Our Story

Who we are at

The Little Gym of Arlington/Mansfield

The Little Gym of Arlington/Mansfield is owned and operated by Shelly Sparkman Brodsgaard!

Shelly is a native of Fort Worth and graduated from Paschal High School. Shelly started taking dance and gymnastics classes as a toddler. At the age of 15, Shelly was on scholarship at The Fort Worth Ballet and was teaching dance at her mother's studio, Janie Sparkman's School of Dance, in Crowley, TX. Shelly continued to teach for various dance studios in Fort Worth and Arlington. Upon graduation from high school, Shelly began performing in professional productions, such as Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby. Shelly was a featured dancer with Norwegian Cruise Lines, and has enjoyed performing diverse roles at the Bass Hall/Casa Manana in productions of Evita, The Wizard of OZ, Godspell, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. Shelly also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Textile Development from State University of New York, Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

Shelly and her husband Sam, have two wonderful daughters, ages five and seven. When we experienced the positive impact The Little Gym classes have on our own children, we were inspired! Becoming the new owners of The Little Gym of Arlington/Mansfield is the culmination of 2 years of research, and months of training with Jacquelyn Oldham (the former owner of The Little Gym of Arlington/Mansfield) and other The Little Gym professionals.

We strongly believe in providing a nurturing environment, where children explore their physical development, while also growing socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Inspiring children to develop and grow in a positive, non-competitive environment is a dream come true for us, and we are humbled by the opportunity to influence the development of your children. I can assure you, we are going to continue to deliver the highest level of quality that you have come to expect at The Little Gym.

We are excited to meet each and every family enrolled at The Little Gym of Arlington Mansfield, and all of the families of the Arlington/Mansfield area! So stop by anytime, check out our classes, or even call us to plan your child’s birthday!

We look forward to seeing you at The Little Gym! Let’s have some serious fun together!

Shelly Brodsgaard

Philosophy

Our Philosophy of Three Dimensional Learning

The Little Gym of Arlington/Mansfield, our environment is fun, but our purpose is serious. That’s why we embrace a proprietary philosophy called Three-Dimensional Learning, in which physical activity is a conduit for nurturing your whole child. The Three-Dimensional Learning approach to skill development means that every class we offer fosters growth in three holistic dimensions—Brain Boost!, Get Moving! and Citizen Kid!. Read on to see how each dimension of learning helps your child grow into a well-rounded, well-adjusted super kid.

Get Moving

Developing strength, balance, flexibility, agility and coordination

Brain Boost

Nurturing listening skills, imagination, concentration and decision-making

Citizen Kid

Promoting sharing, teamwork, cooperation and leadership

History

45 Years of

Serious Fun

An innovative educator, musician and kinesiologist, Robin Wes envisioned a nurturing place where children could explore their physical development, while also growing socially, emotionally and intellectually. He opened the first The Little Gym in 1976 in Bellevue, Washington and infused those early classes with the same positive, non-competitive spirit that characterizes us today. Forty-five years later, children at The Little Gym of Arlington/Mansfield experience the benefits of Serious Fun.

Partners

We're proud of

Our Partnerships

We’ve teamed up with some of the most respected names in children’s toys and entertainment to enrich the experience of classes, parties, camps and more at The Little Gym.

The Little Gym is the exclusive childhood development center home to LEGO®-based activities. Look for special building experiences in “Let’s Build, Let’s Play” Parent/Child events, WonderKids Club, Awesome Birthday Bash parties, Camps and Parents’ Survival Nights!

The Little Gym and Peppa Pig have teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind Awesome Birthday Adventure for an oinktastic cause! On behalf of every party booked, The Little Gym will be making contributions to support The Muddy Puddles Project’s mission to end childhood cancer. Jump on over…It’s going to be a muddy good time!

Book now

Giving Back

The Little Gym Big Hearts is a philanthropic and sustainability initiative dedicated to positively impacting our communities to ensure all children, today and in the future, have a safe and healthy place to live and grow.