Developmental class question

[Sarah'sMom]

For those of you with girls in developmental classes for kids 5 and up, how many hours a week are you required to go and how much time is spent on each event in the class? Does your daughter do bars every class and for how long? Do they have a list of staple type skills they always work on each class?

 

[jcs]

Hi! My dd is on pre-team (she will be 5 in October), which I think is similar to developmental. They have two levels. We are going to find out what class the girls are in for the fall by the end of this week, but right on now on the schedule the level 2's go 2x a week for 1.5 hrs, level 3 go 3x a week for 1.75 hrs.

This summer she has only gone once a week (could go twice but diffficult to fit into my work schedule). They have done bars every other class so far this summer, but yesterday they didn't touch them at all. They did swing on the rings and climb the rope though. Bars is my DD's favorite, but she seemed thrilled to be clilmbing the rope. She told me she wants to get all the way to the top. Each class they seem to be working on skills slightly more advanced, yesterday was the first time I saw them working forward rolls on the beam, beginning stages of handstand into a bridge, and even BHS over the rolling ball thing.

Yesterday they did tumble track, stretching, floor, beam, and the rope/rings. My guess is the class tomorrow will be heavy on vault and bars.

 

[gym law mom]

For those of you with girls in developmental classes for kids 5 and up, how many hours a week are you required to go and how much time is spent on each event in the class? Does your daughter do bars every class and for how long? Do they have a list of staple type skills they always work on each class?

I think you'll find a different answer from each person that responds. Remember these pre-team, developmental classes or whatever they are called at each gym have their own structure set out by that gym.
Mine wasn't on pre-team at age 5, but if she had been, she would have done 3 hours/week and bars were not done at every class.

 

[gymmutti]

My daughter is in the developmental program in what is probably around L2 (some L3) skills. She's 5 and they can go 1-2 days a week 1.5hrs each. The only things which happen at every class is warm-up/stretching and conditioning. They typically do 3 of the 4 events each class, with about 20 min on each event. This class is typically 5 and 6 year olds and their attention spans are still somewhat short.

 

[ejgymmom]

My daughter is 5 (6 in October) and is doing pre-team. She goes twice a week, 2 hours each class (4 hrs total per week) and is learning Level 4 skills. She may compete Level 3 next year, we're not sure yet. I don't stay and watch the whole class much anymore but I think they always do handstands, roundoffs, bridges and kickovers every class (along with the standard stretching and conditioning). They always do some jumps on the tumble track trampoline thing at the beginning of class. They seem to do bars almost every class as well. Then they alternate beam, vault and other floor stuff. I think they do vault the least right now. I haven't really figured out if they have a set schedule for the order of events but it seems like they maybe do 3 events each class. I'm not completely sure though since I don't stay and watch her class anymore.

 

[5birds]

My DD is 5 years old and is in the Dev. class. She goes a total of 10.5 hrs per week. They are working on Level 4 skills and do all the events every class. Her classes are 3.5 hrs 3x week.

 

[momofthreegirls]

My DD has done developmental classes for a few years (at 2 different gyms). At the first gym they had 3 levels of developmental - One for ages 3-5 which was two 1-hr classes each week. Another that was for ages 5-7, which was two 1.5-hr classes each week, and one for 7+, which was two 2-hr classes each week. These classes were prepping girls to join USAG level 3.

At our new gym, the developmental team met for two 2-hr sessions each week, with an optional strength day (2.5 hrs). The girls were between ages 5 and 8. They were prepping for USAG level 4.

This year developmental is going to be 4.5 hrs per week (three 1.5 hr. classes). My middle daughter may join this group... still deciding.

 

[momofthreegirls]

Also, the old gym always did strength and conditioning at the beginning of class, then two events. They alternated which events they did each class, so that they hit all 4 events each week. A lot of time was spent on strength and shaping, and not as much on skills.

The new gym does some strength and conditioning each class, but usually hits all 4 events. More time is spent on skills. (DD liked this format much better. She didn't have the best attention span for spending 30 minutes doing holds on parallettes, and was always getting yelled at at the old gym).