Energy’s Tots

Ready for Gymnastics

• Leotard or Comfortable Tight Fitting Clothing

• Ponytail

• Barefoot (no socks)

• No jewelry

Hair

It is essential that gymnasts’ with long hair pull their hair back. They can wear their hair in a ponytail, bun, braid, or any hairstyle where it isn’t going to get in the way.

When long hair is worn down it can get in the gymnasts’ face or caught by the gymnasts’ hands or feet when performing skills.

Feet

The majority of gymnasts both practice and compete with bare feet. Socks can create a safety hazard as they are often slippery on the apparatus. It can also prevent the gymnast from using their toes to push, climb, and learn how to grip apparatuses with their toes when performing skills.

While we do not recommend this, sometimes families opt to wear non-slip socks. Because non-slip socks aren’t all made the same, it still can create a safety hazard as socks are prone to move around due to a number of factors: fit size, amount of grip surface, socks elasticity, etc.

Attire

Gymnasts’ can choose to wear Leotards, Comfortable Tight Fitting Clothes such as T-Shirt, Tanks, Shorts, Leggings, etc.

Most gymnasts choose to wear a leotard to work out in as it allows the gymnast to move easily. However, this is not required.

Shorts

Many gymnasts feel more comfortable practicing with shorts over their leotard. It is recommended that gymnasts wear tight fitting shorts in order to prevent from being caught on equipment.

Loose Fitting Clothing

Loose fitting clothing can present a safety hazard as it can get caught by the gymnasts’ hands, feet, or an apparatus when performing different exercises/skills.

Jewelry

Often gymnasts want to wear jewelry at practice. However, watches, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings (other than studs) all present a safety hazard as they could get caught on the equipment.

The intention of this class is to provide an introduction to gymnastics. This class is taught with gymnastics progression in mind. We focus primarily on the beginning development of class structure, following circuit, and building a base knowledge of physical or gymnastics movement.

In the first class our hope is that a child feels comfortable in their environment and is supported in roaming, exploring and encouraged to participate in some of the structured activities.

In weeks 2-5, typically we see children engage in more of the warm up, the structured activities and to explore many of the physical challenges in the class.

In weeks 4-7, we sometimes see children regress as a result of processing. There may be some activities or physical challenge that they want to try but need to understand the movement, overcome their fear or simply take the steps to try.

In weeks 6+ we typically see children take off, grow physically, socially and begin to obtain ownership of the activities and physical challenges.

As the children transition from the Mom, Dad and Tot class to an independent class after accomplishing a high level of ownership of the class structure and skills we see the children truly embrace their independence and the new structure to the independent class.

Proprioceptive Orientation

Our Tots classes offer a variety of physical, auditory and visual stimuli that will challenge all children with individual sensory, social, physical and neuromuscular integration which all children need in developing the ability to process, negotiate and overcome innumerable life situations.

Gross Motor Orientation

Regardless of a child’s age or ability each child should be encouraged to explore their own physical potential, whether that’s developing ownership of the actual gymnastics skills or by developing individual gross motor/sensory skills. The initial physical expectation is for children to learn to jump, climb, crawl and run. Our secondary expectation is that the children understand the structure of the program and lastly that they develop ownership of the gymnastics skills presented in the class.

Social Orientation

Energy believes that the social development of children is a culmination of providing a strong emotional and physical support system that incorporates a structured environment that encourages children to explore their own emotional and physical boundaries with guidance and exposure. From an emotional standpoint children should feel nurtured, praised and continually acknowledged. Physically, children should feel comfortable in exploring their bodies in exploration, freedom, exposure to variety of different situations, verbal and non-verbal cues from parents, caregivers and instructors.

Physical Processing

With every stage of physical development whether it gross motor, fine motor, coordination, balance or spatial awareness children need time to process and or integrate themselves into the task at hand. Throughout the Tots class some children will appear at times to regress, to be distracted or only focused on one physical challenge or activity. Very often, this is a child’s way of processing and in the weeks to come we typically see children take off and begin to explore and venture into activities or physical challenges that they once had difficulty with.

The monthly tuition can be found in the class listings table when you click, “Enroll Today” above.

Actual monthly tuition will vary based on the # of classes in a month.

A $35 annual non-refundable registration fee is charged with the first monthly payment or on the yearly anniversary of the registration fee payment.