I had found The Little Gym and decided to try out a class with V.  We went as a family.  It is a movement class for kids from 19 months to 2.5 years old.  I cannot believe what a great time she had!

There was gymnastic equipment everywhere….tumbling mats, balance beams, bars, etc.  The instructor had us sit in a circle and work on the main mat, but told us to let the kids go if they felt comfortable enough to explore.  She said the only time we should really go get them is if we saw them doing something that was a safety concern.  As hard as it was for the hubs, we let her be.  Eventually she found her way back to us while we were playing with the other kids and families.

We walked in a circle, ran, jumped, and galloped.  We got out a parachute and shook it, and then gave the kids a ride while they sat in the the middle of it.  We played with balls.  e did some trust exercises where we rolled down a ramp with our kid, using our arms as a container so we didn’t squish our kiddo.  We also did some exploration, where the instructor was encouraging us to try new things with our kadiddles.  V was on some low bars, and the instructor told us to lift her hips up so she could put her feet on the bars.  We showed her once, and then every time she went back to the bars, she put her feet up and basically bear crawled across them.  It was awesome to see her doing things that we wouldn’t have normally encouraged her to do…or even thought to have her try!

The coolest thing was watching her hang from an uneven bar.  She wasn’t even tall enough to reach the bar herself, so one of us had to lift her up.  But she was so strong, hanging around like a monkey.  And then, without warning, she let go and fell to the mat in a fit of giggles!  She immediately wanted to get up and do it again.  Another kid even copied her, falling to the mat right after her.  We were both amazed at her feat.  I forget that little kids have no fear.  It was awesome to see her enjoy herself so much and I know we will definitely be back for more fun!