Parents Advice for gifted toddler?

[Danikah91]

Honestly I’m a solo parent with an only child who grew up in a pandemic. I KNOW how valuable it is to get feedback from other parents who have already been there…

Yesterday I was frustrated because I finally put her in a second weekly class(30 minutes ea) and the kids in it were just turning two or had just turned two and we’re back at the starting point.

 

[JPC13]

here’s an idea - before my daughter was really serious about gymnastics (eg, doing it to the exclusion of most other things) we had her in a bunch of “circus classes.” They teach all sorts of fun stuff: riding a unicycle, juggling, trapeze, some sort of cloth acrobatic things.

That might be a better alternative to more baby classes that she’s obviously too old for.

On edit: it might also be your gym. My daughter did mommy and me stuff and then at three she did a class alone that was pretty serious, then got pulled into the JO development track at 4.

 

[MagicCrystal]

I can tell you that it only gets more boring once they reach preteam level. My daughter spent 2 years there and all they do is concentrate on shaping and form on very basic skills like rolls etc. The fun stuff like handsprings doesn't start until they are around a level 3 which is years away. I don't believe they can even compete until age 5 so relax momma you have plenty of time! I would suggest putting her into dance, soccer, swimming or ninja classes while you have the time. Once she gets into competitive gymnastics there aren't enough hours in the week to try anything else.

 

[Ajoy]

It sounds like she's going to be an amazing gymnast. I knew at 3 my daughter was going to be good at gymnastics based on her monkey bar skills. That being said there is no need to rush it. If she loves to be active, keep her active, that's all she needs at this point. If she's bored in her class you could even pull her out and try something else for a bit there is no two year old track to team, she should be able pick right back up later. If you want her to be a gymnast, she needs to love the gym.

 

[LCsMom]

I sympathize.
I put my kid into gymnastics classes at 2.5 mainly because my older kid was in the same class and it made it easy on me and I needed to get her into a safe activity because she was constantly pushing boundaries at home. I should have known that my always-moving, fearless, focused second kid would quickly master what the older one didn't really get. I've always tried to stay one step ahead of her..trying to channel that energy in safe ways. In addition to gymnastics, we've tried rock climbing, surfing, and circus classes.
Now she's 11 and entirely focused on gymnastics, although she occasionally forays into other sports like basketball and track.
I think your main focus should be to get her into sports or activities which channel her abilities safely. She could excel at a lot of things. Gymnastics is only one of them. And at 3, the possibilities are endless.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Probably frustrating to hear, but at this point there's no rush, and far more to lose by having her do too much than by having her do not enough. There's very little long-term benefit to learning a lot of advanced skills early, even if she's capable of doing them. I know it's exciting to see such a young kid doing advanced skills, (and as long as she's having fun and being safe by all means she can continue), but it doesn't necessarily translate into more advanced long-term ability.

Here's why: what she's learning right now is how these skills work for a two-year-old body. A two-year-old body is very different from a child/teen/adult body, and the mechanics and movement she's learning now will be effectively obsolete in only a few years' time.
Here's what WON'T become obsolete, though: a love of the gym, a passion for athletics, the ability to communicate effectively with coaches and teammates, and so on.

The best thing you can do for her future gymnastics is to not focus heavily on gymnastics at this age. Actual skill development is not really a relevant concern; the highest priority to prepare for long-term success is building a passion for athletics and a love of the gym. The skills that she can learn at this age that will continue to serve her in the long run are skills that she can learn running and playing at a park. How to engage with other kids, how to run and jump, how to fall and get back up and keep playing.

There will come a point in the future where a more structured, technical, skill-focused workout will be beneficial for her development, but at 2 years old, she's just not there yet.

Probably an unpopular opinion here, but I don't think there's any real benefit to teaching actual gymnastics skills or techniques to kids under about 5. Rather than being taught specific movements and techniques in controlled and padded environments, kids that age get more benefit out of being wild and unstructured and running and climbing and falling and getting bruises and scrapes and so on. Let them learn intuitively how to move and balance their bodies with no particular goal first, then as they get older they can learn discipline and precision and control.
In other words, I think preschool gymnastics as a whole is pretty much pointless, and kids would be better served by spending that same time in public parks.

 

[Tigtimes]

OK not to be the downer here but your daughter is TWO !! None of this should even be a conversation at 2/3 years old. The only thing you will accomplish is perhaps injury to a toddler body. Play is what you should be focused on not developing athletic prowess at this age. If gymnastics is going to be her journey it will develop naturally. Please don’t be that parent let your toddler be a toddler.

Search the word injury on this forum and read what can happen. Doing skills on a body that young is just plain dangerous.

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

My daughter went to "mommy and me" gymnastics classes at 2 and the coaches and other parents constantly raved about her abilities. I was like you and wanted to give her anything she needed to continue to grow and enjoy it. She is now 8 and still extremely passionate about the sport and I still struggle with knowing what to give her and how to keep some balance in her life.

At that age my daughter did a gymnastics class and took a ballet and tap class and we did swimming lessons and t-ball and soccer at times. My advice to you is that if you think she will be a competitive gymnast at some point then take this time to let her try a lot of other activities before her time requirements in the gym get too high.

I know it can be hard to hear all the comments on hear telling you to "back off", I was in a very similar situation. I am very impressed at how gracefully you have received all these comments. I wish you and your daughter the best in whatever activities you both decide on!

 

[LJL07]

I know it can be hard to hear all the comments on hear telling you to "back off", I was in a very similar situation. I am very impressed at how gracefully you have received all these comments. I wish you and your daughter the best in whatever activities you both decide on!

Yes. When I first joined CB, I posted a question about my 6 year old who was bored on level 1. And believe me, level 1 is BORING. I thought I had a prodigy on my hands because she was doing back handsprings and back flips all over the place. I got a lot of snarky comments from "seasoned" parents, and it kinda hurt my feelings. Hindsight is always 20/20, but if I could go back in time, I would have done things differently. With what we have been through, it is pretty shocking that my kids are still doing gymnastics. With my youngest especially, I wish we had tried lots of different things. She just kind of followed in the footsteps of her older sister. Gymnastics is the most labor intensive sport out there. I don't know if it is still pinned, but someone posted a thread about "boiling a frog," and it was pretty accurate.

 

[JPC13]

And believe me, level 1 is BORING.

Maybe optionals are different, but so far every level seems to get boring. There's simply no way that a kid can practice the same floor routine for 6 months, while being reminded to point their toes... JUST RIGHT... without it becoming a drag. Some times I wonder if xcel to optionals would be a better path. At least then you can add new stuff to your routine as you perfect it.

If my daughter wasn't a natural perfectionist who loves repetition in all things, I don't think that she could handle compulsory gymnastics.

 

[Deleted member 26368]

Some times I wonder if xcel to would be a better path. At least then you can add new stuff to your routine as you perfect it.

If my daughter wasn't a natural perfectionist who loves repetition in all things, I don't think that she could handle compulsory gymnastics.

Trust me, Xcel can get repetitive too! Yes, certain things can be tweaked or modified, but at a certain point in the season (at least for DD's gym), it was all about perfecting the existing routine to maximize/maintain score. DD's team was OVER IT by States, LOL. I certainly understand your point, though. I doubt my daughter would ever be happy in compulsories because of the repetition, so Xcel offers a better fit for her.

 

[LJL07]

Maybe optionals are different, but so far every level seems to get boring. There's simply no way that a kid can practice the same floor routine for 6 months, while being reminded to point their toes... JUST RIGHT... without it becoming a drag. Some times I wonder if xcel to optionals would be a better path. At least then you can add new stuff to your routine as you perfect it.

If my daughter wasn't a natural perfectionist who loves repetition in all things, I don't think that she could handle compulsory gymnastics.

I would NEVER pay to spend an entire season on level 1 or 2 again. Ever. My kids were bored out of their minds. Honestly, I am old, and I think *I* could compete level 1 if I figured out how to do a back hip circle again. About 8-10 years ago, we had the level 1 and level 2 Olympics over here. I don't see how it was beneficial at all beyond being a money-making gambit. Yes, more gyms are using an xcel to optionals path for the lower levels. It does get better on optionals. Although my youngest was over level 8 by the end. She spent a long time doing the same bar routine though and was really, really ready to do new things. Sorry for veering off-topic a bit.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Unfortunately, building strong basics is the most boring part of training.

It's also the most important

 

[gymgal]

Unfortunately, building strong basics is the most boring part of training.

It's also the most important

It's also one of the reasons why gyms have their pre-teams focus just on very basic foundation skills. Weeds out the gymnasts who find it too boring. They may be extremely talented but if they cannot stay focused on basic foundations they will not do well in later levels when hundreds of repetitions will be needed.

 

[A's Mom]

So much good advice I won't repeat, though I will echo how impressed I am with your grace. I hear you wanting to fill your daughter's life with joy and gymnastics brings her that. It sounds like she's a super active toddler, so when it comes to home equipment, the very best thing we ever bought was a basic panel mat. If you have the room, get a couple panel mats and a wedge mat, and she'll be able to safely roll around and jump and fall and build forts to her heart's content. My kid has been at this gymnastics thing for 8 years, and that panel mat still sees a lot of action. The beam? Buried in pre-teen detritus. And circus! Soccer! Swimming! (REALLY wish we'd been more serious about swimming before my gymnast's hours made it difficult.)

 

[LJL07]

Unfortunately, building strong basics is the most boring part of training.

It's also the most important

Agreed. But sitting through 8-9 level 1 meets x2 made my ears bleed. Terrible music!

 

[Em09]

Ah, compulsorys, where you must listen to the same song over and over and over until you can't anymore, because I'm pretty sure your ears fell off -_-
And why do the songs tend to be loud and ear-piercing?

 

[LucyRobinson]

The people who post above are very right about

Ah, compulsorys, where you must listen to the same song over and over and over until you can't anymore, because I'm pretty sure your ears fell off -_-
And why do the songs tend to be loud and ear-piercing?

Actually the new Compulsory music isn't half bad in my opinion, though repeatedly at meets was a little wearing.
Old L2 Compulsory music was so annoying!

 

[PeanutsMom]

Cautionary tale..my daughter started gymnastics at age 3. We moved into an area with horrible winter weather in November. Didn't know anyone, my eldest was in elementary school and my 2 and 3 year old were driving me crazy inside the house. I needed an outlet for them, so I started them in toddler classes. Long story short, one of the coaches noticed my daughter quickly could do a pullover by the age of 4 (we started 2 months before her 4th birthday). She also could easily walk the high beam, she could do a chin up hang, and she could jump in straight jump, tuck jump, straddle jump on trampoline, and was really good at being coordinated. The coach said, "She is a kid the old Russian coaches would send to camp!" (sorry if that offends anyone, but that is what was said). We stayed in gymnastics and she loved it. One of the coaches then suggested we put her in Jr. TOPS. Now, I was never a competitive gymnast. I did rec gymnastics as a kid and loved it, but it was too expensive and time consuming for my family to consider. So I said, sure, Jr. TOPS sounds great, she loves gymnastics.

Fast forward 8 months and my 5 year old is getting stomach aches before practice. She is rushing from kindergarten to 2 hours of practice twice a week and not getting home until 8pm. It was a disaster. Sure she got stronger. Sure she got great shaping, but she didn't learn any skills. TOPS was developmental and a lot of conditioning, so what someone said earlier about skills not coming until level 3, for us that was the case. It made my daughter hate gymnastics because it was work not fun.

As you can see, she went back, but it was at a different gym after almost a year off and she missed it. I didn't tell them she had been in Jr. TOPS and I started her in rec classes. She just wanted to do gymnastics. Eventually they invited her to team and she started level 3 at age 7 after I had many conversations with the compulsory coach that no matter what I wanted gymnastics to be fun for her. She is now a level 7, training level 8, and we left a gym because it became about winning and work not about gymnastics and personal growth (that's another story).

Moral of the story, she has plenty of time. Don't push her to be a gymnast yet. Let her be a toddler.

 

[RTT2]

A number of years ago a poster here shared something that has always stayed with me- I wish I could remember her user name, and I have no idea if she still posts here. Her daughter was an early bloomer and really gifted in both sports and academics. I think she was an only child and the mom shared that they wanted to do everything possible to give her the best opportunities. The coaches fast tracked her in the gym and her parents decided private school could best meet her advanced academic needs. The mom said eventually kids who'd started gymnastics later than her daughter caught up and even passed her as they were less burned out and had so much fresh energy and passion for the sport. The girl was very bright but private school turned out to be a pressure cooker where all the highly gifted were competing against each other. I remember her saying she wished they'd had the perspective to simply slow down and let things progress at a less intense pace. She also said she felt like private school was a waste of money bc her daughter probably would have thrived just as well or better in their public schools. Giving kids time to grow and develop at their own pace can be such a gift.