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[Still_learning]

My 5 year old is obsessed with gymnastics. She took 2 classes/week for an entire year as a 4 year old. She just turned 5 and is enrolled in 3 45-min classes/week. Our problem is the skills exceed the maturity/listening/behavior skills. I have no idea what I’m doing as a gymnastics parent. interestingly enough, none of the behaviors are seen by the kindergarten teacher at school, where she is a model student. Due to behavioral issues (which I witnessed and are valid) she can’t move up. So she stays with her age peers (5-6) 3/week in recreational classes. However, my coworker gave us a foam beam and she relentlessly turns cartwheels on it. I’ve had to remove it from the house. She rarely falls off and it’s only 2 inches tall but I have no idea how to spot or any skills whatsoever and so I’m massively uncomfortable with safety (worst case scenario) or bad habits forming. She was on it for 2+ hours today (cumulatively). I looked up drills on YouTube as an alternative that looked safe (arabesque over stuffed animals) and toe raises but begs to do the cartwheels. Any advice? Is there an at home program anyone follows that non-gymnastic and safety cautious moms use? Am I being neurotic and limiting? I know she is capable skill wise for great things (and all coaches agree) but the home gym (where it’s quiet) seems very unsafe to me.

 

[Kara]

You're not being neurotic. I broke my arm when I was 5 doing cartwheels on a floor beam at home. I think you're right to encourage conditioning at home, but keep the skills in the gym.

 

[Still_learning]

You're not being neurotic. I broke my arm when I was 5 doing cartwheels on a floor beam at home. I think you're right to encourage conditioning at home, but keep the skills in the gym.

Thank you for posting this- I’m sorry about your arm and thankful you shared your experience as it’s what my gut is telling me.

 

[WV Gym Mom]

The timing of class (at the end of a long school day) or the atmosphere (loud gym) may be contributing to the behavior issues. And they are a valid concern - one of the biggest things coaches look for in young children, other than raw skills, is teachability. But she may also simply be bored. Do they offer classes on a 'quieter day' (saturday, a less popular weekday?) Do they offer private lessons? If that is something that would be in your budget, the one on one instruction might be helpful. Other than that, maybe taking a year off and seeing if maturity improves with time?

 

[Dahlialover]

Put her in swimming. It will build the core strength that she will need to progress to higher level gymnastics skills and it will wear her out so she has a better chance of behaving herself on gymnastics days. Also, she’ll probably spend a lot of time doing gymnastics in coming years and getting those swimming skills locked down now will save you from a scheduling dilemma in the future.

Personally, I don’t think there is any harm in letting a 5-year-old play around on a foam beam or a little floor mat. Cartwheels and summersaults are normal children’s play activities in my world. But if you don’t feel comfortable supervising, that’s okay too. Good luck

 

[estamey21]

I'm glad to hear that your daughter is obsessed with gymnastics. (I get it. I was obsessed with gymnastics when I was five, and I'm still obsessed with it 30 years later.) I'm also glad that your gym is "holding her back" due to her behavioral issues. Gymnastics is a dangerous sport, so self discipline and emotional maturity are skills that need to be developed alongside physical skills.


But I see a lot of opportunities in this situation. Right now, your daughter is annoyed because her rec class is too easy and she is not allowed to play on the beam at home. Since the real problem is her behavior at gymnastics class, how about set up a reward system? "If you don't goof off at gymnastics, you get to play on the beam for one hour. If the teacher tells me that you were not paying attention, the beam stays in the garage." This will reinforce the message that good behavior is a prerequisite to learning more advanced gymnastics.


I would also set constraints around playtime to emphasize the importance of following directions. She should only be allowed to do jumps, turns, and cartwheels. If she starts doing handstands, bridges, rolls, or flips, the beam should be confiscated (temporarily). Every time the beam is taken away, remind her that she can have it back the next time she demonstrates good behavior at gymnastics class.


Good luck!

 

[Still_learning]

Put her in swimming. It will build the core strength that she will need to progress to higher level gymnastics skills and it will wear her out so she has a better chance of behaving herself on gymnastics days. Also, she’ll probably spend a lot of time doing gymnastics in coming years and getting those swimming skills locked down now will save you from a scheduling dilemma in the future.

Personally, I don’t think there is any harm in letting a 5-year-old play around on a foam beam or a little floor mat. Cartwheels and summersaults are normal children’s play activities in my world. But if you don’t feel comfortable supervising, that’s okay too. Good luck

That is great advise and makes me feel better that I’m in the right course. She swims 3 times a week, but not in a class. She can’t start the Red Cross lessons until she turns 6, so she swims 7-10 lengths, works on a few skills and then plays the rest of the time. I suppose I’m the teacher for this activity as I taught swimming decades ago, but she can only do breaststroke, and front crawl (no backstroke or butterfly). She also does ballet once a week and loves that. I’m actually using gymnastics as an after school program because of logistics. Our options for extracurriculars are somewhat limited.

 

[Still_learning]

I'm glad to hear that your daughter is obsessed with gymnastics. (I get it. I was obsessed with gymnastics when I was five, and I'm still obsessed with it 30 years later.) I'm also glad that your gym is "holding her back" due to her behavioral issues. Gymnastics is a dangerous sport, so self discipline and emotional maturity are skills that need to be developed alongside physical skills.


But I see a lot of opportunities in this situation. Right now, your daughter is annoyed because her rec class is too easy and she is not allowed to play on the beam at home. Since the real problem is her behavior at gymnastics class, how about set up a reward system? "If you don't goof off at gymnastics, you get to play on the beam for one hour. If the teacher tells me that you were not paying attention, the beam stays in the garage." This will reinforce the message that good behavior is a prerequisite to learning more advanced gymnastics.


I would also set constraints around playtime to emphasize the importance of following directions. She should only be allowed to do jumps, turns, and cartwheels. If she starts doing handstands, bridges, rolls, or flips, the beam should be confiscated (temporarily). Every time the beam is taken away, remind her that she can have it back the next time she demonstrates good behavior at gymnastics class.


Good luck!

Thank you so much for that advice!!! There are a few gyms around and I had her in a different one over summer due to scheduling. I pulled her after 4 classes when she showed me they were doing kick overs (she demonstrated at home to my shock). I probably over reacted but this child is absolutely fearless. I have several other children and she is extremely daring. I also googled (again I am clueless) and it looked like a controversial subject and I don’t want her to become injured from my ignorance. I told the coach I didn’t want her doing that skill since she was only 4 and there was evidence it could hurt her and I was afraid she would fixate on it, but she wasn’t very concerned. Again, I thought I was being overprotective so I just said we were taking a break. She has since contacted me several times asking when DD will be back and I haven’t told her we are back at the other gym. To be fair I had told her we only were interested in her summer program and would be returning in the fall. She is short for her age, and I asked the pediatrician and he was clueless. I just pulled her and am back at the gym I completely trust (but it’s loud). I guess I’m trying to figure out if I’m holding my child back bc of my anxiety/ wishes. I don’t need her to be a super gymnast. I just need to have a place for her to burn energy while I finish my work day. But I also feel like I’m not getting her something she may need.
I never did gymnastics so I don’t know what’s a reasonable expectation.

 

[Still_learning]

Thank you so much for that advice!!! There are a few gyms around and I had her in a different one over summer due to scheduling. I pulled her after 4 classes when she showed me they were doing kick overs (she demonstrated at home to my shock). I probably over reacted but this child is absolutely fearless. I have several other children and she is extremely daring. I also googled (again I am clueless) and it looked like a controversial subject and I don’t want her to become injured from my ignorance. I told the coach I didn’t want her doing that skill since she was only 4 and there was evidence it could hurt her and I was afraid she would fixate on it, but she wasn’t very concerned. Again, I thought I was being overprotective so I just said we were taking a break. She has since contacted me several times asking when DD will be back and I haven’t told her we are back at the other gym. To be fair I had told her we only were interested in her summer program and would be returning in the fall. She is short for her age, and I asked the pediatrician and he was clueless. I just pulled her and am back at the gym I completely trust (but it’s loud). I guess I’m trying to figure out if I’m holding my child back bc of my anxiety/ wishes. I don’t need her to be a super gymnast. I just need to have a place for her to burn energy while I finish my work day. But I also feel like I’m not getting her something she may need.
I never did gymnastics so I don’t know what’s a reasonable expectation.

I meant to add that I thought I could compensate by working with her at home (she listens to me but not coaches) and it’s quiet. But I’m finding my abilities aren’t there and I’m not sure if random YouTube videos help or hurt.

 

[HopefulGymnast]

I know most 4 year olds won't be able to communicate this, but it may be worth a try: have you tried asking her why she is doing the unwanted things in gymnastics class? (Naming the specific behaviors, not just 'behaving badly'). Have you asked if she knows she's doing these things and if it's on purpose?
Have you explained to her that she can get to learn more difficult stuff if she learns to listen to the coach?

Also, what are her behavioral issues?

When i was a kid, I had sever undiagnosed AD(H)D and looking back I was extremely talented and it was a shame nobody knew how to deal with my issues at the time. That's why I'm curious if maybe there are solutions. I do agree with other people that this being after school may be the cause: if she's getting stimuli and having to behave all day in class, she's gonna wind down some time.

 

[Still_learning]

I know most 4 year olds won't be able to communicate this, but it may be worth a try: have you tried asking her why she is doing the unwanted things in gymnastics class? (Naming the specific behaviors, not just 'behaving badly'). Have you asked if she knows she's doing these things and if it's on purpose?
Have you explained to her that she can get to learn more difficult stuff if she learns to listen to the coach?

Also, what are her behavioral issues?

When i was a kid, I had sever undiagnosed AD(H)D and looking back I was extremely talented and it was a shame nobody knew how to deal with my issues at the time. That's why I'm curious if maybe there are solutions. I do agree with other people that this being after school may be the cause: if she's getting stimuli and having to behave all day in class, she's gonna wind down some time.

That is also great advice I hadn’t thought about. It’s interesting because I believe it’s a sensory thing along with impulse control. So she gets excited and then flips around. Especially when she is waiting or in a pair and waiting her turn. It’s like she just can’t contain herself from experiencing what her body will feel like and come up with odd things to do, example from today. The bouncy triangle vault thing had a rubber band around it and they were told to bounce on it while holding the rubber bands. She did that perfectly… for 15-20 seconds, then let go of the rubber bands, bounced super hard, did a forward tuck thing in the air and landed on her bottom. Next station was cartwheel in a flat mat, instead of slowly and controlled cartwheeling, she did them back and forth (bad form) with occasional landing into splits. One went from cartwheel to back end and then kick over.

 

[HopefulGymnast]

That is also great advice I hadn’t thought about. It’s interesting because I believe it’s a sensory thing along with impulse control. So she gets excited and then flips around. Especially when she is waiting or in a pair and waiting her turn. It’s like she just can’t contain herself from experiencing what her body will feel like and come up with odd things to do, example from today. The bouncy triangle vault thing had a rubber band around it and they were told to bounce on it while holding the rubber bands. She did that perfectly… for 15-20 seconds, then let go of the rubber bands, bounced super hard, did a forward tuck thing in the air and landed on her bottom. Next station was cartwheel in a flat mat, instead of slowly and controlled cartwheeling, she did them back and forth (bad form) with occasional landing into splits. One went from cartwheel to back end and then kick over.

That reminds me a lot of me at that age. For me it was partly AD(H)D, which was very severe when i was young. But it was also for me partly that I was bored with the level we were at: I was doing handsprings (probably with poor form) and the hardest thing I got to do all practise was a handstand or walking from one end of the beam to the other. I quit after a month because I was bored, but it sounds like your daughter is still having fun.

Unfortunately, I don't have advise on how to fix that issue, but so long as she's enjoying herself that's good .
The only advise I can give is try to communicate with her, and with her coach about this issue. (Maybe eventually she'll understand the situation better and that'll help her focus so she gets to learn bigger skills. Or maybe the coach can find a way to make things more interesting and challenging for her) I know a lot of stretngth training but I can't help you with that because I don't know what's appropriate at her age.

Good luck, and remember so long as she's safe and enjoying herself it's all good.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

It is sometimes hard with little ones to know if they do generally have poor behavior or if they are just bored, alleviating boredom for young athletes doesn't have to be about the next hardest skill it can be provided in many age appropriate ways. The fact that she can fit the mold at kindergarten suggests that she is fine if class management and structure is on point - not always a strength of gymnastics coaches.
WV Gym Mom's point about potentially being tired is great. I have had many young ones over the years who were superstars in the school holidays and on the weekend, During the school week, as a coach the expectations really had to be managed.

Gym are often high stimulation environments - so to go from a structured kindergarten class where she has expended her ability to focus into the gym may be part of the issue too. I would also explore the option of a weekend class to assess if there is a difference.

 

[GymnastIQ]

My 5 year old is obsessed with gymnastics. She took 2 classes/week for an entire year as a 4 year old. She just turned 5 and is enrolled in 3 45-min classes/week. Our problem is the skills exceed the maturity/listening/behavior skills. I have no idea what I’m doing as a gymnastics parent. interestingly enough, none of the behaviors are seen by the kindergarten teacher at school, where she is a model student. Due to behavioral issues (which I witnessed and are valid) she can’t move up. So she stays with her age peers (5-6) 3/week in recreational classes. However, my coworker gave us a foam beam and she relentlessly turns cartwheels on it. I’ve had to remove it from the house. She rarely falls off and it’s only 2 inches tall but I have no idea how to spot or any skills whatsoever and so I’m massively uncomfortable with safety (worst case scenario) or bad habits forming. She was on it for 2+ hours today (cumulatively). I looked up drills on YouTube as an alternative that looked safe (arabesque over stuffed animals) and toe raises but begs to do the cartwheels. Any advice? Is there an at home program anyone follows that non-gymnastic and safety cautious moms use? Am I being neurotic and limiting? I know she is capable skill wise for great things (and all coaches agree) but the home gym (where it’s quiet) seems very unsafe to me.

 

[Still_learning]

I am the father of the most amazing 7-year-old gymnast in the world, at least in my opinion. Isabelle is a 7-year-old silver who was once just like your daughter. We were fortunate to have access to multiple private coaching sessions a week, and Isabelle's skillset bloomed. Our experience is the reason for creating gymnastIQ, an on-demand instructional training program meant to be a compliment to the program a gymnast already belongs to. This is aimed and accelerating their growth, and better preparing them for their practice and competition time. We lucked into getting a US National Team Coach plus a US National Champion for demonstrations along the way. I can honestly say that never before has lower-level gymnastics coaching been available to younger gymnasts, until now. Instead of it costing thousands a month in person, it's less than $1 a day.

check it out www gymnastiq .co
or search gymnastiq in the Google Play or IOS App stores, and download the app.

A couple of quick details.
1. You are getting in pre-launch, and it will be less $ for you now, and later as the price adjusts to normal.
2. are currently 60 videos ranging from 3-10 minutes long. (because of short attention span in young athletes.) More are on the way. 60 more are in production now, and we will continue to add 30 more per quarter after that.
3. I ask if you do sign up, (there is a 7-day free trial also). please give me feedback from a user perspective.
4. Some features, like the community, are not live yet but will be any day.

That’s great! I will check it out!

 

[GymnastIQ]

That’s great! I will check it out!

Awesome! I would love your feedback after you check it out.