It requires 3 different body shapes and activates every muscle group in the body! Each skill has many stages and progressions when taught safely and correctly. A forward roll looks easy! It sounds easy! You just roll over, right? Did you know that a forward roll has 8 different positions and movements. The end result is usually a personal conversation anyway! Even when a parent is a constant observer it is a challenge. Typically such reports create more questions and confusion than answers. I have yet to find a format that is both comprehensive and understandable to a parent, especially when they do not watch the class.
As a program director, I have tried many different forms of progress reports over my 30 plus years of experience to communicate to parents the students progress. I have asked many coaches specific questions to understand how my child was doing at the time. As a parent, I understand the desire to have communication of how your child is doing. This makes it hard for parents to follow their child's progress.
In our daycare programs the parents rarely get to see their children in class. This has greater value if they have watched class over a period of time. We can have dialog that is specific to their concerns and questions about their child. Parents can relate to what we say to them and see the progress that we point out. In our programs that parents can watch a verbal report is much better because we can give a personal report. It is not a useful tool in communicating what a student has learned! When asked we are glad to give a verbal evaluation and answer questions a parent has. We don't have a progress report or checklist, that we give to parents. Parents some times ask us for a written report on their child's progress in their gymnastics class. The Gym Star staff will get your child excited about movement, learning and accomplishment. Moving and changing quickly gets the students to listen better and think quicker. Second, is to increase the aerobic and anaerobic cardiovascular conditioning of our students. First, to raise their body temperature, which prepares their muscles to be strengthened and stretched. The pace during this section of class serves two purposes. The primary goal is to connect their mind to their body in a fun, positive process. At the same time it allows for all students to move at the same time and at their own ability level. This portion of class is designed to be fast paced, highly active and quickly changing. As the students develop in skill level this open mat time may be used to review basic skills ranging from Rolls to Cartwheels and Handstands. Speeding up the activity increases focus and attention span. Next we work into faster movements like skipping or galloping. Everyone is moving at the same time while the staff moves to the individuals that need assistance. These movements are slower and help them to learn spatial awareness and to coordinate the entire body into one goal. Bear Walks and Hot Dog Rolls are examples of skills that move about the open mat area. Donkey Kicks or Teeter Totters are examples of skills that stay in one place.
We then transition to movements that require full body activity and coordination. Rock and Rolls are a good example of this.
Starting on the floor gives them the security and time to learn how to maintain the body shape. Starting in a circle provides the spacing for all students to move at the same time safely and work at their pace. After the positions are established they explore ways to make the positions move and become active. Next we review or introduce the gymnastic positions that will be used for class that day. We keep it short and simple for them to understand. Children need rules to feel safe in their environment. Rules are necessary to create safe and clear boundaries. Listen when the teacher talks, as we turn on our listening ears and lock our lips closed. Keep your hands to yourself, as we clap our hands in rhythm and finish by hugging ourselves. We have 3 rules! Stay on the blue mats, as we pat the mats. This is achieved within a few minutes in a very active, fun, fast paced manner. All students and coaches sit in a circle to take attendance and remind them of the Gym Star rules. Today I will talk about the first segment of class.Ĭlass starts with the base mats clear. Our class is broken into two segments, Opening Activities and Skill Stations. I will try to paint a visual of what a preschool gymnastics class is like. I believe that this article will be especially helpful to our clients enrolled in our daycare/preschool programs. In this article I will attempt to give you some insight to how we run our preschool classes.