Parents Private lessons for 5 year old

[GymMom22107]

My daughter is 5 and is doing a class that is similar to pre-team but it's for 4-6 year olds. It's higher than an advanced rec team and normally kids in this class skip pre-team and go right to level 4 the next year. At least that is how the coaches explained it to me. Anyway, the woman who was coaching the girls in the beginning was really fun and enthusiastic and the girls loved her, especially my daughter. Then she ended up switching and another coach ended up teaching my daughter. This one is more serious and well less fun. My daughter was so upset and actually was pretty much refusing to go to class for like 3 classes. She ended up going but fought me. Once she was in class she had fun and after the third time she was fine and hasn't been fighting me since then but it clearly isn't as fun for her without the teacher she had before. She really misses her old coach and so I was thinking maybe she could do private lessons with her like once a week or every other week, just so she gets to see her still. When I asked my daughter if that was something she wanted to do she was really excited and wanted to do it. My question is, do you think this is too much for a 5 year old? She goes to class twice a week for an hour and a half and has ballet one of those days after gymnastics for 30 mins. It has been rough for her to go from summer time to kindergarten and having class. I pick her up after school, bring her home to get dressed and have a snack, and then drive to her gym. It's also a 20 min drive. By the time we get home it's 6:30, so she eats dinner, gets ready for bed, and goes to sleep. So it's pretty much, school, gym, bed, 2 days a week. Am I crazy or doing way too much when she is just 5 by adding a private lesson another day of the week? This coach can't do sat as she is there all day and sun she can only do once in a while. So that would add another day of school and the gym. I don't want to push her too hard but I also think she would really enjoy getting some one on one time with this coach.

 

[gymgal]

Coach changes are always difficult for the young ones. I remember my dd being "devastated" the few times it happened to her and I questioned whether it was good for her to have so many coach changes but more experienced, wiser parents assured me that she would adjust and that it is best to not make a big deal about it because it happens often. And they were right. after a few classes, she got over each change. It is helpful to put a positive spin on the situation - let her know that this new coach knows that the girls are ready for more work and are preparing them for the next level.

As for private lessons, I would not recommend it. It sounds like your family is already a little stressed with the current schedule. Adding another day just to have time with a favorite coach doesn't seem a good reason for the added stress.

 

[cbifoja]

I agree with GymMom. My daughter is only an L5 and from rec to now has had at least 5 coaches. Some she has loved, some she has tolerated, but coaching changes are a big part of gymnastics. Plus, learning to work with multiple personality types is such a vital life skill!

Our gym seems to place a big priority on having the girls work with multiple coaches. In the summer, they are very big on "event coaching". Not sure if that's a common industry term or just something our gym uses. But we have coaches stationed at different apparati and the girls rotate through the coaches. And it's not always Coach A on bars, Coach B on beam, etc. From day to day, the coaches switch apparati so that the girls are getting feedback from multiple people.

Then in fall, they go to their "regular" coach for most of the competition season.

 

[GymBee97]

She is 5yo change of the familure to the unknown is always hard at this age. When she starts school it will be the same. She will love her Kindergarten teacher and going to 1st grade will be just like this. She will miss that old teacher and have a hard time with the new one.

privates at 5yo are unnecessary and honestly I think if the program is planned correctly privates shouldn't ever be needed. Your DD needs to learn to adjust to the new coach and the changes happening it won't be the last time this will happen if she continues down the team road.

So just breath in, breath out - relax and help her see the positives in her current class. A 5yo will pick up on your vibes too so put out those positive vibes.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

private lessons not necessary.

 

[iwannacoach]

All of the above.......and a private with the old coach, while a nice sentiment, is likely to prolong the "moving on" process she's going through right now.

 

[Kiwi]

This reminds me of when my DD was 5 and her ballet teacher (who was absolutely lovely) retired. DD didn't like the new teacher (who seemed quite stern and shouty) and wanted to give up ballet. I let her watch a jazz class to give her the option to switch to jazz. In the end she decided to stick with ballet and got used to the new teacher after a few weeks. The new teacher turned out to be very nice as well.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Agree with above replies.

 

[GymMom22107]

Thanks for the advice. I kind of had a feeling it was just too much but I feel bad when she is in class and sees the other coach she likes doing fun things with another class and so I thought it would be nice for her to see her again. I know this particular coach does work with the team sometimes so she may see her again here and there but not usually as she works really well with the younger kids because of how fun she is. Just to be clear, I did not want to do private lessons for any other reason than for her to get to spend time with the coach and my daughter does enjoy being the center of attention (who doesn't ) but other than that I wouldn't consider her getting private lesssons at this age just to get ahead or improve on skills, she really does get enough of that in class and is doing really well in her class. At this age I just really want her to be having fun, if she does well than that is just a bonus!

 

[BlairBob]

If you could arrange to do them on a Saturday, sure. Bare in mind, it's more of a fun thing with her old coach rather than something that is necessary.

OTOH, more gym time can be a good thing unless it leads to burn out on your or her part.

 

[Muddlethru]

Sounds like an expensive play date with an adult to me. Even if I had money to burn, I would rather set up a play date with another child for my daughter. But I see where it saddens you to see your daughter longing to be with her former coach. It just does not seem logical to have a private for the reasons you state. And even if it were to get ahead in gymnastics, it still will not benefit a child her age.

 

[Kiwi]

I would just think of it like when your child moves to a new class at school and gets a new teacher. They will probably still see their favourite old teacher around at school, but they have get used to their new teacher even if they don't like the new one as much as the previous one..

 

[gym law mom]

Have to agree with those that said a private is not needed.

 

[another-gym-mom]

Awww, you sound like me! Just picture yourself driving her to the private lesson - are you annoyed, wishing you were at home/somewhere else? Or are you really happy and having fun with her? Please give yourself a break if you need one!!!! It's OK to admit a 5 year old can keep up the pace but you can't (LOL) - we all have to cry uncle once in a while. Sometimes that means buying each member of the house 15 extra pairs of underwear for those slow laundry months and some months we're just going to stick to our original lesson days which sounded sane at the time we signed up for them Whatever you decide won't hurt her, now just make sure it doesn't hurt you, either!

 

[Moxiegrl83]

I'm going against the grain here.... I think a private every week, or even every other week, is a bit much. But you know your kid, and if you think a couple private lessons, spaced out, could help her keep feeling connected to her old coach, and can afford them, then I don't see the problem. Every kid has a different personality, and if you think this will make it harder for her to accept the new class, then skip it for now. But just knowing she hasn't "lost" her favorite coach forever, and can still see her and occasionally work with her, can make a big difference.

We had a very similar situation when my DD5 moved from rec to pre-team. It made it worse that a classmate in her pre-k at school, was taking weekly private lessons with her "favorite" coach, and of course every lesson ended up being during her practice. Her little friend was obviously having a great time, which was good for her. Not so good for my little one watching. She looked like someone had just stolen her favorite stuffed animal. She ended up doing a lesson or two with her old coach, by then she had settled in to her new class, and gotten to know all the coaches, not just her "favorite". Now her favorite regularly works with pre-team, but just knowing she wasn't missing out on anything, made a big difference to her. If you were doing this for skills, I'd say it really wasn't worth it.

 

[bogwoppit]

^^^^^^ That is exactly why I wonder about privates when regular classes are running. It just leads to hurt feelings on so many levels.

Save the money and use it for something fun outside the gym. Save up for a trip, you can never travel too much with your kids. But you sure can spend too much time in the gym.

 

[jen1957]

My daughter went through several coaches when she was in rec classes, sometimes it was because a coach would leave or there was a schedule change and other times it was because my daughter moved up to another level and different coach.
Does your gym have "open gym" where the kids can go and "play"? If so, find out if that coach is at open gym and try it out. It might also be a good way for her to become familiar with some of the other coaches that she may see around the gym. My DD's gym has open gym on Friday nights and she sometimes gets to see some of the rec coaches that she had in the past.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

^^^ That's a great idea Jen. Didn't even think of open gym. Definitely cheaper then private lessons too!