Parents 4 year old too advanced for her class?

[greenmama29]

DD started taking classes about 6 months ago and absolutely loves it. She is a great listener, catches on quickly and you can tell she just loves it! Anyway-- obviously all coaches will be different, but at our gym some tend to lean on the side of recreation at this age, while others focus on technique...

Over the last couple sessions it is obvious that she is ahead of the other kids in the class, which can be frustrating at times since it takes up a lot of time working with new kids trying to get them to sit still, listen, etc. When with a "recreational focused" coach I feel like she gets nothing accomplished other than having fun (which I am not complaining about!)... but when with the "technique focused" coach she seems to thrive and learn new things or improve every week.

SO... this session she is taking 2 classes a week-- in each class there are 2 coaches and the kids get split. The one day she lucked out and got the skill driven coach, but on the other she did not..... after watching her in one class one day and the other another day it drives me crazy! I feel like the second class is a waste of money since she isn't really being pushed to improve her technique.

I'm irritated because I want her to have the best opportunity to develop her skills, but also feel like maybe I'm being a little irrational considering she just turned 4 and maybe the focus should just be letting her have fun....

Would you request that she get put with the other coach during the class or just keep your mouth shut?

 

[gymmomtoo]

Sounds like she's getting the best of both worlds--she's getting to improve her technique one day and just have more fun the other. Unless your daughter's complaining, I would just relax and let her enjoy class. As you said, she just turned 4 .

 

[HoldThePhone]

I say as long as she's learning just let her have the one day of more fun, and the one day more structured.

We were pretty much in the same boat as you are, my daughter turned 4 in May, and beginning June started gymnastics in a mommy and me class. Throughout that class, there were kids as young as two, and my daughter was way ahead of what they could do, but she still learned a lot. At the end of that session, they told us to move up 2 levels, and we ended up actually switching to a real gym from this rec program. The new gym had her in with the beginners, even though it was fairly obvious she was more advanced, but she was still learning, so I wasn't too worried about it. That was just over the summer, and once school started back up and schedules changed we had to find a gym that was a little more convenient, they placed her in Advanced Pre-School, and two weeks in moved her to their Pre-Team. We never asked to be moved up to anything, but coaches know what they're looking for. If my daughter hadn't been learning anything, maybe it would have been an issue, but other kids not being up to what she was doing didn't hold her back in the least. Id encourage you to get feedback from the coaches on how she's doing, but I wouldn't push to move her up too early, it should be fun at this age!

 

[mndl]

I wouldn't worry about it at this point. She's only 4, plenty of time to develop technique. My daughter just turned 5 and started the pre-team program and while she really enjoys it, she does miss the more fun aspects of the rec classes. I sometimes take her to open gym, just so she can play around. Let her have her fun.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i agree with you. you're being a touch irrational. she won't be doing giants any day soon. but when she gets to that point, you better hope that she had a lot of fun in the formative years and really LOVES gymnastics.

 

[nameless]

when my dd started L3 she was not quite 4. at that time they transitioned her by leaving her in tots class once a week and then training L3 in her other class, by the beginning of summer they had her doing L3 only. she asked "what happened to my fun class?" though she enjoyed her L3 training it was much more structured and hard for her to pay attention like the older girls which annoyed the coach, which upset me, which made her not like the coach, which made for a very frustrating year!! she is near 5 and 1/2 now and definately ahead of the game skill wise, has proved herself worthy to the coach (that she no longer has), but it was a frustrating path as a parent.. it may feel like you're wasting money on the less skill driven class, but bet you're not.. hang in there!!

 

[gym law mom]

I have to agree with everyone else. She's got 1 class to focus on skills and 1 to just have fun and enjoy being in the gym. She will do just fine.

 

[onebusymama]

Like you said, she is just 4. She might not even want to do gymnastics when she's 5 or 6 (especially if its too much too fast). I think her having the 2nd day more fun / more relaxed will probably be good thing for her. It might keep her enjoying the sport Besides you don't want to be known as one of those CGM @ your gym. Keep it fun, they grow up so fast!

 

[Amusibus]

Ask your daughter which teacher she likes better- that will be your answer.

 

[greenmama29]

Besides you don't want to be known as one of those CGM @ your gym.

well said... well said

 

[iwannacoach]

It sounds like it could be a case of "be carefull for what you wish". It's nice to see a child who's absolutely crazy about learning to the point of discarding play time, but the play time serves a purpose. Her intensity with the "serious" coach may be a reaction to spending time with the "play" coach, and her coaches may have structured the class with that in mind.

There will come a point where the coaches will recognize and agree to the notion that she needs to be in a work oriented class. That time may come during the next few months or the next few years, and when it does she'll be ready to move on physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I don't think you need to bring it up with the coaches, unless you just want to share your obsevations with them, and ask if they can react if there ever comes a time when your child is repeatedly asking to quit because there's too much "play". Ok game on, and lets have some fun either way in both groups.

 

[OzZee]

My 9 year old still loves a good fun rec play in the gym (birthday party/holiday rec class - she sometimes does the rec class in the morning and then training in the afternoon), so not sure if some would ever ask to quit because there is too much play, lol.

 

[guest301]

I can so relate. My girl turned 4 1/2 this month and is in 2 classes a week. Both very super structured. If fact one coach sees future team member in her so she trains her super hard. At first I was "alrigjt!! This is s great workout for the money". But now I pray and pray my girl wouldn't burn out. It is in fact going from fun gymnastics to hard gymnastics. I can tell she goes to gymnastics as if shd goes to work. She knows she now needs to work hard at all times. And she isn't 5 yet. I would love to find a class where she has fun. Not class where they do nothing though (we tryed class like that at make up class). If you find a class that is tech oriented and one that is fun one hold on to them. She needs both at this age. Otherwise your girl will lose the spark to go to the gym if it's only hard hard hard.

 

[guest301]

just wanted to add... in my opinion recreational fun class is different than the class where they do nothing and nothing is accomplished. I know people would argue with me about no classes are waste of time but you never been to our gym lol. My DD had a make up several times with this couach and she had one at a time approach when it came to stations. All girls would sit and not allowed to get on the station until the other girl finishes them all. And even then the girl who is on is not allowed to do anything but herself only with super hard coach's spotting. even on forward rolls. And that was advanced class. My concern was not excessive spotting - its the time kids sit and waiting. I timed my girl. It took her less than 30 sec to go through all the stations and she set and waited her turn for 11 mins. And that was a whole hour like that. It was physically painful to watch all that.
Fun recreations class would be where they move at all times and do more stuff that they dont normally do in their regular class. Something like doing tricks into a pit at this age. Or more time on trampoline. More games on the floor (my DD's favorite is hamster in the hamster wheel). Physical games that get their giggles

 

[OzZee]

11 mins for 30sec of activity, I'm surprised the coach didn't have a mutiny on board!!!
That is not an acceptable class.

 

[guest301]

11 mins for 30sec of activity, I'm surprised the coach didn't have a mutiny on board!!!
That is not an acceptable class.

nope. all parents who want kids to progess hate her classes. everyone regress badly in her class. girls lose cartwhhels even at her class. the owner got so many complains about her. last time he said he keeps her because lots of moms praise her. whatever. lol

 

[guest301]

little update on original post. i met 2 friends at the gym today. the both said they put their girls in non competitive teams at age 5. level 2. they never compete at this level so its all hard training. two times a week. both of them pulled the girls after 6 months. girls burned out.they were crying not to go to the gym. but loved gym before. now both of them in rec class. they will try team later in couple of years.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

There is a big difference going from the rec classes to a team environment. I know it was a tough adjustment for my little one, going from 1 hr a week rec, to 6 hours a week of team. But they still try to keep it fun for them. On her off days, when she goes to the gym with me, she'll sometimes jump in a rec class for fun. And I think it really opened her eyes as to why she works so hard, when she took our advanced level rec class and not only kept up just fine, but had better skills and form then a lot of them. I've wondered a few times if it was right decision for her to move to pre-team, it was definitely not something I planned. I think having a fun class and a more serious class sounds like the best of both worlds.