Look at THIS Trick

We had already decided that we would enroll Duncan in some kind of class this summer. Combined with his one day a week at preschool, taking a class will keep him social but also help him move into the world of being a learner. We had thought we would try an art or music class. Lately, though, he has been particularly enthusiastic about climbing, jumping, twisting, and somersaulting. Every other sentence is "Look at THIS trick." Since he's already interested, and we'd like him to pursue his interests safely, we decided to try a gymnastics class.

On Saturday, we took Duncan for a trial class at The Little Gym in Fishkill. He spent the first 20 minutes or so being shy, standing off from the rest of the class, with his chin tucked into his shoulder. He missed the entire vault and floor rotation that way. No somersaults :-( No jumping on the springboard:-( When he got over to the bars, though, he was hooked. He hung from the bar willingly and then pulled his feet up. He wanted to do it again and again and again. He tried three different kinds of bars and even walked on the balance beam. By the time the class was over, we had to remove him almost forcibly from the mats.

I like the philosophy of The Little Gym. They work with each child at the level he or she is, encouraging effort and personal success with little competitiveness. If it turns out that Duncan is good enough to compete or interested in competing, we'll think about moving him. For now, though, I think he'll have fun and learn some good, solid skills. There were two instructors scheduled to work with a group of ten kids. There was one boy with obvious attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder who kept running away from the group to do his own thing. The lead teacher was worried they could monitor all the kids with him running rampant so they called in reinforcements. I think they had 3 teachers for the rest of the lesson. I was happy with that flexibility. Some kids ran in and out throughout the lesson, and although the instructors tried to keep them engaged with the group, they were willing to let the kids do what they needed to do, within reason. There was another boy who continued to misbehave. The teacher quietly picked him up, carried him out to his mother, gave him a little time out, and then welcomed him back to the class. I thought they did a nice job of understanding the developmental needs of 3 to 4 year olds. At the end of the lesson, the lead instructor came out to tell us the skills the kids worked on and what larger skills they are building up to incrementally.

So...Duncan will be taking one lesson a week at The Little Gym this summer, and then we'll reevaluate. He can't wait to go back so he can learn new tricks!