off teeth whitening, half off oil change, it goes on and on.  I’ve been on the business side and consumer side of “half off” sites such as Groupon, Living Social, and Half Off Cincinnati.  On a business side, I have a few emotions when it comes to hosting “Groupon-like” deals. 

·         I LOVE getting awareness and reaching so many email inboxes.  At The Little Gym of Mason and The Little Gym of Liberty Township, our deal reached a ton of new people!

·         I LOVE when a customer brings in a Groupon because they are truly interested in our service and only bought it because they want to try out the program in hopes of continuing.

·         I get frustrated when someone brings a Groupon in who has no intention of continuing that service.  It’s personal to me in this particular business because of how the child might respond.  If the kids love it, then I hope the parents go into it knowing they should enroll. 

Let me be clear so I don’t offend anyone!  I’ve purchased plenty of Groupons.  Half off deals are great; we all know it’s nice to save some money in these times.  The reasons I’ve purchased a Groupon is if I’ve always wanted to try that particular service, or its something I’ve never heard of so I can test the waters first.  If I purchase a Groupon from a store or restaurant and they issue a new Groupon months later, I won’t buy it.  Why?   For that business, the Groupon served its purpose- it got me in the door. 

Here is my ethical and moral compass kicking in.  The more “half off” deals and sites pop up, the more small businesses are taking a cut, and also being forced to stay competitive- thus putting out another half off deal.  It’s beginning to dilute the market and do more harm than good. 

So here’s my challenge to you and me.  Only buy ONE Groupon or deal per business, and only buy it if you plan on visiting again.  

If you agree, copy and post this on your facebook, “Support small business.  Deal sites like Groupon and Living Socials are diluting the market and negatively impacting small business.  From now on take the pledge- only buy one half off deal per business, and only buy it if you are interested in that service, and plan on visiting again.”

How to Stop Whining?

The other day my two boys decided to team up on me and have one of those whiny days.  They clearly collaborated about it because they were angels the day before.   

And so it went, “I want some milllllllllllllllllllllllk,” or, “I don’t like thattttttttttttttttttt.” 

And then there’s me, “Stop the whiningggggggggggggggggggggggg.”   

Wait, what?  It was at that moment I realized I was whining as well. 

Think about it, when your kids click in that mode and utilize that whiny voice, do you respond with a gentle, soothing tone, accommodating every request?  I know I don’t.

So I started thinking.  If I want to stop the whining, I clearly need to stop whining too. 

My new goal:  teaching the kids the proper, perky, and pleasant way to ask for something, as well as the polite way to refuse something.  Harder said then done, but my perspective and approach is slightly different.  Good luck!

 

Mr. Kevin

The Little Gym of Liberty Township

Family Fun in the Great Outdoors

Family Fun Outside

 

The summertime presents even more possibilities for fun family things to do on a budget.  My wife and I are always trying to find fun and free activities to do outside.  I remember my mom getting our whole family together and trucking us out for some family fun outside.  She was real big on us being active, outside and together – that has definitely stuck with me over the years.  I am always looking for new parks in new parts of town and new places to check out. 

Though I don’t have kids yet, I definitely will be carrying my mom’s torch and promoting family fun outside.  As we find more and more things to enjoy, I am trying to keep a record of them for when we do have kids.  Obviously, the age of the kids plays a large part in the activity you try, but I would definitely encourage trying as many activities as you can.  I can remember sitting in the kid’s seat on the back of my dad’s bike or in the jogging stroller as my mom trained for marathons, spending all day at a park and even eating most of our meals outside when it wasn’t too hot. 

Here are just a few of the activities I would suggest if you haven’t tried them yet.  Don’t be discouraged if your family doesn’t fall in love with one of them right away! Just keep trying and sooner or later, you’ll find that one thing the whole family can enjoy for years to come.

1.       Nature Trail – Everyone knows that parks are a fun, free place to take kids.  But instead of just sitting and watching the kids play, try walking a trail with them.  Make it an adventure! Encourage imagination! Typically, these are going to be in shaded wooded areas so it will be a little cooler then the direct sun on the play ground.  Plus, you get a workout while playing with your kids and helping them become active and develop a love for the outdoors!

2.       Biking – I cannot wait for the day that I can have my kid(s) in a kid’s seat behind me or in one of those tow-behind bike carts that kids can sit in.  These are some of my most fun memories growing up.  My mom, dad, little sister and I would all go down to Lunken airport and bike around the trail, have lunch, and play in their “Land of Make-Believe.” The kids get to be a part of your exercise, see new places from new perspectives, and, of course, enjoy the outdoors! It’s your chance to set a great example for your little ones about the importance of family and exercise

3.       Picnic – Pack up a healthy lunch and find an awesome overlook.  You can combine this with either of the two above to create a day full of outdoor activities!  Eden Park was always a really fun picnic place growing up.  It always felt so special because it was downtown and, growing up in Anderson, this felt like so far away. 

Always remember to pack snacks, sunscreen, and dress not only your kiddos, but yourself appropriately as well.  Take hats and sunglasses even for the little ones.  But most importantly, have tons of serious fun together as a family! Enjoy the outdoors!

 

Andrew

Gymnastics, Myth Debunking at The Little Gym...

We thought we would take the opportunity to debunk a few myths we hear about The Little Gym.  We picked the top 5 we most often hear!

1)       My child’s too young!

We hear it all the time.  “My child’s too young for The Little Gym.”  In general,  we work with children from 4 months, to 12 years.  Often, people think that gymnastics for a one year old or younger is hocus pocus, and I understand that myth.  The fact of the matter is-  the younger the better.  From a physical, cognitive, and social perspective, there is so much that we can do at a young age.  We can act as a catalyst and position the children to be exposed to more, at a younger age. 

2)      My child’s too old!

I am not going to lie; we do not have many 12 year olds enrolled, but we have a ton of 7,8,9, and 10 year olds!  Last semester our grade school class on Mondays was completely full.  Our approach is much different than a competitive gym.  Our goal is to grow physical skills, but make it fun for the kids.  We have had children do back tucks off the beam, round offs, handsprings, and fly-always on the bars.  If gymnastics is not your child’s high school and college future, join us, it’ll be more fun!

3)       It’s fun, but not REAL gymnastics…

 

This one really gets us!  If it’s not real gymnastics than what is it, fake gymnastics?   I once had a parent leave the gym for a competitive gym because she thought the kids learned more.  She told me her daughter learned a cartwheel much faster at the new place.  I asked the mom how many times a week she attended at the new gym and she told me four times a week.  She attended with us only one day a week.  So there you have it, she learned a cartwheel faster because she attended more.   The mom said, “Huh, you’re right.  Plus, attending four times a week is costing a fortune!” 

 

With unlimited classes this summer, we had a grade school aged child learn a cartwheel in one week!  How’s that for progress? The child attended just three times, but for the price of one! 

 

4)       Gymnastics is for girls…

Well, this might have been true in the 1920’s, but it is 2012!  We utilize gymnastics as a vehicle to enhance balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, agility, fine motor, gross motor, and much more.  I’d say that can be beneficial in just about any sport!

Plus, we offer additional programs such as sports skills and karate.  In sports skills we work on a different sport each week, get their feet wet in rules, and expose them to different sports.  Karate on the other hand isn’t the intense, scary experience it can be elsewhere. We teach the kids basic blocks, punches, stances, and much more.  We want them to walk out of class with something they can apply to their everyday life.  Like if someone grabs them on the school bus for instance.  We teach the kids how to diffuse the situation, not fight back!

 

5)      My child’s starting preschool/kindergarten in the fall, we don’t want to overwhelm them…

Let me first say, I get that 100%.  It is rational, makes sense, very logical, but there is more to it than just that. 

When children move, start school, have a baby brother or sister, it’s important they have something in their life that is consistent, it aids in the transition.  Parent’s biggest complaint when their children start something new like school is that their world has turned upside down and there are struggles.  Most of those struggles stem from being uprooted and planted in something they have no familiarity with. 

In one extreme case, we had a family move to Texas.  They said it was a crazy transition, but their son did not miss even one week of class.  There was a The Little Gym close to where they lived and they said it was a life saver. 

Look to The Little Gym as a security blanket.  It will be a comfort in transition, and always put a smile on their face. 

Stop. Drop. And Roll…..How About- Stop. Drop. And Play!

Cell phones, emails, grocery shopping, work, chores, working out, laundry, swim practice, gymnastics lessons, dry cleaners, etc…  I’m going to go out on a limb right now and state, “Life doesn’t slow down!” 

Just to throw myself under a bus I will be one of the first to say I am guilty of most everything I am about to preach.  Having two kids under two and two gyms as well, Page and I run around like crazy people at times.  We have a small army helping with our kids and, like many parents, want more time at home.  

Too often however, we finally get time at home and find ourselves multi-tasking and not truly engaging with our children.  Please believe me when I say I’m not trying to make anyone feel guilty, that’s not the point of this post!  Grocery shopping needs to be done, laundry needs to be done, and chores NEED to be done.

Don’t forget to remind yourselves to STOP. DROP.  AND PLAY!!!!   If you find you have time with your children and you’ve checked your cell phone 10 times in 10 minutes, DROP the cell phone!  I can picture the Family SWAT team surrounding my house and yelling, “Kevin, DROP THE CELL PHONE.  Play with your children now!” 

Page is extremely good about dropping what she is doing and playing with the kids.  She will often turn on the video camera on her phone and tape the kids.  She comes up with some pretty funny videos.  This has helped me think of something fun for our members to do. 

Here is one of her most recent videos!

This month take the time to get down and play with your children.  Catch them on video doing something funny or entertaining.  As extra incentive you can win $50 to The Little Gym by submitting your video (20 seconds or less) on our facebook page.  The video with the most “likes” by the end of January wins!  (See official rules on our facebook page under the Notes) 

Do you need to take part in the contest? Of course not!  But should you try and Stop.  Drop.  And Play!

Customer Service VS Customer Neglect!!!

Imagine this.  I’m in a typical convenience store, no need to mention any names.  This situation can be compared to just about any box store.  I’m looking for a widget (anything from an extension cord, baby food, picture frames, etc…).   I start walking around the store looking up and down the aisles.  I can’t seem to find it so I ask for help.  They tell me “aisle 5.”   So I walk to aisle 5 and actually find the widget I’m looking for.  I take it up to the register and it rings up the wrong amount.   Not a huge deal, just the principal of it.  So I let them know it rang up wrong and they say to just get another one.  I say sorry and apologize.

Wait, WHAT!  Why am I apologizing?  One, why couldn’t they help me find it in the first place and walk me to it.  Two, if it rang up wrong that’s not my fault!  And three, why am I saying sorry?  What happened to good service?

I once had a member who approached me at the desk and had a few problems with her account.  She wanted to change payment plans, switch classes, no big deal.  She kept saying sorry.  I looked at her, smiled, and said, “There is no need to say sorry, you have nothing to be sorry about!  We are here to make your life easier and work with you.” 

Don’t get me wrong.  There are PLENTY of good companies that offer good service.  When I experience such a company I always let them know they are doing a great job. 

I wonder what the difference is between businesses that offer great service, and the others that have awful service.   Is it because they don’t make it a priority?  Are they not hiring the right people?  Do they not even realize they aren’t providing? 

What I can tell you is that we will always make service a priority here at The Little Gym.  Are we going to be perfect?  No, but we will try!  It is always our pledge to try and open the door for you, make you feel welcome, be flexible with your schedule, be fair and consistent, and make you feel that the most important person is the person in front of us. 

The old adage is true, “Have a great experience, you tell a few people about it.  Have an awful experience and tell everyone.”  For sake of being positive, let’s change that.  From now on it should be, “If I have a good experience I will tell the world about it, if I have a bad experience I won’t complain, I just won’t go back.”

SPF...I'm Not Talking About Sunscreen!!!!

Which sounds better?

“I can’t stand it when you don’t put the clothes away!”

Or

“I love it when you start the laundry- and even switch it, do you mind putting the clothes away next time too?”

 

At The Little Gym parents often tell us their kids listen to us so well or that we reach their child in a different way, and sometimes -that we got their child to do something that the parent couldn’t get them to do.  Am I bragging, well, not really!  If anything I’m glad that we have some great knowledge on how to speak to kids using some very simple theories. 

SPF stands for Specific Positive Feedback

DP stands for Directive Practice

Lets analyze the laundry example in the beginning…

“I love it when you start the laundry- and even switch it.”  This was the SPF.  I was specific about something positive that was done- starting the laundry. 

“do you mind putting the clothes away next time too?” This was the DP.  I suggested that the task was done different the next time- putting the laundry away.  (Well, I wasn’t doing the suggesting, my wife was! I never seem to make it to the dresser with the laundry)

At The Little Gym we use this concept to foster and further skill growth.  If a child is doing a forward roll we try not to say, “Don’t roll over your neck like that,” or “good job, or “move your hands next time.”  If we say “good job” they have no idea what they did well specifically, and will continue to do the roll their way.  If we start off negatively and say “don’t do that” they will assume they did nothing well.  The key is to start off saying something specific they did well, and then something they can work on next time. 

 

Sounds simple enough, right?  As simple as this concept sounds, implementation is a whole different story.  Getting your mind to think like this is very difficult.  It takes PRACTICE!  IF you practice this, you WILL see some great results!

1)       By always saying something positive, you will force yourself to always see something positive, thus look for something positive.  I call this “bucket filling” too.  If you say something positive you will fill their bucket, and your own bucket.  If you say something negative you take away from their bucket.  Starting off by saying something positive also reminds them on WHAT THEY DID WELL.  You can’t remind kids and adults of this enough.    Sounds simple, but man, its hard to do.  Let me tell you this: THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING POSITIVE.  The other day I asked a child to do a handstand, and lets just say it didn’t resemble one that much, which is ok!  I said, “
That was a really creative way of doing a handstand, next time I want you to keep strong straight arms, and land on your feet!”

2)      You will tweak, improve, and better whom you are speaking to.  By giving Directive Practice you are saying something you want them to do better the next time.  Don’t harp on how bad they did it, or if it wasn’t good enough- forward think to the future and ask them to try something different.  They already know what they did well (because you gave them SPF) but now they need direction on how to improve! 

3)      You will become a better communicator!  Whether you are talking to your child, your spouse, your parents, coworkers, nannies, or babysitters, you will deliver the good and the bad much better.  Do you have a nanny who does great with the kids, but doesn’t pick up?  How about, “Susie, I love how good you are with the kids, they adore you, do you think in the future you can pick up the toys after they go to bed?”  She’s not going to be defensive after getting a nice compliment.  Plus, how else is she going to know she wants you to pick up unless you tell her. 

 

If you’ve read this far down I’m going to SPF/DP the reader, ready?!  Thanks so much for reading, now go practice!!!

Staff Interview - Miss Ashley!!!

Staff Interview – Miss Ashley!!!!

Miss Ashley (above in the center!) has been working at The Little Gym since 2008!! She loves working with kiddos of all ages and skill levels! Check out these fun questions and share them with your family and friends!!

If you could travel anywhere, fictional or non-fictional, where would you go? Hogwarts

What is your favorite activity we do at The Little Gym? DUEL! 

If you could be any class age, what class? (Funny Bug, Super Beast…etc) Super Beast! 

Funniest thing a kid has said to you at The Little Gym: Anytime a kid calls me Mr. Ashley instead of Miss Ashley, I always laugh! It happens more than you think :)

Favorite breakfast food? Breakfast sandwiches of any kind, or strawberry waffles

Any super power, what would you choose? The ability to control time, that’s a super power, right?

What’s in your fridge right now? Anything and everything; mainly juice, I’m an avid juice drinker. 

All time favorite movie? Titanic

If someone wrote a biography about you, what would the title be? Half Lion, Half Eagle: The Life of a Griffin

If you could have lunch with any historical character, who would it be? Not necessarily historic, but if I could, I’d love to have lunch with Chris Farley. He’s hilarious! 

What kind of animal would you be any why? A honey badger, nature’s most fearless animal!

What’s your favorite candy? Reese Cups/ anything chocolate

What’s your favorite book? Ellen DeGeneres’ books are rather hilarious, I’m definitely a fan

Favorite ice cream? Black Raspberry Chip

Pirate or Ninja? Pirate with ninja-like reflexes

Stripes or Solids? Depends…when it comes to clothing, solids win

Batman or Superman? Batman, I would love to have a batmobile

Mac or PC? PC!

Skyline or Goldstar? Skyline

Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

Candy Land or Monopoly? Monopoly, ever since I beat Mr. Kevin :) 

Winter or Summer? Snow during the summer would be perfect! 

Coffee or Tea? Iced tea

Why do you love working at The Little Gym? I love seeing any progression, I feel so proud! 

Thanks for reading our fun interview with Miss Ashley!! Stay tuned in to The Little Gym for more great blogs, interviews, insider information and thoughts!!

 

Print Waiver Here
Parenting 101, Rites of Passages

Parenting 101, Rites of Passages:  Family Vacations

I was lucky enough to go to Northern Michigan every summer as a child to the Petoskey/Harbor Springs area.  Some of my best memories of my childhood were from Northern Michigan as my parents often recall and reminisce.  Most of the memories are the good ones, you know, roasting marshmallows, parades on the 4th of July, taking rides in the boat, or just hanging out in the yard with no agenda whatsoever for the whole week. 

But every once in a while a story gets told that doesn’t always paint me in the best light.  Like the time I cried the entire 8 hours home because we didn’t stop at the playground near the cottage.  I stopped crying when we reached Dayton. 

Every time I heard this alleged story I would laugh, and have that smile on my face expressing, “Mom, Dad, you were great parents.  Thanks for putting up with me, I can’t believe I did that.”

Warp Speed ahead we have two kids of our own now.  Logan is 21 months, and Henry is 5 months.

Long story short, we just got back from a week trip to Charleston, SC.   Let’s put it this way, if my parents were to tell me the same story about me crying the whole way home from Michigan, I just might cry myself. 

Don’t get me wrong.  The trip was great.  We got to catch up with my whole family including brothers and sisters, and nieces and nephews.  Logan had a blast playing all day, swimming, and being spoiled by his grandparents.  Henry had a blast just being held all the time, and getting constant attention.  I had a blast golfing, swimming, spending time with my kids, my wife, and my family.  Page had a blast too spending time with the kids and family, getting some sun, and a little shopping. 

So we drove to Charleston.  It was about 650 miles, 10 to 11 hours long.  We’ve made 8 hour road trips often, so we figured this was nothing.  We woke the kids up to leave at 6 AM figuring they would go back to sleep, but they didn’t.  An hour in to the trip, just long enough to get away from any Walgreens, Logan gets motion sick and vomits all over himself and his seat.  So we get off of the next exit.  I hacked in to our secured roof-top carrier and got some spare clothes and I headed into the gas station to get some Dramamine and some air fresheners.  They had no Dramamine so we hopped back on the highway and waited by a Walgreens until they opened.  We got back in the car and were on our way.  But then the portable TV in the car went black.  After the kids ears popped 25 times through the mountains we made it, all in once piece, but scarred for life. 

logan

After the dust settled, and we got situated, the next day the whole family ventured into downtown Charleston for a historic horse carriage ride.  At the time it seemed like a pretty good idea.  Horses are cool, carriages have forward motion, and an animated tour guide is talking the whole time.  Ten minutes in, after Logan threw his sippy cup at an 80 year old woman in front of me, he was done.  So Logan and I jump ship, and walk next to the carriage for the remaining 50 minutes.  I don’t know if it was the 95 degree weather, me holding Logan and power walking just to keep up, or the mean looks from the 80 year old woman, but I was determined to find resolve. 

Later that night when the kids were in bed, my sister said, “Kevin, when I used to fly with the kids I would worry about the entire flight and everyone on it.  I would worry that I was bothering them, or that they were annoyed with my kids, or that the pilot was going to do an emergency landing because row 14 was crazed by loud kids.  But eventually I learned that I didn’t have the mental energy to worry about them, I could only worry about my own family, and make sure I was doing everything in my power to make them happy, and if I can accomplish this, everyone around is probably happy too.”

In the end the trip was great.  We learned some good lessons for the future.  We learned that you can’t go into a family vacation with the same expectations you would have prior to kids.  We learned you have to truly think about what activities you do.  Though the carriage company said their tour was “kid friendly,” I should have known that doesn’t apply to 21 month olds.  We learned that sometimes you can’t do everything you want to do, because a quiet afternoon at home might be the best situations for the kids.  We learned to be equipped with Dramamine and a change of clothes that are accessible.  And finally, we learned that it’s our turn to instill these memories in our children, because our parents made the sacrifices to do the same for us. 

Cheers to our first lessons in, “Parenting 101, Rites of Passage.”

page and me

 

Staff Interview: Mr. Nic!

Staff Interview ?’s

 

Hello The Little Gym fans! Today we get a chance to get a deeper look at our very own Mister Nic! Mister Nic has been with The Little Gym of Liberty Township for one year and is a ton of fun! We hope you enjoy this fun interview and try answering some of these questions on your own or with your family and friends!

 

Q. If you could travel anywhere, fictional or non-fictional, where would you go?

A. Neverland! Already there. ;)                  

 

Q. What is your favorite activity we do at The Little Gym?

A. Slam. The. CHEESE!!

 

Q. If you could be any class age, what class? (Funny Bug, SuperBeast. . . etc)

A. Do you really need to ask? It's all in the name...SUPER BEAST!

 

Q. Funniest thing a kid has said to you at The Little Gym 

A. I laugh every single day at the things that kids say to me, other instructors, their parents, and to other kids. However, one that is sticking out in my mind right away is when a tiny cute little girl told me "Mister Nic! You have hair just like my daddy! Except, his isn't messy and spiky, his is bald."

 

Q. Why do you love working at The Little Gym? 

A. Every day I see smiling faces on both the children I teach and the people I work with. :)

 

Q. Favorite breakfast food.  

A. Belgium waffles!

 

Q. Any super power, what would you choose 

A. The power to make the best of every situation.

 

Q. Pirate or Ninja?

A. I am a ninja... (clears throat) I mean...ninja.

 

Q. Stripes or Solids?

A. I'll make either look good. :)

 

Q. Batman or Superman?

A. The Dark Knight.

 

Q. Mac or PC?

A. I've never owned a Mac, however, I completed this interview on my iPhone and loved every second.

 

Q. Skyline or Goldstar?

A. Skyline.

Q. Chocolate or Vanilla?

A. Life's not good without a swirl. :)

 

Q. Candy Land or Monopoly?

A. Candyland. I'd much rather be in a land of never-ending sweetness than have to deal with the ownership of every business in the world.

 

Q. Winter or Summer? 

A. Air conditioner or heater is the real question. I choose Air Conditioning.

 

Q. Coffee or Tea?

A. Sweet Tea pie :)

 

Q. What’s in your fridge right now?

A. Orange juice, apple juice, sandwich food...not sure what else cuz I'm currently in the car on my way to Boston.

 

Q. All time favorite movie?

A. Aladdin.

 

Q. If someone wrote a biography about you, what would the title be?

A. "Happiness is A Teachable Skill"

 

Q. If you could have lunch with any historical character, who would it be? 

A. A velociraptor.

 

Hope you enjoyed this look into one of The Little Gym team members! Stay tuned for more fun interviews like this and please comment on how you would answer some of these fun questions!!

Happy Handstands!

The Little Gym Team

 
 
Batman, Superman, Alter Ego

Batman, Spiderman, Superman…all individuals with an alter ego.  They all have normal jobs and roles in society, but when the situation merits it, their alter ego surfaces and their personality changes.

alter ego Noun

1. A person's secondary or alternative personality.

2. An intimate and trusted friend.

Backing up a bit.  Our classes at The Little Gym are full of children from different ages, 4 months to 12 years.  It goes without saying that all kids are different, and unique in their own individual way. 

In my experience, I don’t think I have every worked with a child that was fearless.  I don’t think it exists, and I think fear serves a fundamental purpose in childhood development. 

In our arena at The Little Gym we see a broad array of fears.  Fears of the high bar, low bar, or bar in general.  We see fears of the balance beam, jumping off the traps, or the loud Air Track.  Many children fear coming in to class, as they may be experiencing separation anxiety, or they may be very pleased to come in to class, but when it comes to group participation, it’s not their thing!  Children fear saying their name in a group setting, or fear failure itself.  Bottom line, I don’t think I’ve ever met a child without fears.  If you know of one, I’d love to meet them!

As instructors we have seen HUGE success with children overcoming their fears.  We do this in a variety of ways.  Often routine and exposure help.  Repetition. Or, work around their fear by building their confidence in every other aspect, and it usually works the other fears out.  Confidence wins.

For my example today, I’m going to utilize a child who is afraid of the high bar.  This is very common in children, particularly from ages 3-6.  In the past we can see success with overcoming this fear in a matter of weeks.  It can be one or two weeks, or even 20, but I can guarantee you we will prevail. 

This last week I had a major breakthrough.  I will call this particular child Mike, he’s 3.  I’ve worked with Mike for probably 15 weeks or so.  Great kid, great energy, hard worker.  He’s hilarious too.  Whenever he says his name in opening circle he says his whole name:  first name, middle name, and last name.  Mike had a fear of the high bar.  He had no problem getting to the bar, but never wanted to do flip on the high bar. 

This last Friday we had a Parents’ Survival Night and the theme was Halloween.  The parents dropped the kids off for three hours, and the kids got to wear their costumes.  As you can imagine it was great and hilarious.  Mike dressed up as Buzz Light Year.  After an hour or so of games, free time, dinner, and fun, I was on the bars spotting the kids.  Mike came over, climbed up to the high bar and said he wanted to swing down.  Knowing Mike, I asked calmly if we wanted to try a flip on the high bar.  He looked at me, his eyes tiered up, and he said, “NO!  I’m too scared.”  Then I said, “Does Buzz Light Year want to try a flip on the high bar?”  He quickly said yes, and then proceeded to do a flip on the high bar!  Score!

Buzz

As adults we don’t have alter egos.  If we do, we aren’t functioning in normal society.  As a matter of a fact there was an adult who dressed like Batman in Michigan a few years ago, was on the roof of someone’s house, and was thrown in jail.  It was not Halloween!

But kids on the other hand, they can pull it off.  A child has the super power to turn himself in to a plane, a train, Darth Vader, or in Mike’s case, Buzz Light Year.  What a wonderful way to get over your fears. 

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