Monday, April 27, 2009

Our Little Monkey Does His Tricks

Today was Will's last Tumble Tots class (until the fall), so I took some pictures so you could see how well he is doing. He has loved "gymnastics", and I think part of that is because Jack takes gymnastics, too, so he feels big.

Will's favorite activities are the floor obstacle course, the "Jumping Will" song and getting stamps at the end of class. During the class, he has learned to jump and do a forward roll, as well as, wait his turn and follow directions. Will has also overcome his fear of the balance beam. Before one of the classes, he told me that the balance beam was scary and dangerous and he thought he would fall. I reassured him that Ms. Ema and I wouldn't let him fall. (Ms. Ema said that expressing those concerns is quite unusual for his age, because usually children of this age are unaware of such dangers. So maybe Will is advanced for his age?!?!) By the last class, Will would allow Ms. Ema to help him walk on the beam (before he would only let me help him), and he didn't have a death grip on her. He also did a flamingo pose on the beam, which is standing on one leg. Alot of progress for our little guy!

So here is a glimpse at Will's class:

Floor Work--
Spider on the Wall

Crawling through the tunnel is always a favorite!

Cartwheels


Every week they alternate between the uneven bars and the balance beam. This week was the bars.--
Will is not a big fan of the high bars, so I am surprised that I got of picture of him where he looks like he is enjoying it!

Swinging like a monkey on the low bar...he loves to do this!

Jumping on the Tumble Trak. I couldn't get a picture of him in mid air, but he can actually jump. =)

Ta Da! Getting his achievement ribbon at the end of the session amid cheers from his adoring fans!

I know I have posted quite a bit about how much I love this gymnastics program and the director, Ms. Ema. We have seen wonderful results with Jack and his hypotonia issues due to gymnastics. And even though Will's muscle tone is fine, the gross motor skills, balance, and coordination work has been very beneficial. If you are looking for a fun, energy-burning outlet for your children that also improves balance, strength and coordination, I highly recommend a good gymnastics program!