Children's Gym Clubs
Gymnastics has always been a popular activity with children. Many children gain their first exposure to gymnastics at mini children's gym clubs such as Tumble Tots long before they start school. From there many will move on to a single activity such as the trampoline when they are a little older or attend a gym club based on similar lines to Tumble Tots, but for older children.
Once children reach the middle years of junior school many are already proficient at a number of different disciplines and continue to attend increasingly advanced clubs.
As children grow older gym clubs tend to be much more attractive to girls, but there are still plenty of boys who enjoy the activities on offer through the clubs.
Regular gym type activity helps to keep children fit. On top of basic fitness children will learn a variety of stretching exercises that if carried out as they grow older will help them to keep supple. These can be beneficial for a lifetime!
Many primary school children join gym clubs because their friends attend. The clubs tend to be very good socially and can be a great place to expand a circle of friends. If you have just moved to a new area it is well worth finding your local club to give your children another avenue for making new friends.
Most clubs run throughout term time. More and more clubs are based at schools and are offered as after school clubs. Another popular time for clubs to run is on a Saturday morning.
There are hundreds of clubs around the country for older children. If you are looking for a club I would suggest looking for one associated to British Gymnastics. British Gymnastics is the Official governing body for Gymnastics within the UK. A list of associated clubs can be found on their website: www.british-gymnastics.org.
The exercises that children are taught can be highly specialised. If they are taught incorrectly it can place a strain on a growing body and it is recommended that you enrol your child in a club where coaches hold qualifications from British Gymnastics. These can be at the following levels Assistant Coach (AC) Foundation Coaching, Trampoline Coach (TC) Foundation Coaching, Club Coach (CC) Participation / Development Coaching, Senior Club Coach (SCC) Performance Level Coaching, High Performance Coach (HPC) National Level Coaching and International Performance Coach (IPC) International Level Coaching.
For more able children there are plenty of competitions that can be entered. Again, when selecting a club it is worthwhile checking whether or not they encourage children to take part in competitions.
If your child does not want to take gym club so seriously and is looking more for a fun activity then I would also confirm that any club welcomes this level of approach before joining. Otherwise a child may lose interest if they are push too hard and the fun element is taken away from them.
Clothing requirements vary from club to club. The most basic requirement is a leotard, but some clubs allow casual clothes that allow plenty of freedom of movement. This helps to make the sport one of the cheaper ones to become involved with.
What do you think?
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