The school year is underway, and we bet that you want your children to succeed. We want to see them succeed, too, and the good news is that we're here to help. You probably already know that The Little Gym is a super fun extracurricular activity. You probably also know that The Little Gym can help build strength, mobility, and coordination. But did you know that The Little Gym also contributes to success in school? It’s true! It may look like mere fun and games at The Little Gym, but our version of fun is serious. So, in addition to getting kids moving and having a great time, we’re instilling skills that set children up for a lifetime of success in every environment, including school.
Here are a few of the ways we can help your child perform well in school:
Listening and Following Directions:
All teachers love students who listen and follow directions. Fortunately, these are skills that we instill in our students, and we do it in a positive way. For instance, a warm up may include the classic game Simon Says. All that our students know is that they're playing a fun game. But what we know is that they're also strengthening their ability to listen and follow directions. We bet their teachers notice, too!
Teamwork and Sharing:
Working with others is a big part of being successful at school, and it's a quality that we encourage in our students. For example, when we take out the parachute what you see might look like simple playing around, but students are actually learning to work together to achieve a specific goal. Whether they need to run together, walk together, or gallop together, they need to synchronize their movements. And when it comes to lifting and lowering the parachute to pop the balls out, students learn pretty quickly that the better they work together, the more fun they'll have.
Creative Thinking and Imagination:
When our students are going through our stations, they're building their gymnastics skills, but at the same time they're using their imagination and building their problem solving ability. They may think they're just “pretending to be a bear” as they cross the parallel bars, but in fact this requires decision-making and motor planning. Will they crab walk? Use their hands and feet at the time? Just how will they get across?
Confidence and Independence:
Imagine the look on your child’s face when he or she completes a forward roll, walks on the high beam, hangs on the high bar, cartwheels down the matt, or just lands on his feet for the first time! Every time one of our students learns a new skill or accomplishes a new goal, we all celebrate. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to ensure that each of our students regularly meets goals and milestones. How do we achieve this? First, our safe and nurturing environment encourages children to approach new challenges without fear. Second, we recognize that every child is unique, so we give personal attention to each of our students. This way, each student’s goals match his or her needs and ability. Finally, we provide the individualized instruction and support each student needs. The result? Kids who are working hard to achieve their goals – and accomplishing them! Our students leave class with the confidence that they can accomplish any goal, and they're willing to put their best effort into every challenge.
Our students develop the listening skills, ability to work with others, imagination, and confidence that they need to be successful in school!
Announcements:
- This week is bring a friend week. Introduce a pal to your instructor and to our program, and receive a $10 reward good toward birthday parties, camp, and parent survival nights!
- October 21 is Parent Survival Night: a win-win event for both parents and kids! Drop the kids off from 6:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. in an environment where they feel safe and comfortable, and take some time for yourselves!
- Join us for a Halloween costume party on October 28 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Read more here.
- We're still enrolling for the new season, but classes are booking quickly, so make sure to call soon to register!
- We're looking for fun, energetic people to join our team! Read more here.