What goes on in class?

Classes run the same format every week so kids can get comfortable with activity transitions and consistency. We do not expect that 3 year olds stay with the group and do every activity the instructors demonstrate, recommend or suggest- this is part of the class. The 4-6 year old classes get increasingly more skill oriented since this age group has a significantly better attention span and usually can function better as a group.

From start to finish:
• Opening Circle- this is the “official” start of class each week where we bring out musical instruments, sit in a group circle, and sing our “Hello Song”. We put away the instruments and do a an activity to go over names andoccasionally rules and introduce a weekly theme or skill concept. This part of class is to get kids oriented to the group. Our goal is to create a positive social experience for everyone at the start of class. Social comfort is part of the learning to be in a class. Many kids refuse to say their name or participate in the activity initially. It will hopefully come in time. We create a positive experience and encourage kids to participate when ready. Social skills are often the hardest to acquire.

• Warm-Up- this is where we get to RUN! We move to directive music and explore age-appropriate locomotor skills and basic gymnastics, dance or sports skills. The music & instructors tells us what to do so we can also work on listening and following directions. Some kids will jump right in and go, others will be reserved until they are comfortable with the group. Keep in mind that this is a lot of stimulation for many kids. Even if they aren’t “shy” normally, the music, the movement, the kids, the newness, may leave even the most outgoing child wondering what he gotten into. It’s great to expose kids to this type of stimulation, it helps them get used to it and get comfortable.

• Group Activity- this varies from week to week. It is a fun activity that is designed to appeal to the whole group and get them participating with others and following directions. We rotate parachute, bean bags, scarves, hula hoops, and air track (our inflatable trampoline) into our fun line-up and integrate skills based on the type of class, weekly theme and/or focus area.

• Obstacle Courses - this part of class is for kids to explore throughout the obstacle courses, climbing, crawling, jumping, swinging rolling and learning sports skills or gymnastics. Obstacle courses are set up with age-appropriate activities on full size gymnastics apparatus as well as equipment scaled to kid size. The Instructor will demonstrate skill ideas and make suggestions, show spotting techniques and do a “Skill of Focus” each week. Gymnasts will learn Bars, Beams, Tumbling and Vault.

• Skill of Focus- This is a skill in each of the obstacle courses that requires more spotting and where the instructor will stay and grow the skills. We rotate skills of focus so kids get to challenge themselves & practice a wide variety of things. If your child really wants to learn a cartwheel, we will have it for a skill of focus about every 3-4 weeks, and practice it in the obstacle course every week. Skills are rotated so kids learn a balance at each obstacle course.

• This is also true in the Sports class. Sports are done for anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks at a time so kids can explore as many aspects of each game as possible. For example, football, soccer, & baseball may be done for 4 weeks each, while Frisbee and bowling may only be done for one week.
We rotate through up to a dozen different sports throughout the year.


• Game!- Games are a great well to teach social concepts, encourage listening and following directions, and wind down at the end of class.

• Closing Circle- This helps with closure! Kids learn that we sing good-bye at the end of class, review what we’ve learned and get stamps on our hands and feet on the way out of class. It helps kids learn quickly that this is the end. Many kids that were not comfortable with the group initially are usually much more relaxed now. Wandering 3 year olds will tend to come back to the group to sing good-bye and stamps are one last motivator to get them to sit in the circle!

See Schedule for class times…..

Call us to schedule a free trial so we can make sure there is room
in the class you are interested in.