Some parents have been associated with gymnastics for years, while others are experiencing the sport for the first time with their child. While gymnastics is a great athletic activity for young children, it doesn’t have to be a competition of who will enter into the Olympics. By participating in gymnastics classes, your child is already winning – by gaining self-esteem, learning new motor skills and understanding why health is important.

When you imagine what your child will be doing in their gymnastics class near Philadelphia, many thoughts may cross your mind. But we can assure you, not one tumble or flip will be had unless it is being supervised. We decided to provide a general guide of what goes on in practice. The schedule for the course is carried out depending on the length of the class, the age group being taught and how attentive the children may be. Plus, we have an observation deck that over see’s the entire gym so parents can watch the class while it’s happening.

Upon Arrival

As all students arrive for their class, the instructors double-check to make sure each child is wearing the proper apparel. We have bath rooms for those who prefer to change into their outfit on-site. Students are required to wear leotards with their hair pulled back. Make sure to check in at the front desk during your child’s class so we can keep track of attendance.

Warm Up Stretches

It’s important to warm up the muscles before doing strenuous activity, so that injury can be avoided. We use age-appropriate physical exercises to heat up the body before getting into the gymnastics activities. Some of the stretches we do include butterflies, splits, shoulder rolls and bridges. After the stretching phase is complete, each group goes with their specific instructor to the first event. Water and bathroom breaks most often happen in between events.

Gymnastics Techniques

When teaching our students new gymnastics movements, we utilize the equipment of our gym, such as the floor mats, balance beams, trampolines and uneven bars. Some of the skills the children learn during the course is how to cartwheels, stand on their hands and do round-offs, do rolls and handsprings. Advanced level courses feature challenging tumbler moves and flips, as well as the perfection of previously learned abilities. We have the kids follow drills in an upbeat atmosphere to help them perfect their skills while having fun.

Cool Off and Final Meeting

At the end of the class, the instructor provides the children with words of encouragement and will ask them what they’d like to work on doing more. Parents are provided with any announcements that our academy has, such as special events or course information. During this time, students can cool off from their activities by drinking more water and using the bathroom.

This sample of our gymnastics course timeline is a generalized outline of what we teach and how we teach it. We are currently accepting applications for our fall 2015 – 2016 sessions. Your child can benefit from learning gymnastics, whether it be an increase in self-esteem or athletic skills that can be utilized in high school sports.