"Building" New Skills with LEGO® DUPLO®!
Building healthy bodies and minds is already a part of The Little Gym experience.  Beginning 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:
  • Special Parent/Child Events: Bond and play together at The Little Gym even more!  Parents and their Beast or 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 how we're adding special DUPLO® experiences into parties for kids ages 2-4!
 
Contact us for more details! 
We can't wait to build and play with you!
Raising a Citizen Kid!

Friendships provide children with so much more than just fun playmates! In fact, friends are essential for healthy psychological development. Many experts believe that a child’s ability to make friends is the single biggest predictor of their success later in life. Some even claim that it’s more important than IQ and grades.

Programs at The Little Gym are purposefully designed to help children become “Citizen Kids!” by improving their social and emotional development. Songs, games, and activities focus on listening, sharing, and taking turns. Experiential learning activities help foster creativity, allow friends to solve problems together, and let them pass on knowledge.

Throughout the Summer, we have special themed weeks to celebrate your child’s friendships. Encourage your child to invite one of their friends to join them for this special occasion.

You can also invite a friend to join your child for gym classes anytime during the Summer. If you know someone that would love The Little Gym, invite them to register for an introductory class. You'll receive 100 Member Milestones Points when your referral becomes a member. So share the smiles, fun and high 5's with people all around you. It's our way of saying thank you for spreading the word about The Little Gym!

Cold & Flu Myths: Sorting Fact from Fiction

It starts with a sniffle – next thing you know the whole household is sneezing, coughing, & passing tissues. Before long, the common cold, or worse, seasonal flu, is upon you.

 

According to the CDC, up to 20% of the population gets the flu each year. The Mayo Clinic cites the common cold as the number one culprit of stay-home-sick-from-school days in children.

 

While you can’t completely germ-proof your child, you can separate fact from fiction to keep your family healthier, and save time, money, and frustration. Start by putting some of the more common myths and misunderstandings to rest by reading about the 3 cold and related myths.

 

Myth #1: The flu vaccine causes the flu

Truth: Getting a flu shot may cause symptoms that feel like the flu, but the viruses contained in the flu shots have been killed, or “inactivated,” which means they can’t cause infection. While there may be some achy side effects that sometimes follow the flu shot, it just means your immune system is responding and processing the vaccine.

 

Myth #2: You’re more likely to get sick if you’re cold

Truth: Despite mom’s warnings that you should bundle up, being cold does not cause a cold. According to the US department of Health and Human Services, infections prevail in winter months because they are spread when more people stay indoors for longer periods of time and are closer contact with each other.

 

Myth #3: Hugging and kissing are great ways to spread cold and flu germs

Truth: Cold and flu viruses like to enter the body through the nose or eyes, so a hug or a peck on the check isn’t likely to be dangerous. Don’t be afraid to give your sick child plenty of affection, and don’t worry that a kiss or hug will spread your germs to him (or vice versa).

 

Many parents recognize The Little Gym of Hagerstown as a safe and clean gym for children. We work hard to ensure each and every visit lives up to your expectations. Daily and weekly cleaning and sanitation helps keep our environment sparkly and keeps the germs away.

 

Here’s where you can help. As with other illness, we ask that you do not come to class if your child is coughing, sneezing, or has had a fever within the last 24 hours. Our generous make-up policy allows you to attend a make-up class by simply calling us prior to the absence.

Parenting Resolutions for the New Year

Each New Year is a new opportunity to focus on making positive changes in your life. While this is a great habit for everyone, it’s especially important for parents. Why? Because the choices that you make not only benefit you, they have direct effect on your child’s health, too!

Here are 3 parenting resolutions to consider for 2012:

 

1.        Instill a love for physical activity. Physical activity provides countless benefits. So, it’s important to help your child develop healthy habits at an early age. In addition to gymnastics, The Little Gym has several physical activities for kids, such as Sports Skills and Dance, which can help your child develop a love for an active lifestyle.

2.     Establish healthy eating habits. Keep healthy, yummy snacks on hand and set an example for your child with your own food choices. Plan low fat meals that follow the government’s MyPlate guidelines and involve your children in meal planning and shopping. This allows you to reinforce you child’s healthy meal options and helps children discover new foods and flavors.

3.      Focus on your child’s positive behaviors. Like adults, children respond to favorable comments and adopt behaviors that gain them attention. Try to get in the habit of catching your children “at their best.” Providing encouragement for good behavior of for achievements in sports or other physical activities is a great way to motivate children to maintain good habits.

 

While you help your children develop healthy habits, don’t forget to make resolutions for your own health as well. In fact, consider resolving to some well-deserved “me” time this year. Planning some time away from the kids should be considered a necessity rather than a luxury. Plus, brief separations are beneficial for kids as well. Time away helps foster a feeling of independence and builds bonds with other adults such as grandma, a favorite neighbor, or The Little Gym instructors. And if you need a parents night out, our Parents’ Survival Nights have got you covered!

 

As we start a New Year, we’re thrilled to have helped so many children in the Hagerstown area develop an appreciation for fitness and fun with our kids gym classes. We’re still taking enrollments for the Season. For more information, or to schedule a free introductory class, please contact a team member at 301-739-7300 today!

Baby, its cold outside, which makes it a perfect time to be inside at The Little Gym!

Teeth are chattering, jackets are zippering, & hot cocoas are pouring!

 

It’s definitely getting colder out there, but here in The Little Gym of Hagerstown, kids are staying toasty warm. Their bodies are in motion & their minds are too! Kids in The Little Gym Parent/Child classes are exploring their words, gaining independence & trying new skills. The structured lessons of our Pre-K gymnastics programs are helping kids listening skills & following directions while also emphasizing balance & coordination. Our kindergarten level gymnastics kids are learning to work in groups & cooperate because we know controlling emotions is as important as body control & agility.

 

All the Flips, Twisters & Aerials of our Grade School Gymnastics programs are strengthening their bodies & getting a springboard (pun intended) of confidence. Plus our Dance kids are twirling like snowflakes, Sports Skills are improving arm strength for throwing snowballs, & our Karate students are practically chopping firewood with their bare hands (okay, a slight exaggeration).

 

Check out the photos of The Little Gym kids having as much fun as a summer vacation, no matter what the thermometer says.

 

Don’t forget- We also have great winter day camps coming up. And if you want to squeeze in a date night, we’ll be having another Parents Survival Night on January, 13th & 27th.  Finally, remember that giving someone some Serious Fun is an excellent gift. We have gift certificates available if you want to give the unique gift of skill building & Three-Dimensional Learning.

 

‘Til next time,

 

Your friends in fitness, fun & fundamentals at The Little Gym of Hagerstown

Show Week!!!

Show Week!

      Lights, camera, action! Show week was a hit! We are so proud of all our students and their awesome performances. The Big Show is a time for the students to show their families and friends the many ways they have progressed throughout the semester. We all come together to celebrate all their outstanding achievements at The Little Gym! Whether your child did their first forward roll all by themselves, or your shy little one did their beam routine in front of lots of people, every achievement is a BIG one here, so celebrate!

The staff has a few great people they want to thank for the success of Show Week 2011! First, thank you to all our students for all your hard work, you did an amazing job! Next, we want to thank our wonderful parents for their support this semester, we could not have done it without you! Last, thank you very much to our fabulous families and guest for coming out the see the Big Shows! We are very excited to see everyone in the upcoming BIG season, starting August 29th! We promise there will be some serious fun for everyone!

See You Soon!

-Your friends at The Little Gym

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