It’s the beginning of a new term and we are so excited to have our athletes back in classes at both our Mount Waverley and Lynbrook gymnastics centres this week. We enjoyed watching gymnasts shine in Australian Ninja Warrior over the holidays. We are looking forward to watching the Australian Gymnastics Team take on the world at the Olympics. Gymnastics is such a great foundation sport, it’s a great place to develop confidence and competence in movements that can be transferred to any other sport or activity.
How jumping helps us learn
At the beginning of each term all athletes in our KinderGym, gymnastics and ninja classes revisit safety landings. We know how important it is for kids to practice falling safely. Just like any other skill, the more you practice the more ingrained the skill becomes. When you are falling you don’t have a chance to think, your body just needs to react. Practicing falling often and from different heights and surfaces gives children the best chance of staying safe if they find themselves in a tricky situation.
Our KinderGym, gymnastics and ninja classes also give kids lots of opportunities to practice their jumping on a whole variety of different heights and surfaces. Jumping and landing are essential skills that are used in all sports, so getting a great foundation through participating in a regular a gymnastics or ninja class helps kids achieve success in other sports and activities.
An interesting fact about jumping is that it helps improve kids learning. Robyn Papworth, a developmental educator from Melbourne, is often asked by teachers what jumping has to do with reading and writing. Her answer is ‘a lot actually…’
When we jump, we are using a part of our brain called the cerebellum. The cerebellum is responsible for gross motor skills like balance AND skills like concentration, focus and attention. Because all these skills come from the same section of the brain, generally children who struggle with jumping and balancing will also find it hard to focus. Without stimulation and oxygen, the cerebellum is unable to function optimally. By teaching toddlers how to jump, we’re helping them stimulate their brains to develop those crucial focus and attention skills too. You can read more of Robyn’s work at Play-Move-Improve or by following @robynpapworth on Instagram.
Want to know more about classes at Skylark Sports
Skylark Sports offers KinderGym, Gymnastics, Ninja, Tumbling and Acrobatics classes for children of all ages. We also run school holiday programs and birthday parties because we know how much children love to move!
If your child would benefit from an increased ability to focus, if you struggle to stop them jumping on the furniture or if they love watching Australian Ninja Warrior then we would love to see them in our KinderGym, Gymnastics or Ninja classes. Skylark Sports offers classes for children of all ages and abilities. To learn more call us on 9544 8008 or email us at admin@skylarksports.com.au or visit our customer portal to book a trial class.
Both our Mt Waverley and Lynbrook gymnastics centres are permanently set up with the latest training equipment including a fully sprung floor, trampolines, bars, beam, ropes, rings and a custom designed Ninja Zone.
Our Mount Waverley gymnastics centre is perfect for families from the surrounding suburbs including Oakleigh, Ashwood, Burwood, Blackburn South, Glen Waverley, Wheelers Hill, Malvern and Mulgrave.
Our new Lynbrook gymnastics centre welcomes families from the surrounding suburbs including Lyndhurst, Cranbourne, Narre Warren, Hampton Park, Clyde, Dandenong, Hallam, Beaconsfield and Berwick.
A free trial class is available during July so it’s a great time to give it a try.
