Our Mommyhood

We just received a press release about a great new children’s gym, Great Play.  It was developed by Jyl and Keith Camhi (Stamford, CT).  Their mission was to make a fun place for kids to get off to a good, well-rounded start in life.  The focus of the program is to teach children skills that would help them reach their full physical and athletic potential.

Keith’s background in fitness and serving as a speaker for national fitness conventions are what he brought into the design and plans for Great Play.  As Jyl’s children were growing she became familiar with youth fitness and motor skill development.  One of her sons was diagnosed with fine and gross motor deficits at a very young age, therefore she understood the importance in developing programs to help children with these types of conditions.  This understanding along with the fitness training are an integral part of the design of Great Play.

The following are tips are provided by them to help parents find the best gym program for their child:

1. How long is the minimum enrollment period?  Anything longer than four to eight weeks may not hold your child’s interest.  Most gyms should offer a trial period or short term contract, don’t commit to a long term contract before you know if your child likes the program
2. Is there a lot of gymnastics?  This is a good question to determine your needs and the focus of the program.   Some programs are based primarily on the decade-old developmental-gymnastics concept. If your focus is to have a gymnast, that is fine.  If you are looking to develop a broader set of skills and increase fine motor function, you might have to keep looking.
3. What types of skills are covered and how does the class flow? This is your chance to look for a well planned class.  Do they have a detailed curriculum?
4. For kids five and under, the classes should include the following to build the skills your child will need to excel physically -
   • one locomotor skill station (run, jump, skip, hop)
   • one stability skill (climb, balance, tumble)
   • one manipulative skill (kick, strike, throw, etc)
5. For kids older than five, sports skills should be the focus.   One skill should be focused on per class, so as to not overwhelm your child.  During the instruction, make sure it is made fun.  Now is not the time to be  competitive.
6. Make sure the gym does not look like an adult gym modified for children.  Save the treadmills and exercise bikes for when they are older and forced to exercise.  For now it should be fun and engaging.
7. Is there a ball pit?  Ask them how often they clean it, really clean it.  Historically ball pits are almost impossible to clean and so many of the balls go into children’s mouths which spread germs.  The only way to get it completely clean is to clean each ball individually, therefore the size of the pit will give you an idea of how clean it could possibly be.  Larger pits are almost impossible without taking hours, which is cost prohibitive.
8. Ask them about the cleaning ritual.  You might even check to see if there is a detailed cleaning list.  Bathroom cleanliness is always a good indicator.  Antimicrobial flooring shows the concern of the facility.
9. What is the genuine feel of the staff?  Do they seem happy? If not, it is time to keep looking.  It requires a lot of enthusiasm to work with children and there are no exceptions.
10. Take a free trial class.  Look for the following -
    • Does the staff get down on eye level with your child?
    • Is there a game plan for the class?
    • Is your child active and engaged during the whole class?

If you take all of these tips into consideration when you choose a gym program for your child, you won’t be disappointed. Check out the Great Play site for more advice from these experts and for a location near you.  They have built their program around the importance of making physical development fun and effective.

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