Posts Tagged ‘Children’
6 Points to help the ride home after practice
Kids as early as 4 years old can detect false emotion. Saying something like “I don’t care how you did today, I love you just the same” is a great message. But the phrasing is cliched and will put a pre-teen or older child into defense mode. Child behavior specialists will tell you how important it is to say this and I agree, but as a coach I can tell you that cliches and following expert scripts will have the opposite effect from what you were looking for. Better yet, make a comment on how proud you are for effort, hard work, progress, or anything that will reinforce that you were actually watching. Their effort is really the only thing that they can control. To compliment it means you value what they did and who they are.
Read MoreKids milestones: growing in Gymnastics (part 2)
By this age, coaches can interact with specific skill stations while others can be self-directed. The kids become more aware of others’ feelings (empathy) at this age. Some time is given in class for team building activities, things like team challenges, or games can help develop a sense of feeling for, and with, other people. They are beginning to understand cause and effect relationships. Classes help them understand that certain movements or patterns will cause specific results. For example putting the arms out to the side while turning makes the turn slower and often can lead them to be off center. Understanding these relationships allows them to understand why they have specific techniques to skill performance.
Read MoreWhat age should kids start gymnastics?
They really think being upside down is an interesting perspective. Kids love to see the world differently whether hanging upside down or supporting themselves with their feet elevated. This perspective change is fun and stimulates the vestibular apparatus in the inner ear even more. Kids are experiencing the joy of independent movement and are ready for more challenges now that their first attempts are “mastered”.
Read MoreLet’s Get Kids In Sports Again
While the benefits of sports are undeniable, it’s disheartening to note that girls continue to participate at lower rates than boys. However, I believe in breaking down these barriers and creating inclusive environments where all children feel welcome and encouraged to pursue their athletic passions; boy or girl.
Read MoreWhy kids Need to Play (or Exploring the Impact of Movement on Learning and Development)
Effective communication between these brain departments is essential for learning, highlighting the importance of movement in facilitating neural connections. The more we can “ship in” forces communication between departments and reinforces the efficiency of operations in general. The company grows and becomes very efficient with the departments working together to make new shipments even easier to receive and process.
Read MoreYouth Sports and the “Goldilocks” dilemma
As a coach I have seen parents that are too hard on their child, pressuring them to win at all costs. Result? The child wants to throw in the towel, pack up the grips, and call it quits. On the flip side (gymnastics pun), a parent who’s too laid-back and disengaged sends a message that commitment and involvement are about as worthwhile as a crooked balance beam. The child loses interest, and sports become just another forgotten thing they tried….once.
Read MoreIndividual Sports: A Parent’s Guide
All sports are great for kids. However, individual sports offer a wide range of benefits for kids that often get overlooked. They teach important life skills, promote physical activity, and help kids make new friends.
Read MorePost Pandemic; Sport Are Important for Kids’ Mental Health
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on the mental health of children, but participation in sports has proven to be a mitigating factor in alleviating some of this harm. Although the physical and mental benefits of sports are widely acknowledged, recent research emphasizes the crucial role of sports in enhancing children’s mental well-being during the pandemic. This underscores the importance of ensuring easy access to a wide range of sports activities for youngsters.
Read More6 Reasons why Gymnastics is More than just Cartwheels
In a world where screens and sedentary activities often take precedence, finding ways to keep our children active and engaged is crucial to our kids growing up healthy and happy. Gymnastics offers a wide array of physical, mental, and social benefits that go far beyond mere exercise and often exceeds what can be provided by…
Read MoreGYMNASTICS FOR AUTISM (edited guest post from USGCOA)
This article is shared from the blog of the United States Gymnastics Club Owners Association (USGCOA). It was originally written to encourage club owners to offer a program in their gyms that allows for children with Autism to experience gymnastics. I did edit it from it’s original, removing the parts that applied to club owners specifically. I felt that the information was worthy of sharing with our families, friends, and fans. Gymfinity does offer a class every Saturday morning for children with special needs. We have had this program since Gymfinity started in 1999. We were then, and remain today, one of the few programs that offer a class for differently abled kids.
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