When will they learn certain things?

[KoontzFamily]

Of course my DD is only 3 1/2 and just started preschool gymnastics.... I was wondering though, when do they start learning things like Walkovers-Backbends-Splits- cartwheels- roundoffs etc???

The Preschool class she is in she learns front roll, backroll, climbs ladder, slides, plays basketball, jumps in hoops, jumps on tramp.... and small games... if this the normal for preschool? since were new we dont really know alot about it, and because we really like the gym

 

[ginnymac]

Sounds like your gym is doing what they are supposed to do for preschool--you are lucky

Children that age need to learn body and spatial awareness, coordination, listening to someone (other than parents) and most of all how to enjoy movement and have fun!

All of those other, more specific skills will come much later in a developmentally appropriate program. The pre-requisite skills are numerous (weight-bearing, lateralization, weight shift/transfer.....).

Just enjoy watching your dd smile and have fun at the gym---please don't even think of any of that other stuff!

 

[ginnymac]

Just want to add, some of those skills (like the walkovers) should not be learned for another couple of years in order to protect her spine! Caution: don't try to teach at home!!

 

[KoontzFamily]

thanks

The only thing we are teaching her at home are doing rolls, and half cartwheels, and I got a 2x 6 and put it on two small blocks outside for her to walk on and practice balance. and she wants a bar to hang on

 

[ginnymac]

I would not recommend rolls and cartwheels at home either. If you read more on this site, you will see many coach reports of kids learning things incorrectly at home taking lots of gym time to correct. Rolls that look innocent can be injurious

There are many posts pro/cons of home equipment. Just want you to know that I am working with a little one at the moment recovering from a moderately severe injury that occurred on home equipment (just so you know, I am a physical therapist, coach and parent). I know that injuries can happen anywhere, but I am all for letting gym stay at the gym, supervised by people who understand/know gymnastics

 

[KoontzFamily]

I would not recommend rolls and cartwheels at home either. If you read more on this site, you will see many coach reports of kids learning things incorrectly at home taking lots of gym time to correct. Rolls that look innocent can be injurious

There are many posts pro/cons of home equipment. Just want you to know that I am working with a little one at the moment recovering from a moderately severe injury that occurred on home equipment (just so you know, I am a physical therapist, coach and parent). I know that injuries can happen anywhere, but I am all for letting gym stay at the gym, supervised by people who understand/know gymnastics

but preschool, they arent really teaching form or anything, just basic rolls

 

[ginnymac]

If you are talkin fwd/bkwd rolls, here is a potential for neck injury. The size of a preschoolers head in relationship to the body and relative strength of arms/legs/core is part of the issue

 

[GymBee97]

Sounds like a typical pre-school class. Young tots shouldn't be doing the type of skills you seem to hope to see at least not yet. Pre school is the time to teach more following directions with skills that won't cause injuries and see if they can do it. Its the time to get the basics of becoming a "coachable kid". When she gets to 5 - 7 yo you will start to see those skills more. Are you hoping for her to make a competitive team or just stay with rec classes?

 

[KoontzFamily]

Sounds like a typical pre-school class. Young tots shouldn't be doing the type of skills you seem to hope to see at least not yet. Pre school is the time to teach more following directions with skills that won't cause injuries and see if they can do it. Its the time to get the basics of becoming a "coachable kid". When she gets to 5 - 7 yo you will start to see those skills more. Are you hoping for her to make a competitive team or just stay with rec classes?

Oh no, I dont expect to see her doing backbends or cartwheels or anything like that until later.... Since we are all new to gymnastics, I was just wondering how age progression went with skills...

Do they teach them splits later on? Or is that something that a Girl usually has on her own?

Sorry I am just new, excited, and our DD is loving it!

 

[KoontzFamily]

Are you hoping for her to make a competitive team or just stay with rec classes?

I would love to see her make a competitive team would be awesome for her one day to make "elite status" but of course thats all up to her, not us..... I just dont want her to get held back by anything, and since I dont understand how and when they learn skills, I just worry some haha I have alot of learning to do for sure.....

 

[gymgal]

What you are experiencing is very typical. As the class progresses, you will start to see them do more. I know it doesn't look like much now but everything they are doing are precursors: balance, weight bearing, trust, focus, motor planning. If your dd begins to show a potential for competitive team, they will move her to developmental program, where they will focus more on skill progression. Some gyms have really young developmental programs whereas others wait until the girls are at least 5. For now, just enjoy watching your dd have fun in class. If, after 6 months, she looks like she is really getting into it, then you can inquire with her coach about a more developmental track that may lead to team. In the mean time, just sit back and enjoy the smiles on her face from just having fun in the gym.

 

[GymBee97]

Sorry I am just new, excited, and our DD is loving it!

LOL nothing to be sorry about we all have been there at one point. It is exciting to see them doing their stuff. Even after having kids in this now for over 15 years I still get excited when my DD gets that new skill, moves up a level or just about anything new in gymnastics. it is thrilling and I've learned to enjoy the ride!! Of course now at the upper team levels I don't watch her getting the skills or I would have a heart attack 4 times a week LOL. I can now wait until she has it and see it at the meets.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Australian guidelines reccomend that we don't even teach backward rolls to pre school kids, we are 't supposed to use trampolines either or let them walk on high beams.

 

[marie83]

Australian guidelines reccomend that we don't even teach backward rolls to pre school kids, we are 't supposed to use trampolines either or let them walk on high beams.

British Gymnastics let us teach backward rolls, but to be honest we choose not to do them most of the time. We stick to forwards rolls and log rolls with our pre-schoolers!
Everything we teach is supposed to be done with support too (skill wise)

We do a lot of things to do with action, balance and co-ordination - a lot of stuff most people would think is not gymnastics such as learning to throw to targets, catch hand apparatus etc. We do lots of role play using our imaginations - we go on adventures a lot - we are currently in the jungle, then at the end of this block of 4 we are going on a pirate adventure!

Pre-school gymnastics builds the base for all sports and teaches lessons such as waiting for turns, sharing, helping others etc.

The skills such as walkovers, cartwheels etc the OP asked about are not really taught until much later if the gymnast stays in a rec programme but probably at around the age of 5 if in development group at our gym at least.

Splits - again, if the gymnast is in a rec programme, we don't do any real splits stretching - just in the warm up and cool down. If a gymnast asks us to help her get them we will, but usually if they can do them naturally it is a bonus. We do stretch our development and competitive kids though, again starting at about age 5.

 

[gym law mom]

If she's having fun then that is the #1 priority. This is also the age when children start developing their socialization skills so making friends and learning to get along with all the other kids is a big step. Whether she chooses to stay in gymnastics or not, she is getting skills that will benefit her for the rest of her childhood.
Enjoy the ride.

 

[wallinbl]

I though preschool gymnastics looked like an unorganized mess that wasn't conveying form, technique or anything else. I laughed when they said DD was ready for team. Looking back, they apparently knew what they were doing. The girls from that preschool program are scattered around various local competitive gyms and are most of them are quite good (that gym's competitive program is L4 only due to size of gym and lack of equipment, so girls eventually leave and end up at the various other local gyms).

You sound like you're like I am - not really sure what you're looking at and thinking that it's not how you would expect it to be. Have patience - odds are they know what they're doing.

 

[AmandaLynn]

Have patience - odds are they know what they're doing.

This is a GREAT bit of advice.

The skills that you mentioned are typically not learned until about age 5, with the exception of cartwheels. Back bends and bridges can be potentially dangerous for their spine until that point, so please do not try to work on these things at home. also, round offs are much more complicated than they look, and an incorrect round off can be a coaching NIGHTMARE to correct. As the base of most tumbling passes, it could be argued to be one of the most, if not the most important skill to developing upper level tumbling.

Regarding home equipment and doing any skills at home, be careful, please. At the gym, the instructors are likely safety certified, and also probably go through additional "in-house" training and continuing education as well. They know the proper way to spot skills (I've taught new instructors how to spot, and trust me when I say that even the most basic skills can be complicated for some to understand proper spotting technique and hand placement on), and they know what is developmentally appropriate for each age group. For example, some people say that young gymnasts shouldn't jump off of anything that is taller than the height of their chest. Others subscribe to the idea that pre school aged gymnasts shouldn't jump from anything higher than what they are capable to produce. Personally, I follow the latter for pre-schoolers and the former for older recreational gymnasts.

Bottom line is... It's safer to leave the gymnastics training at the gym. If your child wants more gymnastics, enroll her in a second class on a different day of the week.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

The best advice I ever got about gymnastics was to remember it is a marathon not a sprint.

If she is smiling and having fun that is the most important thing at any age.

 

[jen1957]

My daughter started gymnastics in a preschool program at age 4 and for quite a while it looked to me like they were just playing most of the time, but she was having fun. Over a few years I could see that what looked like playing to me was actually building up to skills she learned later. Her gym doesn't focus too much on form until the girls start on the competitive (rather than recreational) route.

Like others have said, just let her have fun with it. We've always had the attitude (with any activity) that as long as our daughter is happy, having fun and enjoys it, that is what matters.

 

[gymdog]

Splits generally aren't done in preschool classes. When she moves to 5-7 year old school age you will start to see them do this usually in the skill based class program. Preschool classes usually aren't skill based, they are based on age and building some fine and gross motor skills and focus. Things that are done like bear walks (crawling on hands and feet forward and sideways) actually are working on cartwheels and handstands, they're just the very earliest form that a preschool child can manage.