Parents Amount of Hours for a 3 Year Old

[littlebird]

My daughter just started gymnastics at the beginning of January and she is currently in a PreGym class for children ages 3 to 4.5 years old. She is VERY high energy and has been that way since birth, and because of that we haven't tried too many uber-structured toddler classes because she would just run around and entertain herself

She started preschool this past fall, and since then she has been great with structured activities. So we took the leap and put her in a class at our local gym, and that's all she talks about now. We have tried other activities (swimming, dance) and she hasn't much interest in either of those. She is very well behaved in her class and has already learned so much since January! I can't believe how quickly these little ones pick up stuff.

To get to my question: right now she takes two 45 minute group classes a week along with a 1 hour "free play" class that allows her to run around and play on the gym equipment at her leisure (with my supervision of course). I am thinking of putting her in the PreGym class 3 times a week when the summer comes, but I am concerned about burnout. I was a competitive athlete (not in gymnastics, but in a similar sport) and I have seen young ones burn out if they are too involved in the sport at a young age. What is the recommended amount of hours at this age, and what is too much?

Thank you for your help in advance!

 

[GymBee97]

The time you have now is more than enough time in a week. I was going to say one class a week with an occasional Open Gym is more than enough.

Also remember she is only 3yo and barely knows what she wants from one moment to the next. So don't overload her with just gymnastics. Try Karate, soccer, swimming again in the summer, Look for play date opportunites where she can socialize and mingle with you there (a mommy and me type thing).

If you are looking for more activities for the summer try the local preschools they usually offer more of a summer camp type experience program in the summer. Check the local YMCA they usually have all types of programs for the kids (yes even the toddlers - at least the one near me does).

 

[bookworm]

Definitely no more than you are already doing with her..

 

[littlebird]

Thanks for the tips! I didn't think about karate, but that would be a lot of fun for her. We live in a very cold weather climate and in a rural place so the fun outdoor stuff is kind of limited during half of the year, but we will definitely keep up with the other activities this summer.

In the summer, would you keep it to 2 PreGym sessions AND other activities, or just do one PreGym session a week along with other activities?

 

[GymBee97]

I live in the same type of area heck there is 2 feet of snow out there now and its a good 30 min drive to just about anything. you would be suprised what is out there once you start looking. How about local ski area and toddler ski lessons, toddler ice skating or other winter stuff? (for me that means 45 min in the lodge with hot chocolate ;-) )

 

[littlebird]

Ah, you can sympathize! I hate this weather, especially when it gets to be May and we have a snowy day! I haven't done skiing or much skating because I have my son with me most places we go. He is 18 months and kind of hard to handle, so that's one of the reasons why we have been doing gymnastics so much these past two months. They have a play area for little kiddos when my daughter takes lessons, which makes it so much easier on me. He can also participate in the free play and run around, so it is kind of a two for one for me! Both kids are tired and nap so well afterwards

I was a competitive figure skater, so my daughter has been on the ice here and there. I haven't pushed it because lessons don't start until 5 around here, and my daughter likes to hang on me rather than skate (which kills my already worn out back!). We might be able to try snowshoe skiing around here, though. I am guessing I could manage to figure that out with a 3 year old and 18 month old in tow, right?

 

[iwannacoach]

Two 45-60 minute classes per week. I've seen this work very well for the kids. They come in often enough to build healthy relationships and learn skills, and love every minute of it. An occasional "open gym" when they beg for it is ok, but not a regular thing that becomes rote.

The burn-out problem is they can build skills faster than they can emotionally process, and suddenly realize they're lives are dominated by the next skill. That's when the burn-out begins, because we adults have no idea they're getting near that limit and we try yo help them through it.

The best case, in my opinion, is to get them to the age of five...preferably six, with a healthy desire to be in the gym....and a least a little ability to understand and communicate their problems. Once to that point it's ok to go up in hours gradually to a schedule of 4-6 hrs per week by the time they hit 7, and 6-9 hours by age 8. After that?........no opinion, just make sure their in a good program with at least an experienced head coach that stays involved with the entire program enough to know what'll work....and what won't.

 

[2G1B]

I agree with the others, sounds like she is there enough for now. when my youngest DD was doing pre-school classes there was another kid in her class. His mom had him there something like 3 days per week. at 3. And she kept pestering the coach about when he could start on team. The poor kid loved gymnastics; but by 4.5 years old he hated coming and I haven't seen him in years now. So definitely leave them wanting more.

And if I lived in a snowy are, my kids would absolutely be skiing! You should be able to find a lesson for that, especially for locals. All of my kids started skiing a few months before turning 3 - and we had to take a cross county flight to get to the snow! My youngest DD was on little skis that strapped to her snow boots just before she turned 2. I would play with her on the magic carpet area while the twins were taking their lessons. I'm so envious of all of you guys who can ski without a flight!

 

[gymboymom]

I would look to see if the gym place has any camps over the summer, instead of more classes. A few of the places we have been to over the years have done a few mornings a week for a week at a time. All my kids have loved them. More activity movement based than structured gymnastics class. Swimming lessons over the summer were always on my summer must dos before my kids were older too.

 

[mylittlemiss]

I think she's at a good amount already (if not a bit too much) and wouldn't add more, personally, even by summer. I understand about living in a cold climate area, and finding things for the kids to do to burn off energy can be tough! I would steer clear of too many structured activities for a 3 year old. If she loves the sport, she'll naturally want to do more and as she gets older, can verbalize that to you. Until then, I'd just let her be little and enjoy free/creative play. Maybe a play date once a week with a gymnastics classmate, whom she has something in common with. They may "play" gym or do other physical activities where they can just explore and have fun in a non structured way. She will grow up soon enough and those "have to" activities will be knocking on your door and you'll wish for less to do! Having had a former dd gymmie and a current gymmie, the sport picks up speed soon enough and the hours get longer and the more pressure. Enjoy the preschool classes and look for more focus around age 5. Good luck!!

 

[EastCoastGymMom]

I think twice a week is perfect for a 3 year old - whether that's two classes a week or one class and open gym. I'd probably go with one class and open gym to mix it up a bit.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

what she's doing now is plenty. and as others have said.

 

[onebusymama]

I agree with everyone else. 2 structured PS classes per wk is enough. However, reading this thread brought me back to where I grew up COLD, SNOW, MORE COLD 6 to 9 mo out of the year. Now I live in TX. Yes the summers are hot but today is sunny & 65 degrees! (Sorry can't help but brag !

 

[Deleted member D3987]

thanks for that weather update...

 

[littlebird]

Yes, I grew up in warm weather and the cold gets to you! I took a lot of the advice on this thread and went out ice skating with my daughter this past weekend. It was a lot of fun and she enjoyed doing something with me one-on-one sans little brother.

I appreciate all the advice and I will definitely make sure to keep it fun and limit the time we spend at the gym. I want to keep her curious and interested at this age! Thank you!

 

[Natasha]

I teach preschool classes at our gym. We set up a new circuit rotation every 2 weeks so the first week we teach the kids the circuit and the 2nd week they do the same rotation & skills on each thing. This works very well as they work the same thing for 2 weeks so they can improve, yet do not get bored. I have some kids who come 2x a week and I find by the 2nd week some of them get bored or sometimes they get bored the 2nd class of the week as they have to sit through me showing them what they are going to do on each thing again. I can't say I really see a difference in skill progression between my 3 year olds that come once a week vs. twice a week. Some 3 year olds just "get it" at that age and are able to have the body awareness/control and others just aren't there yet.

 

[Natasha]

Thanks for the tips! I didn't think about karate, but that would be a lot of fun for her. We live in a very cold weather climate and in a rural place so the fun outdoor stuff is kind of limited during half of the year, but we will definitely keep up with the other activities this summer.

In the summer, would you keep it to 2 PreGym sessions AND other activities, or just do one PreGym session a week along with other activities?

I would use summer to explore other activities that you can't do in the colder weather and just do one Gym session.

 

[htimcj]

DD did two 45 min classes at that age plus other fun stuff. Worked out great for her. Kept her from leaping off the furniture saying "Look Mom! I can fly!" as she flings herself off the couch

 

[littlebird]

DD did two 45 min classes at that age plus other fun stuff. Worked out great for her. Kept her from leaping off the furniture saying "Look Mom! I can fly!" as she flings herself off the couch

Sounds exactly like my daughter, though she is still jumping off the furniture all day long. I have spent pretty much her entire life worrying about her very high energy level, but I am hoping it will serve her well in whatever career/sport/etc. she chooses!

I have another quick question. My daughter is learning some new skills that seem to scare her, and normally she is an extraordinarily fearless child. I don't know the gym lingo, but they started trying to do a flip over the bars today, and she just learned to pull herself up and do kicks on the bars (sorry for not knowing any of the jargon!!) this week. She refused to try, but the teacher kept getting her to try each time it was her turn for the bars. She did the other activities on the bars that she knows well (fun stuff - swinging on the high bar and kicking cones by swinging on a low bar), but she was really mad that the coach kept trying to get her to do the trick. She also downright refused to try the high beam (she tried it earlier this week, but I could tell she was scared).

Is it normal for a coach to keep trying that skill? How much do you push a 3 year old to do something? I've noticed different coaches have different tactics. The key thing is that I want this to be fun, and I don't want her to stop doing it because it isn't fun. On the other hand, I understand that new skills take time to develop and one of the ways you get kids to do them is by encouraging them over and over to try them.

 

[littlebird]

I teach preschool classes at our gym. We set up a new circuit rotation every 2 weeks so the first week we teach the kids the circuit and the 2nd week they do the same rotation & skills on each thing. This works very well as they work the same thing for 2 weeks so they can improve, yet do not get bored. I have some kids who come 2x a week and I find by the 2nd week some of them get bored or sometimes they get bored the 2nd class of the week as they have to sit through me showing them what they are going to do on each thing again. I can't say I really see a difference in skill progression between my 3 year olds that come once a week vs. twice a week. Some 3 year olds just "get it" at that age and are able to have the body awareness/control and others just aren't there yet.

Yes, that's what they do at my daughter's gym. She loves it because she can work on a skill she just learned for a few weeks at a time. She seems to get better with each class based on what I've seen. She is quick to pick up things she likes, and very quick to refuse to do things she hates She definitely knows what she wants!