Ribbit, Ribbit! Jumping is Calming?

This week in class we are working on a skill station called Springboard to Horse. The Springboard works on timing, jumping, leg strength and impact (joint strength and stability). And here is a FUN FACT…encouraging your child to jump around helps them to calm themselves down. Jumping is a muscle work activity and it can help children to work off the energy, calm down, and re-focus their mind. Who would have guessed?!  So, for this week, our skill of the week is Frog Jumps, which works on all of the same things as the Springboard portion of the skill station.

Try it out before bedtime and help your child prepare to climb into bed. How many jumps can they do?

For young babies up to 2.5 years –

Hold under arms and lift up, as they come back down they will bend their knees as they land, help them bounce back off those feet, repeat a few times.

For children 2 and 3 years old –

Encourage them to get small, jump up, then get small again and repeat. Encourage them to always land on their feet!

For children 4 and up –

Squat and touch the ground, jump up high with arms up, then get small again – repeat 3-5 times.

Challenge!

Jump higher

Jump farther

Do Frog Tuck Jumps! Very tricky and requires excellent leg strength, timing, and body control

 

Happy Jumping! Ribbit, Ribbit!

7 Benefits of Forward Rolls

Why Should Every Child Learn to do a Forward Roll?

Forward Rolls are one of the first (and simplest) skills that babies and children learn in a gymnastics-based class. After a few tries, most kids can do it by themselves. But, WHY should every child learn and be encouraged to try forward rolls?

Forward rolls, when done correctly, are an incredible full body & brain workout for all age groups.

Body Awareness & Control
Forward rolls are more than just a basic tumbling skill. They also promote body awareness and control, which leads to increased coordination of the body and the mind. Less time spent thinking about basic motor skill tasks = More time thinking about learning! The child also must have enough body control to keep the head tucked in and roll over in one round, smooth motion.

Eye Tracking
Our favorite reason to learn forward rolls is the upside down motion they provide, which leads to better eye tracking development and strength (pre-reading skills). Eye tracking is crucial when learning to read. Without great tracking, kids struggle to follow the lines on the page as they read the words from left to right. This means they cannot focus on comprehending the story because they are spending valuable brain time on following the lines on the page!

Bilateral Coordination
Forward rolls are also a great bilateral coordination activity. Bilateral coordination is when both sides of the body are working together to accomplish a task. This can be by working together (pushing a cart), working in an alternating pattern (climbing stairs), or doing two separate tasks (holding a paper with one hand and scissors with the other). In this example, both sides of the body have to exert equal amounts of force to keep the body centered as the child rolls over. Be sure your child plants both hands firmly on the ground before beginning to roll. As they go over, you can help center their body by holding them at the hips.

Core Strength
They also increase a child’s core strength, a vital skill when your child is learning to sit up, crawl, walk, run, ride a bike, swim in the pool, or play a sport. Be sure to help your child sit up from the center and strengthen both sides of the body equally.

THE BEST REASONS
Of course the two biggest reasons to learn a forward roll are for FUN and for CONFIDENCE building. New skills require perseverance to master, and that is one trait we all want our children to have in spades! Children love learning to do things all by themselves and this skill is not only simple, but it is also good for them.

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 We start teaching forward rolls at 7 months old and continue teaching them/perfecting them all the way up through our oldest kids in the gym.

Here’s how to safely practice them at home:

For children 7 to 14 months old – 

1. Hold child like a football.
2. Guide them down to the floor. They will naturally put their hands down.
3. With your opposite hand, help them tuck their head and roll.
4. Help them sit up for a BIG FINISH!

For children 15 months to a little over 2 years old – 

1. While they are standing, lightly press your thumbs on their lower back to encourage them to reach for the floor.
2. Help them tuck their head and roll.
3. Sit up for a BIG FINISH!

For children 2.5 – 7 years old (Beginners) – 

1. Squat like a frog.
2. Tuck the head and roll. Note: Stay rounded like a turtle.
3. Sit up/Stand up using the center of the body (midline).
Note: Be sure to encourage them to tuck their head by placing your hand on the back of their head if needed.

Once the basic skill is mastered, here’s how to challenge your child further – 

 *Practice starting with straight legs and getting up without using any hands, while keeping feet together.

*Practice continuous rolls (2-3 in a row).

*Add a Straddle Press at the end. The Straddle Press helps with increasing flexibility, shoulder strength, and coordination to the basic forward roll.

Happy rolling :)