We have come to the end of our term at My Gym which our sponsors have so kindly extended to Kate. She really enjoyed the classes and keeps asking to go back to ‘gym school’. What I really liked about their sessions is the wide variety of physical activities Kate was exposed to which I couldn’t possibly carry out myself. They change their activities weekly which was perfect for her, as she figures things out much quicker than before and gets bored with the same activities. My post at the beginning of our term showcased the different segments of the 1 hour session, so here I shall give you a glimpse of the different physical activites she enjoyed over the 10 weeks.
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| Stilt walking |
She must be thinking, “What’s this strange contraption? Feels like a swing, but it isn’t.”
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| Swinging Disc |
The teachers said Kate had strong arms and is able to pull herself up. Very soon she can join her older siblings at rock climbing!
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| Baby mountain climbing |
They have cool stuff which the older siblings were envious of, like swinging on the trapeze.
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| Trapeze artiste in the making? |
Even though she’s usually the youngest in the class, she is quicker than the others, thanks to her daily training at the playground by her gor gor. She didn’t even need her teacher to hold on to her. Real monkey.
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| 2 little monkeys climbing up the wall |
This ‘hanging hoops’ activity looks deceptively easy, but it takes a lot of coordination to hold onto one of the coils without letting go, while grabbing the other swinging coil. Concentrating so hard…
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| Nearer, nearer… |
The older kids love doing this ‘flying fox’ thing which they sometimes find at big park playgrounds. Kate finally has a chance to try it out for herself.
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| Space Flight |
Kate thought it was easy peasy walking up this little slope, but then it started to tip.
Lots of leg work and body awareness involved to steady herself. After gaining her balance, she managed to walk down slowly unassisted.
Sometimes they have a game at the end of the session instead of the toy box. When the teacher announced that they were going to play “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?”, I was thinking to myself, “They’re only 2, no one’s going to follow your instructions.” I was really surprised they could get the hang of the game (although many were happy to run towards the wolf to get caught). Kate had watched her siblings play it before, so she was wary of the wolf.
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| Who’s for dinner? |
There is also ample opportunity to socialise with the other children.
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| Playing peek a boo |
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| Someone’s cheating |
It is without a doubt that Kate thoroughly enjoyed her time at My Gym. The teachers are very encouraging, and they are patient even with those kids who keep crying and are reluctant to try the new activities.
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| Her first certificate! |
She especially liked teacher Javier, who made it so much fun for her!
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Some of my friends think that they should only send their child for gym classes if they are clumsy. Personally, I feel that physical activity is so important to kids from a young age, irregardless if the child is ‘active’ or ‘clumsy’. If you can afford it, it is good to send your child for such lessons. For kids who are very active, it is a great way to let off the excess energy in a safe environment. For those who seem to have ‘two left feet’, they can work on their physical abilities and learn some exercises which you can follow through at home. And for kids who are already quite physically competent, this would stretch them further.
MY GYM is a U.S. program with 30 years of experience in children’s fitness. Their classes are suitable for children from 4 months to 10 years. Classes are 1 hour long and fees are $468+GST for a 10-week term + $60 one time registration fee. If you are thinking of what to do for your child’s birthday, why not give them a call and find out more. Their Birthday Bash looks really exciting, and are specially catered to kids all the way from 1 month to 10 years old.
Disclaimer: My Gym sponsored Kate a term of lessons. All opinions are my own.
~ www.mummyweeblog.com – a blog on parenting 6 kids in Singapore ~
