Got Motorskills

We just completed our 2 week “Priority Enrollment” period when current Members may pre-enroll for the upcoming Winter/Spring semester and secure a spot in a class of choice before Open Enrollment starts. I was very curious to see how this particular Priority Enrollment would go. It’s our gauge as to how well we’re teaching classes, engaging our customers, and yes, how the economy is picking up.

We had a very strong pre-enrollment with 60% of current customers re-enrolling. I am expecting a busy Winter/Spring semester, so getting the word out early to non-members is a good thing in hopes to get more children enrolled. By knowing which classes are filling, I can better determine where I need to shift staff schedules and recruit for new instructors.

Thanks for reading.

We have 3 daughters and they are all involved in sports, which I think all kids need to be a part of in some way shape or form.  Last Sunday we were walking up to the soccer field to watch my daughters game.  We arrived about 15 minutes early and we were watching 2 teams finish a soccer game.  As I watched a game that I had absolutely no involvement in it became clear how ugly yelling at kids  can get.  I know the parents are yelling out of love for their children and the hopes that yelling will make them play better.   It never does, ever.  Kids hate the added pressure of Dad/Mom yelling at them and it never makes them play better.  The funny thing is by the time your great advice that is encompassed in your ‘yell’ reaches their ears the great idea is already outdated and wrong.  So why do we feel compelled to yell at them?  Great question.

I am guilty, I have yelled a few things myself, even a few at the ref (oops) but I recomend the following.  Go watch a game your child is NOT in and listen to the parents yell.  It will give you a different perspective that will be eye opening.  We all want our kids to succeed and sometimes we build their confidence by yelling nothing and just giving them a high five at the end of the game.  We want kids to have a positive experience from sports, there is a good chance the coach already yelled  enough at the kids on the sidelines and they do not need it from Mom/Dad.

This week at The Little Gym of Woodbury and Edina we have a great theme for children under the age of 3.  It is called “Hide and Seek”.  The kids are learning that if they cannot see an object (or person) it still exists.  This is called “Object Permanence”.

Although “Object Permanence” -  is usually learned at
a younger age, kids will always love to hide and find things! That’s why
“hiding/finding” games work so well with young children. And games
teach cooperation, the ability to understand and carry out a sequence of
tasks, and much more!  This type of  a game is a great non-competitive way to start a game with your child.

In terms of being musically gifted, I am at the bottom of the barrel.  I am tone deaf and musically challenged in a huge way.  When our first daughter began to rock and roll in the back seat every time she heard music, I thought I had the next Mozart.  I was perplexed on how she could be musically gifted with my genes, but I thought  miracles can happen.   Well, as she began to learn how to talk these flashes of music brilliance’s faded away to words and screeches that were more like me after all.   What I went on to learn is that music is a child’s first language.

Music is a universal language that we all, to varying degrees, understand, relate to and enjoy. Infants and toddlers respond to music perhaps sooner than they respond to speech! It speaks to them; makes them feel emotion; makes them move! Ever see a young 5-6 month old begin clapping, waving their arms or undulating their body when the music comes on!? Ever notice the 2 yr. old who begins jumping and dancing when they hear their favorite song!? This is one of the reasons why, here at The Little Gym, we feel very strongly about teaching movement through music! Music helps develop a child’s sense of rhythm that resides in their body’s “core.” This sense of rhythm may also positively affect a child’s ability to coordinate their movements during physical activity.

So go ahead and sing to your child, no matter how bad a singer you are.   I always tell the parents  at the little gym that I am expanding your childs brain by showing them tonal ranges that they will ever hear again.

So how does music help with non-competitive activities and motor skill development that help build the brain and self confidence?? Let me count the ways.

1. Music can help to develop a child’s fine motor skills (i.e. using small muscle groups to play a piano) and gross motor skills (i.e. using large muscle groups to dance). In addition, music improves vocal, speaking and listening skills.

2. Rhythm and pitch are part of your child’s natural development. Sometimes children would rather sing than listen, skip than walk, and dance instead of standing still.

3.  Music can have an important influence on the development of a child’s brain, particularly through the age of six-years-old. During these years, the most significant brain development occurs.

4. Infants and toddlers tend to be less inhibited about making errors, than older children are. After children start elementary school, they are required to learn the “correct” way to sing a song or play an instrument. However, pre-school children can have jam session on a toy grand piano, without being worried about hitting the right keys, without being pre-judged they will build their self-confidence.

It is very interesting to watch the transformation we parents make from loving our children as toddlers to expecting them to win the French Open in only 3-5 years.  We train infants as if they are fully developed adults, with adults’ physiologies, motivations and systems.  We talk about children’s sporting ‘careers’.  We use children to help us realize our adult aspirations.

What’s the result?  Some children – often those who are initially most committed to sport – become burned out or seriously injured.  Others get turned off sport for life (let’s not forget that most children in most countries do no regular sporting activity after leaving compulsory schooling).  And even those who continue to play may have experiences that are less enjoyable and rewarding than they could be, if we only remembered the three principles of child development.

It is easy to forget what the goal of our involvement in the sport is, is it to create the next super star?  Or to create an outlet for kids to have fun and learn the health benefits of exercising?

My closing sentence of my vision for The Little Gym statement is “we are NOT producing Olympic quality athletes, we are creating Olympic quality children”, there is a fundamental difference on how we raise our kids with these two options.  One is age appropriate and one is not.

In a non-competitive environment where children do not feel the pressure to “be the best” – or to “be as good as their peers”, they learn acceptance for one’s self, and learn how to not place value judgments on “who they are as a person” or on their “self worth” based on their ability to kick a ball, shoot a basket or how fast they can run.  Because we all know, sooner or later, competitive sports tend to place value judgments (within the “sports environment”) on participants based on ability: if you ain’t very good, you ain’t gonna play!  These value judgments can have a negative impact on children – and may contribute to the child developing their own sense of worth – “self-esteem”.   It is important as parents to find non-competitive motor skill development opportunities for your children to be exposed to where they are encouraged to “try their best” and not “be the best”.

Competitive sports have their place, but it is important for children to be exposed to experiences where they can learn, be loved for who they are, and develop in a non-threatening environment so that they can develop a sound base of confidence and self esteem that will help their transition into competitive sports (should they choose).   I have a sneaking suspicion that the next Lance Armstrong is a couch potato  that had a bad experience in sports at a young age and is still afraid to compete in sports.

One of the most difficult challenges I’ve encountered since choosing to own The Little Gym of Woodbury is finding a way to effectively communicate my passion for and belief in the benefits offered through enrolling in The Little Gym’s programs. After teaching and/or observing over 1000 classes over the course of the last year or so, I can attest to the fact that our programs work!! I’ve seen children of all ages go through incredible transformations during our sessions. Not only have these children developed physically, with improvements in their performance of various locomotor activities, coordination exercises, and elementary/intermediate gymnastics, but I’ve also seen tremendous progress in both social and emotional avenues, such as increased comfort in a group, improved teamwork and listening skills, enhanced risk-taking skills, and greater self-esteem/self-image.

A question I am asked quite frequently by both potential and existing customers is “Why The Little Gym?” While I seldom say it, my initial thought in response to this question is usually, “How much time do you have?” Our programs offer so many benefits it’s often hard to pick just one or two. Possibly the best part of our program is that these benefits translate not only to improved performance in the gym environment, but also outside of the gym at home, at play, and in the classroom. It’s not uncommon for me or my staff to hear satisfied parents make any of the following observations about their children after they’ve attended our program:

• Notice increased comfort levels in groups and integrates more quickly on the playground and at social gatherings (pre-school, etc)
• More confident and willing to try new things.
• More comfortable being away from parents.
• Increased desire and excitement for learning.

We at The Little Gym of Woodbury accomplish our program objectives in several ways. I just wanted to take a minute and highlight a few of the characteristics of The Little Gym that have made us the leader in children’s motor skill development programs in twin cities area.

1. Our music– Our fun, upbeat, directive-based music is proprietary to The Little Gym. We’re the only one who’s got it!! This music allows your child to listen to the directives and perform various locomotor activities like walking, running, and galloping while also introducing elementary tumbling skills such as forward rolls, monkey jumps (beginning cart-wheels), and donkey kicks (beginning hand stands).
2. Our philosophy—“You don’t have to be the best, just try your best”. Our philosophy allows children to take risks and celebrate both successes and failures in a fun, safe, warm, nurturing environment. It’s not uncommon for shy, timid children to come out of their proverbial shell after becoming comfortable in our program and with our instructors.

1. Our staff—Each of our instructors has completed a franchisor-approved Instructor Training System which allows our instructors to safely and effectively teach your child various skills and techniques. Also, instructors who teach 20+ hours per week attend periodic training workshops designed to improve the quality of your child’s classes. For our Funny Bugs and up (3+), your child, with the help of an instructor, will be able to perform a USAG-approved gymnastics routine at the end of our 20-week session!!
2. Our curriculum and equipment: Our curriculum has two main points of focus, specific skill objectives and sequential skill development. The use of specific skill objectives allows our instructors to break down an activity into tiny parts, allowing even the child with the shortest attention span to improve through focusing on each individual objective until the skill is accomplished. Sequential skill development allows children of all different skill levels to be taught and taught effectively in the same class. For example, one child may be apprehensive about walking across the balance beam by himself while another is ready to do more complicated poses and walks on the beam. Our curriculum and circuit-format allows each child to be challenged to his/her fullest in the same class, eliminating boredom for the more advanced child while maintaining the self-confidence and building self-esteem of the less-advanced child. Pretty cool stuff. Now compare that to a park or play environment with swings and slides. How many different ways can you swing on a swing or slide on a slide? How do you continue to challenge children in that environment once they’ve accomplished those skills?
3. Our commitment: The Little Gym, both locally and nationally, is continuously striving for improvement. Our curriculum DVD’s are groundbreaking for our industry and allow all of our instructors to receive weekly training on how to provide the safest and most effective classes. We are the leader in our field, but we are continuing to strive for improvement.

Thank you for your time in reading about The Little Gym of Woodbury. I’d love to talk with you further about our programs and I’d love for you and your child to come in for a free introductory class. We have great  classes for kids 4 months- 12 years old.