Parents Update on how the dev class has been going

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My little kiddo recently switched from a preschool class to a developmental class. It's definitely a lot more work, but she seems to be really liking it. She asked me if her coach could move in with us! I don't know where that came from. Their little minds work so strangely.

She is certainly one of the more immature kids in the class physically, but not behavior wise. I'm proud that she is actually one of the few kids who can stay in line and do as she is asked. She is definitely less coordinated than the older kids as expected.

I like the fact that they work on each event and she's actually being challenged. The preschool class was more about listening, as it should be, but she has no problem in that area. I wish there was a class that had more focus, but with kids closer to her age. She is the youngest by a year and some of the kids are 3 years older than her. A year is not a lot, but it is a lot when it is the difference between 3.5 and 4.5 in my opinion. There is certainly a huge difference between 3.5 and 6.5. That's a completely different world.

I sometimes feel like the coach isn't patient with her. She'll call out a direction like run down and touch the square and then do 20 push-ups. Well, my DD doesn't even know what a push-up is! She can count, but I'm not sure she understands that she's supposed to count her push-ups. Watching her do "push-ups" is so funny. She just moves her butt instead of bending her arms! She's gotten good at just doing whatever the girl next to her does. It seems like the coach just assumes she should know how to do something and then sometimes seems irritated when she has no clue what she was just asked to do. She was tellling all the girls tonight to do their push-ups correctly or they would have to do them over. It's not like DD wasn't trying. I just don't think she is coordinated enough to do a push-up.

I'm probably being too sensitive because she's my baby! I've asked her every time if she wants to go back to her old class and she says no.

I did hear that when school starts they may split the class up a bit more if there are more kids in it. Right now it's only about 4 girls, with 6 if everyone shows up. I hope that happens.
 
Sounds like dd is having a great time! Good for her for being able to listen and behave! It's hard at that age! That's funny that she wants her coach to move in!:D I certainly know what you mean about the age difference. My dd is level 1 and she is the youngest (4.5) the other kids are 6. The other day she was told to work on her front limbers, and she had no clue what the coach was talking about! The other girls have been in the class for about 5 months, dd just was moved up. She does the same and tries to follow the other kids! You can really tell she is physically the youngest on the bars. She still has the fear. Yet if I do say so myself, she rocks on the floor! Don't worry about being to sensitive, I've noticed that dd can handle herself out there, and will speak up when she is unsure of things. I'm sure your little one will find her own voice!:D
 
sounds like she is having fun! I would maybe talk to teh coach and let her know that maybe she might need more direction on somethings as they are new to her!

but over all it sounds like she is doing GREAT!!!!
 
My little kiddo recently switched from a preschool class to a developmental class. It's definitely a lot more work, but she seems to be really liking it. She asked me if her coach could move in with us! I don't know where that came from. Their little minds work so strangely.

She is certainly one of the more immature kids in the class physically, but not behavior wise. I'm proud that she is actually one of the few kids who can stay in line and do as she is asked. She is definitely less coordinated than the older kids as expected.

I like the fact that they work on each event and she's actually being challenged. The preschool class was more about listening, as it should be, but she has no problem in that area. I wish there was a class that had more focus, but with kids closer to her age. She is the youngest by a year and some of the kids are 3 years older than her. A year is not a lot, but it is a lot when it is the difference between 3.5 and 4.5 in my opinion. There is certainly a huge difference between 3.5 and 6.5. That's a completely different world.

I sometimes feel like the coach isn't patient with her. She'll call out a direction like run down and touch the square and then do 20 push-ups. Well, my DD doesn't even know what a push-up is! She can count, but I'm not sure she understands that she's supposed to count her push-ups. Watching her do "push-ups" is so funny. She just moves her butt instead of bending her arms! She's gotten good at just doing whatever the girl next to her does. It seems like the coach just assumes she should know how to do something and then sometimes seems irritated when she has no clue what she was just asked to do. She was tellling all the girls tonight to do their push-ups correctly or they would have to do them over. It's not like DD wasn't trying. I just don't think she is coordinated enough to do a push-up.

I'm probably being too sensitive because she's my baby! I've asked her every time if she wants to go back to her old class and she says no.

I did hear that when school starts they may split the class up a bit more if there are more kids in it. Right now it's only about 4 girls, with 6 if everyone shows up. I hope that happens.

So nice to hear she is enjoying her new class ellabella :) too cute! Knowing what the coach asks of her will come in a very short time, she just started and needs a chance to catch on. She sounds like she will do just great;)

My dd was always the youngest in her class by at least 2 years, and as much as 8 years. I let her start her devo class shortly after she turned 5, and she was also a great listener, but rightfully so had issues with coordination compared with the older girls. Even though skills wise she could keep up 100% she had a hard time with this in the beginning. She was very hard on herself (a perfectionist as most gymnasts tend to be), and I had reached a point where I was re-thinking her new class as well. When we spoke, I did not focus on where she was lacking and only talked about the great parts of class, she started loving to tell me everything that was great for the day & if she had a hard time with something we would play the "remember when" game:D. "Remember when" you could not bckwrd roll & now see how easy it is, "remember when" you could not do a bridge kick-over etc. She really lightened up on herself. I still ask her everyday if she had fun today, and sometimes I get the sourpuss perfectionist "I could not do this right or that right", but through time is not nearly as hard on herself as before. (we still play the game btw, but now with newer skills. For the old ones (i.e. bckwd roll, bko), it is so funny to hear them say that they DON'T remember when they could not do those things LOL:D)
 
I still think it's the best class for her so I'm glad we switched. She has never complained or seemed upset by anything. She is just excited to tell me everything she got to do. She is not a perfectionist so far and I don't think she even notices that she can't do everything the others can do.

As she gets older the age gap won't matter too much. I think it's even more obvious because she is just really tiny. When I see her with the other girls they are so much bigger. She is 35 inches and 24lbs right now. The next oldest girl is really tall for her age. The coach forgets how small she is. She'll send all of them to the water fountain and DD will wait so patiently for the coach to realize that she can't reach to get a drink. It'll take a few minutes for her to notice or sometimes the other girls will have to to get her. Maybe she needs a stool. They'll also be going through their beam rotations and they first do the skill on a lower beam and then go the higher beam. DD holds up the line because she can't get on the taller beam without something to stand on. She's too shy to speak up.

Today at home DD did a cartwheel! Just out of the blue she did it. Granted it wasn't a pretty cartwheel, but she wouldn't do anything but the little donkey kick before.
 
How cute! I think that is adorable how she cant get a drink or get to the high beam. Does your gym have a stool for her? And yay for the carthweel! Great job:D:thumbsup:
 
Glad to hear the class is working for your DD. Don't worry about her catching on. DD learned to count at the gym by doing reps of things. She was 3 when she went into a delv class and most were almost 5 or 5. They could do so much more cordination wise but DD caught up so quickly. As for knowing what a push up and such is DD learned very quickly and could count to 20 before I could blink an eye. When she went for Pre-K eval at 4 they asked her to jump over a line and sher question to them was how would you like me to jump. Tuck, Straight, pike or straddle??? Enjoy watching her grow those are some great times.
 
That's so funny about your DD asking how they wanted her to jump.

She is catching on quickly. I've noticed that she is strong, but less coordinated. She does fine with bars.

She is in ballet also and last week they were doing some simple things like hopping over things and doing forward rolls. The other ballet mom's were acting like my kids was some sort of gymnastics genius. Seriously some of the three year olds in her ballet class couldn't hop with 2 feet together, much less hop on one foot or hop down a straight line. They were doing the thing where one kid holds the other kids legs like a wheelbarrow while they walk on their hands. None of the other kids could do that. Their little arms were just giving out. DD just zipped across the floor with no problem. It was a big eye opener for me. She's my first and only so I don't know what's normal for a 3 year old.
 
I don't think anything is just "Normal"every child is different. DD is our second and she is more athletic than DS but he is brillant when it comes to school and figuring things out. DD has never been the norm to speak but what is the norm for some is impossible for others. I just say go with it. DD's body awareness came very easily for her DD has to work extremely hard to do anything athletic. Meaning he is good at his sport but it wasn't an easy thing. He has to work harder than many others to be the best. I hope that makes sense. Enjoy seeing her develop it so much to watch the changes that happen so quickly. It just seems like yesterday that DD was just doing tucks, pikes and straddles while hanging on the low bar and now she is working on her L4 bar routine.
 

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