What’s Happening in Jnr Gym Kids? … A LOT!
Our Jnr Gym Kids programs have been jammed packed full of learning & fun! A recent article on research into children and sport from expert Dr Richard Bailey (one of the world’s leading authorities on the relationship between human development and sport) reminds us… “children are not mini adults” – not in the way their bodies & brains are connected nor in the way they learn & engage in movement or sport. Children need non specialized, variety of movement, & it has to be fun, creative and play based for it to stick !
Well, we think we’re ticking boxes at Jnr Gym Kids! Our themes are for a purpose, from superheroes to snow men, teddies to turtles & tigers there is a lot of learning going on that has meaning to our preschoolers! (Why we do themes).
If you’re walking past our notice boards – please have a read- I’m sure you’ll be impressed by all our under 5’s are up to!
Check out our current themes:
TIGERS & TURTLES / FAST & SLOW
Some skills need to go FAST, like a backward roll for momentum & some need to go SLOW, like balancing on the beam! By relating speed to animals children know, (turtles and tigers) we’ve been playing with the contrast of speed at Jnr Gym Kids. Using the Turtle has had our little ones thinking about how to slow things down & work on their technique a little. In contrast, we’ve been moving fast, like a tiger through our mini Ninja Warrior circuits and running from the big ball.
Going fast feels good and is actually easier than slow for young children as momentum takes over the job our sense of balance normally does for us (like riding a bike). When we move slowly, we rely more on our balance to keep us steady, stable, and upright. Going slow gives the brain time to process the balance & movement information it’s receiving and allows children to refine & plan their movement with more deliberate control of their bodies. Another great reason why gymnastics grows children’s brains & bodies!
FAIRIES & PIXIES
Gymnastics works from our grip to our toes! This fun program focuses awareness of our feet in skills – with our fairy wands helping us point our pixie toes! Our scarves help explore light, flowing movements & focus on arm positions in jumps and exploring leaps & half turn fairy twirls. We are practicing landing softly (shhhh… quiet as a pixie), encouraging controlling our ankle & knee bendg. Leaping over the rope encourages one foot take off & landing, timing distance & speed. We’ll also be trying our tricky new arabesque on the beam as part of this theme. Fairy wand balloon swatting is great for tracking and hand eye coordination & midline crossing.
DINOSAURS
There’s more fun to come with powerful play being BIG, STRONG, SPIKY …DINOSAURS !!!
Children will become long tailed Brontosaurus dinosaurs for their knee scale balances & will hold tight tuck shapes like a dinosaur egg in this favourite Jnr Gym Kids theme! The powerful raaaagh of a T Rex & his claws puts some oomph into our motorbike landings. We’ll spike our stegosaurus backs to help shape our front supports & fly like a Pterodactyl in the gym! We’ll also be bringing back our CHOMPERS –working on grip strength and pincer grasp – check out the latest blog on great ways to build grip strength!
We hope you’re enjoying watching your little ones move learn and grow at Delta Jnr Gym Kids.
