Parents Home equipment

[LPflip]

My 7 year old is obsessed with gymnastics right now and is on a pre team level at her gym. (They don’t compete until level three so those are the skills she’s working on). She has a bar and mat from Amazon that she spends a lot of time on, but now that she is starting to do things like squat ons it doesn’t seem stable enough. Should I splurge for better home equipment, or as she moves up will it become less relevant as she spends more time at the gym and gets harder skills that she probably shouldn’t practice at home without a spotter anyway?

Our gym frowns upon this. However, some parent bought the beans, bars, and mats. We do not. My daughter has a pull up bar and air track. The only reason we got the air track was during quarantine. As others have said one they get older and higher levels they will not be able to use that equipment. I would save the money. I have seen parents spend a ton on equipment only to have their children quit in Level 6.

 

[Em09]

Kids are always going to want to continue with practice at home. It's good for them and it's fun. As long as they stick to basics, and never use incorrect equipment, it's okay. Bars is a concern, and should always, always stick to those basics. Beam, jumps, cartwheels, maybe even walkovers at home later on, but still sticking to the basics. Floor probably is where they can stretch the rules a bit, as long as the mat is nice and soft, and they don't make a habit of trying to learn skills. Learning skills at home is a big danger, so make sure to prevent that. In the end, it's up to you to enforce what they can and can't do.

 

[caitydid]

My 7 year old is obsessed with gymnastics right now and is on a pre team level at her gym. (They don’t compete until level three so those are the skills she’s working on). She has a bar and mat from Amazon that she spends a lot of time on, but now that she is starting to do things like squat ons it doesn’t seem stable enough. Should I splurge for better home equipment, or as she moves up will it become less relevant as she spends more time at the gym and gets harder skills that she probably shouldn’t practice at home without a spotter

 

[rlm's mom]

We bought a beam during covid. A good quality beam, yet only about 2 ft off the ground, minimizes the danger. I made a rule no “upsidedownies” on the beam. They loved doing turns and leaps on it so worthwhile. Our back lawn also does its job as gym equipment!