Parents progress for 6 year old.... too soon?

[rjb123]

My DD started old level four at age five, at nine hours a week. The month after she turned six, she was doing 12 hours a week. it worked well for her, but she is a high energy kid who loved it. Other kids had a harder time, so their parents just were watchful and gave a day off as they needed it.

 

[cbifoja]

It seems that every fall when my DD has an increase in hours, it takes about 6 weeks for her fall into the swing of thing. Until she hit 20 hours, she was always begging for more gymnastics. I think if you child is still enjoying gym and asking for more, then she is handling the hours.

Mine topped out at 20 hours. She was saturated at 20 as a 9 YO. She has her fill and isn't asking for additional hours anymore. She still loves it, but it's finally enough. I think anymore would be too much.

So my take is that if she isn't digging her heels in when it comes time to go to practice, complaining about going, etc. that you're still okay hours wise. But give her some time to adjust and then evaluate her attitude about gym. If she still loves it, the hours are fine.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Whether it's too much or not is between you and her coach. I think a lot of this gymnastics thing is just balance-and luck. If you push too fast too soon, your kid might burn out or get injured. If you wait too long...you might miss opportunities(but this, I kinda doubt...if the kid has potential- she will have it regardless of how old she is). I have always taken a "let't try it and see if it works" approach with my kids and so far, so good. If she seems stressed or tired, tell the coaches to back down. One of the things my dd's coach says all the time regarding my dd is..."I have to remember...she's just a kid"

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

We're going to let her practice with team on Tuesday, when it would be her normal Hotshots class, and see how she does with the long practice and school.

I suspect she'll be exhausted... Combination of the newness of the extended hours and the late hour finishing. It may take more than one class for her to adjust. At the end of her 6th year, DD jumped from 9 to 16 hours. It took about six weeks for her to adjust.... at week four we were both ready to pack it in. I'm glad we stuck it out..... I'd given us to the end of September (8 weeks) that year to try.

You're going to have to play it by ear. Good luck!

 

[GymmieC]

A six yo at 9 hrs is very possible. If your DD enjoys gym, the added hrs should not be a problem. She will transition as well as she can. DD was four yo when she went from about four hrs per week to 12 hrs. And five yo when she started 16. She is now nine and practices 20 hrs/wk. I was not sure about the initial 12 and told the coach that we would have to monitor how she reacts to those hrs. She was not phased by the hrs. She was sore initially, but always looked forward to the next day. She liked doing the big stuff even then. Now an increase of any hrs may not be for all gymmies , but each child is an individual.
Try out the hrs, but just be vigilant and note any behavior changes. If she displays any anxiety on her own, then you can make a decision to cut back on hrs. Be sure you work with her coach. If her coach has come to you with interest in going forth with your DD then she must have talent. What is important is that your DD wants to do it. Her desire to do so may spark a connection with " I want to do something then I work hard no matter what the obstacle may be." But you are her mom and you have to guide her throughout. You Do know what is best for her. Good luck to you and your DD! Let us know how she does. You will look back at your thread some day and ask yourself, " Why was I so worried?"

 

[Quadqueen]

DD was four yo when she went from about four hrs per week to 12 hrs. And five yo when she started 16.

4 years old and 12 hours a week??! that's crazy

 

[GymmieC]

4 years old and 12 hours a week??! that's crazy

Yeah, I thought that too. But she was at a very good reputable gym, so I trusted them. In retrospect all has worked out. Although she may not still be at that gym, DD loves gym and is inspired by 'the big girls' as she says to progress. She loves the challenge every new skill brings on.
I don't think DD is the only one with this story of hours and commitment. What fits one kid doesn't necessarily fit the next kid. Each child is an individual. Enough said.

 

[Quadqueen]

GymmieC, that's true...all kids are different, and I'm not saying your DD didn't love doing that many hours, I'm just trying to figure out why that many hours at that age is necessary. They can't even compete L2 at that age, and they shouldn't be doing back handsprings. Just wondering how they filled 12 hours.

 

[GymmieC]

GymmieC, that's true...all kids are different, and I'm not saying your DD didn't love doing that many hours, I'm just trying to figure out why that many hours at that age is necessary. They can't even compete L2 at that age, and they shouldn't be doing back handsprings. Just wondering how they filled 12 hours.

She moved to train level four at four yo, and then they moved her to train level five the year after at five yo. She didn't compete usag level five until her seventh birthday. She did compete I think three meets through gijo when she was 6. She trained the skills both in level four and five until she competed. But yes she was actually doing flip flops/back handsprings at three yo. She did it on her own when she and her older sister and I were watching gymnastics on TV. Older DD and I were talking when out of the corner of my eye I saw her flip backwards. I knew then we had to put her in gym. She was doing two ffs by five I believe and doing as many as she could as well out of a ro. Her back tuck came at six. She needed those hours maybe.
I have heard all the talk about the back bends at a young age, but honestly I hadn't known that back then. The gym she was at is very highly regarded so I did trust them.

 

[kaloss]

The more I think about it, the more comfortable I feel with the hours. When she moved from level 1 to hotshots, it took a little while to adjust to the new schedule and longer practices. I think I'll do what Fliptwisttumble did, set a deadline and see how she is doing by then.
She is beyond excited to train with the "big girls" and has been flitting around the house all weekend!

 

[momofthreegirls]

I have a 6 yo DD, too, and dealt with a similar issue last year. At the beginning of summer 2012 she was recommended to move to the L4 team. She was 5 and a half years old and had just graduated from preschool. She had been on the developmental team, which practiced 4.5 hours a week. L4 team practiced 15 hrs a week in the summer. I let DD try it, and she loved the extra hours. When kindergarten started, the practice hours decreased to 9.5 weekly for L4. It worked just fine for my little bundle of energy. She competed L4 as soon as she turned 6.

Now at 6 going on 7 she just finished summer practices - 20 hours a week. It went well, since they are given the entire month of June off. Now during the school year she will go 13 hours a week. We will see how it goes balancing schoolwork and gym. First grade is when homework begins in our school district.

Many of our team was 7 and under last year and they seemed to do well with 9.5 hours.

Good luck to you and your DD and have fun! At 6 it should be fun. We have been blessed with coaches who remember that.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

IMO I think 12 hours for Level 3 is a little much for a 6 year old. My own DD didn't do 12 hours til after she had finished her Level 5 season and was over 11 years old. And just this season (L7) her practices went from 3 hours to 4. There really is no time for homework on those days and she is up late many nights in order to get it done. She is 13 so of course she has much more homework than she did when she was 6.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

12 hours is too many hours. 9 is okay and give it a shot and see how see adjusts.

 

[OzZee]

You can't know if you don't try it.
Though personally I think 4 hour practices 4-8pm would be too much for most 6 year olds. By the time they eat/get home/chill it's a late night with no down time.

 

[Natasha]

At age 6, above all else she should be absolutely loving it and begging for more time in the gym. And her time outside of the gym should not show that she is too grumpy or tired to handle the schedule. (I have a kid that would beg for more gym time, but all behavior outside of gym would point to her not having enough rest.) If she is a child with the talent, desire and drive, she has 12 years until she is done with high school. That is a long time to keep up the desire for gym. The first several years should be about her wanting more gym time, not already having her fill.

 

[kaloss]

Well, she survived the practice, seemed to be having a blast. They did conditioning for the first hour or so... And the coaches were very impressed that she wasn't whining or asking if they were done yet. She is behind on the skills, but has a great attitude an wants to participate. The coaches said they aren't sure if she can be ready to compete in time, but want to let her try. So...she'll stick with team for 6ish weeks and they will reevaluate then. If she makes progress, great! If not, she'll finish out the year in her hotshots class and move up in June. I was so proud of her attitude and hard work!

 

[mylittlemiss]

I understand your concerns. It's great you let her give it all a try and then re-evaluate after some time. My DD was age 5 (kinder) on pre-team and then a 6 year old (1st grade) level 4, practicing 9 hours a week. She was a 7 year old (2nd grade) level 5, practicing 14.5 hours a week. She scored out of the "old" level 6 last spring and is now training level 7 at age 8 (3rd grade), still at 14.5 hours a week. It was all something she built up to and she seems to love every second of it! We get a complaint every few months or so, but it's nothing significant. Just tired now and then. This is a child who just goes and goes AND goes and is rarely asleep before 10, year round! The schedule so far has suited her well. Also, she's the youngest of a large family, so having a house full of older siblings she's trying to keep up is always motivation for staying up, lol. But, I have to say, she's really not tired before about 9:30 every night. Having plenty of energy, a love for the sport and the drive to keep up with it, sure does help! I hope you can find a happy medium for your DD.

 

[kaloss]

Well, tonight was her "evaluation"... We didn't know until we showed up. Her coach texted me and said that she worked her butt off tonight and got to "ring the bell" for getting her pull over. She said seeing her work ethic...she made the team! Now I need to figure out our booster club, order her leotard/warm ups and hand over our life savings!

 

[Gym Beam]

Congrats!

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

Congrats to your daughter. I hope it all works out and she is fine with the additional hours.