The Gymnastics Experience

For 6 weeks, from late February to the end of March, we took Maia to participate in a toddler gymnastics class. The class was for kids 12 months to 36 months, so Maia was just old enough to qualify. But since getting the walking thing down right around her birthday, she was limited on the space to practice in due to the layout of our house. So we thought it would be good to get her out in a more open space, increase some socializing opportunities at the same time, and hoped she would get something from the experience.

They had several stations the kids would go through, from an open dance area, to a traditional trampoline, to a running trampoline, to bars, and balance beams. From the very first night, Maia's favorites were the trampolines. While it took her awhile to learn what the purpose of the other stations were, she enjoyed those right away.  The very first also provided comic relief for Jackie and I.  At the very beginning of the session, the leader would play music and the idea was for the toddlers to dance/move around, to loosen up and what not.  Ever since Maia got a handle on the walking thing, she's been in constant motion - walking, running, climbing, crawling.  Everywhere.  So, that first night, they start the music, which lasts for just a couple minutes.  The entire time why the music played, Maia stood perfectly still, just staring at the instructor.  Not moving. At all. She still hasn't stayed that still (while awake) since that night.  It was hilarious to watch.

But it was easy to see her progress as we moved through the class.  Week to week, she began to stay with the designated activity better and better, and wandered off less and less.  The trampolines remained her favorite throughout, but she did start to show some interest in the other activities, such as tumbling and the bars (in fact, since the class ended, she has started to get into her "roll" position, waiting for either Jackie or I to flip her over).  All in all, I think getting out and getting her plenty of room to just move was beneficial, and something we're glad we did with her.

"Stand back, I'm about to make some magic happen!"

"Just call me the Flash."

Told you it was magic.