It's summertime so let us talk about one of my FAVORITE games that is a quick set up and quick implementation. I call it flying saucers and it works cross age groups and can be adapted easily to give a challenge if needed.   1) Each athlete gets a frisbee (on a cheap budget? Grab some paper plates instead) 2) Place the frisbee upside down on one hand 3) Keep your frisbee while trying to knock over everyone else's frisbees 4) Once out, they can do 10 jumping jacks and hop back in END when they start to get tired!  But for real, super easy! You can easily adapt it to make ..read more

1) Gymnastics promotes playground readiness in a safe environment. As a preschool mom myself, the ability to trust that my kiddo can climb (and/or fall off safely) the play structure with confidence without me having to be there every step of the way. Gymnastics teaches those fundamental coordination and strength skills to get them ready to play! And as a bonus, my kiddo also has the CONFIDENCE to do those things independently because she has practiced in the safe gymnastics setting. 2) Your preschooler learns focus! Trying to get from one end of a beam to the other without falling off ..read more

These things are so underrated for use in recreational and preschool gymnastics!  So many great things and skills can be learned in such a small space. For example, it makes a fantastic parent tot station teaching climbing up, and down.  You can also adjust and use mats to prop up at an angle as a slide down option.  These normally cost like a thousand bucks with shipping from gymnastics equipment companies.  Amazon has them here for $179.97 with PRIME!  What a steal!  Not only does it work grip strength, but also works on conquering fears and coordination.&nb ..read more

How to run a preschool class: Love love love this.  You can be the lone nut preschool teacher (which I have seen my fair share of).  But the BEST teachers, are really the first followers.  The ones who beckon their friends to join.  Who find a way to include everyone.  Make your classes into preschoolers full of first followers.  That first follower will save your class ..read more

Hi Ya'll!  Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I have been to quite a few trainings through USA Gymnastics (which I highly recommend!).  In these courses, they would go over skills and drills, in addition to certain skills to avoid.  They were super enlightening as many of the skills to avoid are things you often see in classes, including PE classes at schools! Here are a few of the things I have learned: 1)  I did a blog post a while ago covering the forward roll and tonic neck syndrome.  You can see that post HERE!   2)  Frog jumps are a negative ..read more

There are several ways to run a preschool tumble trak rotation!  One is with stations like this video.  Now, I have a couple issues with this , and I will be going over further explanations in future blogs.   First, I ALWAYS teach preschoolers and beginners to jump with their arms down instead of up by their ears.  Yes, eventually they will need to learn arms up, but as you notice here, this child is above average in ability for preschool, yet she still cannot keep her tummy tight and her head neutral when jumping, which can be super dangerous! Second, NO SEAT DROPS! &nbs ..read more

Hi all! One of the things that make parents most nervous about the sport of gymnastics is the dreaded Trampoline.  However, one of the things that make kids most excited about gymnastics is the funtastic TRAMPOLINE! Now, what to do with a trampoline.  The first and most important part of teaching trampoline is how to land safely!!!  One person at a time on a trampoline.  I start with most of my kids on mini trampolines and make sure they know how to control their bodies on there before I take them to our larger above ground web-based trampoline.   Starting with te ..read more

This little tool is one of my favorites from preschool! You can get a mat just like this from most gym suppliers.  I love it much better than the old flat cartwheel mat that used to be used to teach cartwheels.  I use it for cartwheels, but also for almost every skill!  Here are just a few of the things I use it for in classes: It also makes a get step stool for the extra little ones for bars, beams, etc.  ..read more

Welcome to my favorite alternative head, shoulders, knees and toes!   I sing the song normally, but I won't make you suffer through that.  I sing and act it out very slowly for my parent-tot classes.  You will be surprised how many pick it up fast!  Make sure you practice, practice, practice before you sing with a class (especially with parents!) I also love to use this one for my school-aged field trips.  It is a great gathering time activity when we switch from one activity to another.  I gather them with the song (do it one time slow, and then one time f ..read more

I am going to post a couple videos that have some great ideas of things that you can pull and use at home or at the gym to incorporate hula-hoop!  Most kids these days actually don't even know how to hula-hoop so these can be great introductions to them. Video One: Now, most gyms won't have bleachers, but I love to tie the hula hoops to different areas of my gym to make baskets and targets.  You can tie them between parallel bars, hang them from the bars or beams, etc.  I always make sure to emphasize that these skills build to bigger gymnastics skills later!  They not ..read more