WWYD re: tumbling class

sunnygirl05

Justin started a tumbling class about 5 weeks ago.  We're considering not taking him to the last two classes but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do.  He does great with the warm-up part of the class which involves small activities.  However, when it comes time for tumbling he does not participate like the other kids do.  He'll do the basic stuff but won't try a lot of what they teach,  Just as some background....Justin gets very nervous to try new things.  He hasn't even wanted to try a summersault (sp?).  He will not get up on the high balance beam either.  He's just never been a daring kid.  I feel like the teachers view his refusal to try this stuff as being difficult when he honestly is just nervous.  And another thing we've noticed since he started the classes is that he doesn't like them to touch him.  They do that a lot obviously, as they have to hold them on things or help them jump up on mats and such.  He turns away from them.  Last week was the worst week because he kept leaving the gym area to come over to us.  They have a play room and that's where he kept going.  Part of me wants him to finish out the two classes because I'm afraid if I don't expose him to this stuff then he'll always be scared.  Then again, there are only two classes left so not sure going will even change anything.  And then there's another part of me that says to not have him finish the two classes, as maybe it's just his age and eventually he'll grow out of this.  WWYD? 

abba916

Is it a parent participation class or do you watch him and the teachers do the activities with him (I took Lorenzo to a gymnastics class and I had to flip him, put him on the beam, etc. but even with me doing it with him- he would have much rather been doing something else...)

It's up to you if you want to take him to the last 2 classes- I dont think if you skip out its that big of a deal- IMHO its an age thing- (and I tend to think a gender thing) the little girls in Enzo's class were more into following the teacher the boys were like animals...)- I asked one of his teachers and she said usually they see a drop in boys ages 18m-3 ish- then around 3 or 3.5 the boys come back to more "organized" activities...

I think he'll grow out of it.. 

olivia_eve

I don't think there's anything wrong with skipping the last two classes.  The way you describe Justin reminds me a lot of Rosie, she's never been a daring kid (she learned how to back off a couch at 10 months).  If she ever climbed inside a bounce house and started jumping around I would probably pass out from shock.  I doubt two classes will change the kind of kid he is, and it's not like tumbling is some skill that he needs at 3 years old, you know?  If it's not making him happy, I say skip it.

jnk062602

Where do you go?  Just wondering bc we started this fall too and are at Bright Raven in Gates.  We have a warm up, a more structured station time, then free time, and last a cool down all together.  She does the best at free time haha.  She is starting to get better for the warm up, but the cool down I am just trying to contain her and she doesn't follow at all.  The stations she does decent.  It is hard to compare to other kids though bc it seems like a bunch of the kids have been there before, so obviously they are going to know the routine and how to do things better.  Also, it is a 2&3 yr old class so the older kids are simply more coordinated.  But the whole time, I am right there with her.  The teachers will be at certain stations and help to spot her, and I let them since dd doesn't care, but if she did, I would just spot myself.  That said, if it was something she didn't like I would have no problem at this age not finishing out.  I have her in it just to get her around other kids and help with her coordination and for fun. 

sunnygirl05

jnk062602:

Where do you go?  Just wondering bc we started this fall too and are at Bright Raven in Gates.  We have a warm up, a more structured station time, then free time, and last a cool down all together.  She does the best at free time haha.  She is starting to get better for the warm up, but the cool down I am just trying to contain her and she doesn't follow at all.  The stations she does decent.  It is hard to compare to other kids though bc it seems like a bunch of the kids have been there before, so obviously they are going to know the routine and how to do things better.  Also, it is a 2&3 yr old class so the older kids are simply more coordinated.  But the whole time, I am right there with her.  The teachers will be at certain stations and help to spot her, and I let them since dd doesn't care, but if she did, I would just spot myself.  That said, if it was something she didn't like I would have no problem at this age not finishing out.  I have her in it just to get her around other kids and help with her coordination and for fun. 

He goes to Eagle Gymnastics in Canandaigua.  It's a 3 & 4 age group.  The parents don't participate at this level.  However, there is one parent who sometimes goes on the mats with her daughter because the daughter is SO shy.  I think I decided we aren't going to go anymore.  Hopefully as he gets older he'll be more comfortable trying new things.  I think he likes to do things on his own terms because I've seen him do stuff that I wouldn't have thought he'd do.  For ex....at Brown's Berry Patch there is this really big rope climbing activity.  He did that last weekend except he was scared to go down the slide, so my dh had to go get him and basically give him a push to go down....lol.