Climbing the stairs, getting out of the ball pit, picking up a ball out of the octagon, and the list goes on…
All of these are things that kids do every day at My Gym. Our parent participation classes teach children so much more than just the skills we tell you about each week. As kids play around on our ever-changing gym setup, they learn to fail and then of course to succeed. Success isn’t just about learning and mastering new skills on a list, sometimes it’s about learning to climb to the top of the stairs alone or walk the beam independently.
Here are 10 examples of how you can help your child learn to explore at My Gym:
1. Be sure to let your child climb the different types of stairs at My Gym to give them a lesson in perseverance and confidence in the process. Learning to climb stairs allows a child to learn to use their problem solving skills, develop hip flexibility, and leg strength. Instead of lifting them up, teach them to climb by lifting one leg and placing it on the next step and watch as they pull themselves up to the next one. Then you get to sit back and watch, as the pride they feel learning to accomplish this all on their own, shows all over their face!
2. Here is one for our tiny friends out there who are just learning to crawl and walk. Encourage your child to reach for the ball that is just out of reach and let them figure out how to get it. While working to reach it, they get to use their brain to figure out how to inch forward and grab hold of it. They will also be using their core to lift their body to inch forward, and strengthen the shoulders and arms by bearing weight on them while crawling or scooting. This also helps them strengthen their neck and back as they lift up their body to scoot forward. Help them learn to scoot forward by pushing a little on one of their feet, or help them crawl by moving one arm forward. Betcha didn’t know everything that was involved in reaching for one little ball!
3. This is a huge one – Climbing out of the ball pit. Wading through the ball pit to the edge helps with balance, core strength, and leg strength. Climbing out of the ball pit is much like climbing out of the pool, which is a vital skill here in Florida! In order to climb out of the ball pit, kids must have the hand strength to grasp the edge, shoulder and arm strength to pull up, leg/hip strength and dexterity to swing the leg over the side, and the confidence to drop down to whatever platform is below. Instead of just lifting them out, help your child with each of the steps so they learn to climb out independently.
4. Kids love rolling over the top of our yoga balls and tumble form. Encourage them to reach for the floor with their hands so that they learn to fall safely! Because, let’s face it, we all fall sometimes and it’s ideal to know how to fall with the least bit of damage ;) As they reach for the floor, they will also work on impact and strengthening the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints which leads to better overall strength and coordination of the upper body.
5. Another fun thing to do at My Gym is to roll around inside the Molly Ball (big multi-colored barrel). Kids love to throw themselves inside so give them a little roll and see how giggly they become. Crawling into the Molly Ball helps them with spatial awareness (understanding where their body is within a space). Fun fact: Some children feel safer when they are in a confined space and it helps them relax! As it starts to roll, they get tossed around a bit inside which provides a bit of joint compression. As they spin around within the Molly Ball, they are also developing the muscles in their eyes.
6. Hanging on the high bar is an awesome strength builder. It helps kids strengthen their grip reflex which is important for handwriting, sports, and learning to use utensils when eating! Help your child reach for and hang on the lower bar all by themselves or lift them to the higher bar and help them drop to their feet. As they get stronger encourage them to also lift their feet off the ground and work on building that core strength at the same time.
7. But what should we do with all those mats?! We have regular tumbling mats, larger squishy mats and of course wedge mats. Don’t forget to use these tools to practice those beginning tumbling skills. Forward Rolls, Backward Rolls, and Log Rolls all help children with core strength and eye tracking development. This eye-tracking development is a key skill to have before learning to read or play a sport. Better eye-tracking abilities means that they can focus on the meaning of the words and hitting or kicking the ball instead of struggling to follow it with their eyes.
8. The balance beam is also a great thing to check out while exploring with your Mini My-Gymer. The balance beam helps children learn to understand depth perception and foot-eye coordination as they have to place each foot carefully on the beam. It also helps with hip strength as they keep those legs in close to stay on the beam. These skills are vital for all kids to become coordinated and confident adults!
9. Of course climbing up and sliding down the slides had to make this list! Direct your child to the nearest slide and encourage them to work those legs as they climb up and then get the reward of sliding back down. As they climb up a slide, they get to strengthen and stretch their calves and hamstrings. If they are climbing with hands and feet, then they are also working on their bilateral coordination (needed for riding a bike). Getting to the top requires perseverance and the reward is getting to slide back down. Sliding also helps with giving kids a sense of motion and direction as they go from top to bottom.
10. Don’t forget to try the monkey bars! Monkey Bars are an amazing childhood motor development enhancer. Young babies can learn to hang, grip, and swing on them increasing their confidence and strength in their hands. As children grow and learn to do the monkey bars with parental assistance (and then independently), they learn tons of other skills! The grip in their hands and strength in their arms/shoulders required to hang from one hand at a time leads to better handwriting skills. The core strength and timing they need to keep their body swinging and moving forward will give them better overall coordination and body control. Plus, the fun factor will keep them trying it over and over increasing their speed and confidence. You can help by encouraging them to try and cheering them on each time they understand just a little bit more. Teach them learn by holding them by the waist and being patient as they learn to move one hand at a time.
So, next time you are in class with your little one, we challenge you to help them learn to explore more independently. Not only will it boost their self-esteem and confidence, but it will also help them develop tons of other motor and cognitive skills along the way. Sometimes slowing down and letting a child learn through trial-and-error is the best thing you can do for them. Patience is your friend! Remember to cheer them on when they struggle and be genuinely excited for them as the succeed. Those two things help children learn to work it out for themselves and feel pride when they do something correctly.
Happy exploring!
My Gym Lake Mary 