10 Ways to Make the Most Out of Explore Time

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!

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.

---

 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 :)

Skill of the Week | V-Sit

This week in all of our gymnastics classes, we are working on balancing on the Hot Dog. This helps with core strength as children walk across it. It also helps kids of all ages learn to focus on completing a task and building the confidence to know that they can do it!

V-Sits are a fun skill that you can practice at home, which also works on developing core strength and increasing focus. Two VERY important skills as the kids go back to school this week!

6 Months- 3 Years 

3-4 Years 

4 and Up

No hands touching the floor, legs together, hold and count to 3, 5 and 10 seconds

Happy Balancing!

Beat the Heat and Come to My Gym this Summer!

When? June 23-27 and August 4-8. Also, from June 3 through August 5, Fit & Fun Camp will be held every Tuesday from 1:00-5:30 pm.

What? My Gym Camp is hours of non-stop fun! Children will stay busy while participating in age-appropriate relay races, obstacle courses, gymnastic stations, games, team building activities and more.

Times? Each day, children may attend a morning session (8:30 am – 1:00 pm), and afternoon session (1:00 pm – 5:30 pm), or stay the full day (8:30 am – 5:30 pm)

Themed Activities? Yes. This year, our theme will be Disney/Pixar! All of our camp activities and our music will all be themed.

Food & Drinks? Healthy snacks and all-natural juice will be served to all campers throughout the day. All-day campers and morning half-day campers will be served lunch at noon.

Pricing?

• Non-Members: $40 per half day (4.5 hours)
• Members: $35 per half day (4.5 hours)

Sibling Discount? Yes :)   25% off for child #2 and 50% off for child #3 and beyond.

*All children must be potty-trained and at least three years old. 

Reserve your spot today! Give us a call at 407-333-8069 or send us an email at LakeMary@MyGym.com.

Why My Gym?

We are the experts in children’s fitness.

My Gym has developed an extraordinary program and facility devised to help children 6 weeks through 13 years of age develop physically, cognitively and emotionally. We have hundreds of locations in more than 30 countries offering structured, age-appropriate, weekly classes that incorporate music, dance, relays, games, special rides, gymnastics, sports and more. Children have loads of fun as they gain strength, balance, coordination, agility and flexibility while developing social skills, confidence and self-esteem. Our state-of-the-art facility, extensively trained staff, award-winning class programs, and excellent student/teacher ratio have earned My Gym the reputation as the best early learning program of its kind.

We keep children healthy by making fitness fun!

Childhood obesity has doubled in the last two decades, with 10% of all children between the ages of 2 and 5 in the U.S. already overweight. My Gym is dedicated to reversing this dangerous trend. Our facilities, programs and services empower youngsters by helping them acquire the skills, confidence and positive self-image needed to become healthy young adults. We are committed to nurturing children, treating them with understanding and positive reinforcement, maintaining a supportive and noncompetitive atmosphere, and making learning fun and exciting.

We improve the lives of children throughout the world.

The thrill of accomplishment from achieving a physical task builds self-esteem and confidence that carry over into all aspects of a child’s life. Interaction with our highly trained staff provides children the opportunity to establish warm relationships with compassionate adults, thus raising their level of comfort as they begin preschool/kindergarten. Our My Gym Kids learn more about themselves as they develop independence, self-discipline, social skills and even a sense of humor, all of which lead to an increased feeling of self-worth. A child who feels good about him/herself has a jumpstart on the path to success.