WAG Mommy and me- too skills focused?

[Dr Maleficent]

Wow. At 19 months the advanced gymnastic skill that my ds (now a 9 year old advanced-track gymnast) was doing was.....walking. Just about. He would have got deductions for repeated falls though.

 

[aileenmaryf]

I don't think your skills are inappropriate, but if skills are at a level where the kid can't even remotely do it, then it will not really improve their abilities. In some sense any gymnastics helps because any inversion, etc will help develop the vestibular system at that age. But bringing what they do more in line with strengthening their natural developmental movement stage will help their physical/mental coordination more.

Trying to get any 18 month old to do anything like a cartwheel is basically a waste of time. The closest progression I would do is " flanking" around a mat. Hands on the mat and walk around it (can use a mushroom). Otherwise the parent is just lifting them over and the child is not working as hard mentally and physically. The harder progression for an older toddler would be to then put the feet on the mat or floor mushroom (obv can't be too high) and walk the hands around it. This will strengthen the core moving in all directions and prepare them physically and mentally for when they are developmentally ready and physically big enough to successfully execute cartwheel drills. Around 3.5 minimum but that would be only about 25% of kids. Better for them to do a bunny cartwheel but with hands and direction fixed. At 4 they can do X to X cartwheel if prepared.

I don't require kids to do a cartwheel. In fact some kids for whatever reason like to do forward rolls on the cartwheel mat, and that is fine. I don't push kids to do it, its simply there if they want to try. Sometimes parents just let their kids skip it all together if their kid doesn't have interest in that station and that is fine with me. However, with the kids who do engage themselves in the station, I have seen some "success" with cartwheels over a longer period of time. We have sessions that are typically a little more than 2 months long. In a session a kid might not make any progress but I have seen kids who continue to come back, and after 3 or 4 sessions they have a better idea of it than when they started and sometimes can do something that resembles a cartwheel. Most of the kids who start to get the concept are usually closer to 3, but since I have a range of 18months to 3 years old, I like put it out there anyway.

 

[TLsmom]

I also teach tot classes and I am absolutely amazed if you're implying that you get ALL of those things in during one single class!?! I teach almost all of those things (except backbends, we don't do backbends with anyone under 5) but the major difference is that I don't do all of those skills in a single class. I have stations set up that we rotate through, and I'm really big on structure but we definitely wouldn't get through all those in one class.

Now, that is what the skills we work on are... Do I expect 18mo olds to do it perfectly? Of course not!! At that age, heck some of them can't jump on the tramp at all, let alone do a straddle jump. I spot the most "crucial" skill, the parents do the rest. At 3 I start getting a little pickier on what I know they can actually do and work more on the actual skills.

Yes we do the entire thing I wrote up every class, it's fairly fast paced and for the most part I feel like its a workout for me because I am lifting her and basically making her body do the skills on floor (besides the forward roll, she was doing that before we even started gymnastics) that's why I wondered if the class was too skills focused I am much more interested in fun than I am in training her to be the next gabby Douglas! (Although TL was born the day GD won the AA at the Olympics so that means she is destined for greatness right? )

 

[TLsmom]

Wow. At 19 months the advanced gymnastic skill that my ds (now a 9 year old advanced-track gymnast) was doing was.....walking. Just about. He would have got deductions for repeated falls though.

I am not at all saying she is advanced or naturally talented my main goal is to have fun and exercise in a great sport with me! We don't do any Mother's Day out or preschool classes for her and I stay at home so I want her to have fun opportunities!

 

[Dr Maleficent]

I am not at all saying she is advanced or naturally talented my main goal is to have fun and exercise in a great sport with me! We don't do any Mother's Day out or preschool classes for her and I stay at home so I want her to have fun opportunities!

Sorry, I wasn't intending to imply that - it was more a comment on the kind of skills that the gym seem to believe 19 month olds should be able to do - I'm amazed because cartwheels really aren't within the usual set of developmental skills for a 19month old (although walking is -my ds was just taking his time - a trait that he still has, making morning school preparation a joy! ) If it was me I would be really tempted to look for a more laid-back programme at this age - it is really the age to be having fun and exploring the world -plenty of time for skills later!

 

[txgal]

That is quite advanced for a mommy and me class. DD's gym does mommy and me classes; they are about 40-45 minutes in length and they do involve a lot of 'gymnastics' but it isn't so much skills as it is strength and flexibility. This is what a typical mommy and me class at her gym looks like:

Open

• welcome song (usually hokey pokey or a silly song that gets the kids running, skipping, etc)
• stretching (about 5 min; this usually involves teaching toddlers/preschoolers gymnastics positions--pike, toe point, etc and working on flexibility--shoulder stretches, straddle stretch, etc)

Class time

• forward rolls (done on a wedge mat)
• backward rolls (done on a wedge mat)
• walk forward, backward, side step on short floor beam, straight jump from beam to floor
• pre-pullover (not sure if there is an actual name)--small toddler bar placed close to the wall and HC helps kids walk up the wall then pulls them over the top of the bar to support
• cast on the toddler bar, 3x with coach doing most of the skill
• tuck hold on rings, again with coach holding most of their weight
• handstand hold on wall, usually 15 secs; coach is less interested in the actual handstand or the hold--just wants them to get the idea of what they're supposed to do
• straight jumps on springboard, straight jump to floor

(Not all of this is done at every class. HC alternates between beam/bars and floor/vault
skills)

End

• tumbletrak: straight jumps to the end of trampoline, straight jump onto whale mat; tuck jumps in place (parents hold child's hands while they jump and lift their knees)

All of these skills (class and trampoline) are done with heavy assistance from HC/parents. At the end of their rotation (usually 3 stations) there is a roller coaster ride back to the beginning of the line. The kids ride the car down and then walk it back up before taking their place in line. Most of the class focuses on teaching toddlers/preschoolers listening skills, how to follow directions, and basic gymnastics skills (assisted by parents/HC) so that when they move up to the preschool class they're ready to go and know what the coach is asking them to do. HC doesn't expect them to be able to do all the skills; she does expect them to participate, listen, and not run around the gym like they're on a playground (as the team is usually working out at the same time). There is no requirement, other than age, to move into the preschool class because it is essentially the same thing, sans parental presence (but still lots of assistance from the coach). HC has NEVER done backbends with the tiny tots because their shoulders and backs just don't have the strength or flexibility to do them yet; nor does she do actual handstands with them (only against the wall and it's still not much of a handstand--looks more like an upside down table hold). Everything in the class is done with kiddie music playing and the kids rotate in a manner similar to music freeze tag--when the music stops, it's time to move to the next station.

No one here can give you any recommendation as far as if the class is too skills-based as it's your child and only you know what's too much for them to handle, but it sounds to me like there is a real push in your gym to get them ready for team--a much bigger push than in most gyms whose philosophy for the mommy and me is fun play time, with strength, flexibility and an introduction to basic gymnastics skills.

 

[bandgeek802]

Backbends? Yikes! If they're doing backbends on 18 month-olds, then who knows what they do with the older kids!

 

[3rd_time_around]

Actually, what you describe is a lot like our Parent and Me that we attended with my dd. 18 months to 3 years. I don't recall doing backbends, but the coach taught them proper positions, pointed toes, straight legs, etc. when they did circuits, because he said they should hear it and feel it as soon as they learn things so that they don't have to unlearn bad habits later on. It was a fun class, and expectations were not so high that they had to do it "right," but the coach spoke the right ways during each exercise or station. He even would do slow motion BHS (him holding them, of course, but he had them in tight body position, straight legs, etc). Lots of fun and still learning correctly without wild running around. My dd LOVED her class. Now in the 3-4 yr old class, the ones that were in class with her (including her) are more advanced than the others--its obvious. My dd and her whole class can do a bridge by themselves (all just turned 4 or will be 4 soon), and they are very good at many of the skills.

Personally, I wouldn't expect a Parent and Me at a gym that has a competitive team program to be more free-for-all, i would expect gymnastics on their level, that's what I'm paying for. We can sing and play at home for free, or at the library.

 

[gymdog]

Actually, what you describe is a lot like our Parent and Me that we attended with my dd. 18 months to 3 years. I don't recall doing backbends, but the coach taught them proper positions, pointed toes, straight legs, etc. when they did circuits, because he said they should hear it and feel it as soon as they learn things so that they don't have to unlearn bad habits later on. It was a fun class, and expectations were not so high that they had to do it "right," but the coach spoke the right ways during each exercise or station. He even would do slow motion BHS (him holding them, of course, but he had them in tight body position, straight legs, etc). Lots of fun and still learning correctly without wild running around. My dd LOVED her class. Now in the 3-4 yr old class, the ones that were in class with her (including her) are more advanced than the others--its obvious. My dd and her whole class can do a bridge by themselves (all just turned 4 or will be 4 soon), and they are very good at many of the skills.

Personally, I wouldn't expect a Parent and Me at a gym that has a competitive team program to be more free-for-all, i would expect gymnastics on their level, that's what I'm paying for. We can sing and play at home for free, or at the library.

Right, but doing gymnastics that isn't at the correct level does nothing. Bridge is a position, not a skill. Anyone with the right proportions and moderate flexibility can do a bridge. Kids who can't generally don't have the right proportions yet. If I walked into a 5-7 first day beginner class and said lay down, elbows like this, go up, 95% would do it without ever having seen it before.

In some sense there is a vestibular benefit to going upside down/backwards, so I will spot some things that the kids aren't close to doing. But overall the MOST beneficial thing to this age group is as much independent movement as possible.

Every time you touch a child you alter their movement/balance because they are relying on your proprioceptive input. This is fine in some cases but independent movement will develop more finely tuned balance and coordination. My classes have no "wild running around" although some children do learn through exploration.

 

[iwannacoach]

It should be active play/exploration with mommy helping keep things safe and upbeat, wheeeeeeee! Keep gymnastics in the background under the direction of a professional, like gymdog, and nothing more.

 

[3rd_time_around]

That is quite advanced for a mommy and me class. DD's gym does mommy and me classes; they are about 40-45 minutes in length and they do involve a lot of 'gymnastics' but it isn't so much skills as it is strength and flexibility. This is what a typical mommy and me class at her gym looks like:

Open

• welcome song (usually hokey pokey or a silly song that gets the kids running, skipping, etc)
• stretching (about 5 min; this usually involves teaching toddlers/preschoolers gymnastics positions--pike, toe point, etc and working on flexibility--shoulder stretches, straddle stretch, etc)

Class time

• forward rolls (done on a wedge mat)
• backward rolls (done on a wedge mat)
• walk forward, backward, side step on short floor beam, straight jump from beam to floor
• pre-pullover (not sure if there is an actual name)--small toddler bar placed close to the wall and HC helps kids walk up the wall then pulls them over the top of the bar to support
• cast on the toddler bar, 3x with coach doing most of the skill
• tuck hold on rings, again with coach holding most of their weight
• handstand hold on wall, usually 15 secs; coach is less interested in the actual handstand or the hold--just wants them to get the idea of what they're supposed to do
• straight jumps on springboard, straight jump to floor

(Not all of this is done at every class. HC alternates between beam/bars and floor/vault
skills)

End

• tumbletrak: straight jumps to the end of trampoline, straight jump onto whale mat; tuck jumps in place (parents hold child's hands while they jump and lift their knees)

All of these skills (class and trampoline) are done with heavy assistance from HC/parents. At the end of their rotation (usually 3 stations) there is a roller coaster ride back to the beginning of the line. The kids ride the car down and then walk it back up before taking their place in line. Most of the class focuses on teaching toddlers/preschoolers listening skills, how to follow directions, and basic gymnastics skills (assisted by parents/HC) so that when they move up to the preschool class they're ready to go and know what the coach is asking them to do. HC doesn't expect them to be able to do all the skills; she does expect them to participate, listen, and not run around the gym like they're on a playground (as the team is usually working out at the same time). There is no requirement, other than age, to move into the preschool class because it is essentially the same thing, sans parental presence (but still lots of assistance from the coach). HC has NEVER done backbends with the tiny tots because their shoulders and backs just don't have the strength or flexibility to do them yet; nor does she do actual handstands with them (only against the wall and it's still not much of a handstand--looks more like an upside down table hold). Everything in the class is done with kiddie music playing and the kids rotate in a manner similar to music freeze tag--when the music stops, it's time to move to the next station.

No one here can give you any recommendation as far as if the class is too skills-based as it's your child and only you know what's too much for them to handle, but it sounds to me like there is a real push in your gym to get them ready for team--a much bigger push than in most gyms whose philosophy for the mommy and me is fun play time, with strength, flexibility and an introduction to basic gymnastics skills.

This is almost exactly our P&M class (minus the roller coaster). I was just saying that I and most of the participants in our P&M classes expect some type of gymnastics, not just singing and playing and exploring. That is what you do at the library. Our P&M class was lots of fun, with lots of age-appropriate gymnastics with mom or dad right alongside and helping. My dd's P&M coach did encourage proper form as well, but of course it wasn't required. It all depends on what you and your child like or want. If you want more play and singing, etc., look for a gym that offers that. If you like more structured with a more of an emphasis on gymnastics, there's a gym out there for you, too. You have to be comfortable with your choice, and your gut instincts will help you find the right place.

 

[gymdog]

This is almost exactly our P&M class (minus the roller coaster). I was just saying that I and most of the participants in our P&M classes expect some type of gymnastics, not just singing and playing and exploring. That is what you do at the library. Our P&M class was lots of fun, with lots of age-appropriate gymnastics with mom or dad right alongside and helping.

I do agree with that. Overall There's actually a lot of gymnastics that a very young child can do. That's the amazing thing about this sort and activating the movement patterns in the brain. There are so many movement patterns they can start to develop, but it's a bit more complex than just spotting them through gymnastics.

But any gymnastics, as long as it is safe, is fairly beneficial during critical development periods because of the vestibular, visual input. But the mistake that some people make is thinking that pulling them through a cartwheel is better or learning more than doing a bear crawl. Actually the bear crawl is developing strength throughout the entire body, critical coordination of lateral and top/bottom of the body, and development of a specific visual traits that involve moving the eyes independently of the body and head.

So actually the child is learning a lot by doing the bear crawl. And I use a lot of music during class because music is an amazing tool for development as well, rhythm and listening is very important for gymnastics.