[mamaley]

my dd is only 20 months, and i'm not wanting to sign her up anytime soon,but i was curious about gymnastics for her later on. she absolutely loves to hang on anything that resembles a bar, and has taught herself to hang on a bar at the side of our house and walk up it and hang herself completely upside down. she asks for "ba" (bar) all the time.

if your child is in gymnastics, what kind of a place did he/she start out in? how old were they? what got you to sign them up? what is it like? i think she'd really enjoy it once she gets a little older.

 

[mamatowill]

My DS is 13.5 months and he actually is just finishing gymnastics for the season. I enrolled him in one designed for little kids because he has so much energy. This one was very relaxed since he usually ran around and participated in what he wanted. While he is not capable of doing all of the things he did enjoy doing some. They taught him how to somersault properly (i.e. tucking in his head) and I have seen him at home trying to do it. The other day he loved the balance beam (with mom supporting him) and he actually was putting one foot in front of the other on his own. I will be signing him up again for next year. Maybe you can find a "fun" gymnastics class to put her in. Both he and I really enjoyed the class.

 

[hslingmomof4]

My dd2 was in gymnastics up til this jan. WE had a bad experience with a coach. She was a USAG competitive level 6 10 yro girl. She loved competition but she developed inferior complexion cos of her coach making comments about her height (troll) and if she didn't perfected the routine she would shove her foot up Her ...

I think gymnastics is wonderful way to teach our children about instructions, structure and team environment. We had all of this until we moved 12 hours south. I say start them early but be very cautious to coaches or teachers that lack "children social skills". That is very important!

 

[oldcrunchymom]

Nan is starting gymnastics at the Y this summer. She's 7 and has been taking dance (ballet, tap, acro) for four years. She asked to try out gymnastics because she loves acro so much. She'll be in the YMCA's beginners Level 1, which is for fun and learning and is not competitive.

If she likes it we'll try to figure out a way for her to continue with it, but we have to work out her schedule for the fall. She's already taking three dance classes and a swimming class. Adding a gymnastics class would bring that up to five classes a week, which seems like an awful lot to me. At least we are unschooling, though.

She is signing up because she wants (begged) to do it, so I expect she'll probably enjoy it unless the teachers are bad or something.

 

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

My son started at the Y for his 4th birthday. He loves it and is doing really well. We chose the Y because it doesn't emphasize competion at all -- even in the older girls classes. Not to mention the fact that its a pretty inexpensive way to get the basics and figure out if he liked it. My biggest problem is keeping my 2 YO off the floor during big brother's class. I really wish they offered a toddler class at the same time, but they don't. They do offer toddler/adult classes from age 14 mo. to about 3 1/2 or so, then kids move into all kids classes (just not at a good time for me). I like the emphasis on safety, fundamental skills, and the fact that they integrate their core values (respect, responsibility, honesty, and caring) into all of their classes. They also don't seem to push kids faster than they want to learn or are physically capable of. And DS's teacher can make even the strengthening exercises into fun games.

 

[mom2savannah_grace]

My dd has been in gymnastics since she was 18 mos (she's now 33 mos) and she loves it!! I take her to an actual gymnastics academy but they have a seperate gym for those under 3 with smaller equipment. Her teacher is absolutely wonderful and we will miss her when dd moves into the "big kid gym" in the fall. I have seen sooo much improvement in her abilities in the last year. She can do forward somersaults on her own, does flips on the rings and bars, and is doing split jumps on the trampoline. Dd looks forward to gym class every week and I will stop when she no longer wants to do it.

 

[AllyRae]

My son has been doing gymnastics since he was 15 months old. He is in a mom & tots class at the local gymnastics school. I signed him up for it because he was diving head first off the furniture and I wanted him to have a safe place to do it. He absolutely loves it...he gets to run around and do the balance beam, bars, vault (they vault over a foam thing and land on another foam wedge), trampoline, headstands, and just random fun things. I can tell when it's about gymnastics day because he's all wound up and needs to release that energy... :LOL

 

[Dechen]

We've been doing a toddler gymnastics class since dd was approximately 17 months old. It is a fun and unpressured way to be physical. I don't want her getting into competitive gymnastics, but the classes for young ones are a lot of fun.

 

[wende]

I started my dd in gymnastics 3 years ago. She will start training to compete in July and will actually compete (level 4) in February. I think it's been great for her. I wish that I'd started her younger, and I really wish that I'd been more picky about the gyms that I chose...she lost a year at one gym with horrible coaches, but I sent her there because it was closer to home. She really loves gymnastics and it's turned her into a physically and emotionally stronger kid. Her self esteem has never been better!

 

[LunaMom]

My daughter goes to a non-competitive gymnastics school. My purpose for enrolling her in gymnastics in the first place was for fun, strength, and confidence. I wasn't interested in competition, and figure if she shows great talent and seems to want to compete, fine, but so far, neither has happened!

She started out at The Little Gym, which is a franchise, at age 4, where she did tumbling and some basic skills on the apparatus. We loved it there, but I guess it all depends on the people running it - I've heard from people in other locations who were not happy. Once she was 6 she had really outgrown the place, even though they do take older children, plus it was very far from our house, so we found another place closer to home. She loves it. The instructor is fun and encouraging and all the girls have a great time while learning the skills.

 

[Flor]

Ds started "gymnastics" at 12 months. It is really just playtime at the gym for 1-3 yo. The toddlers just run around with parents and play on equipment. At our gym, its the 3-5 yos that have a real "class" with listening to coach, waiting your turn, etc.