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Gymnastics: A Fun and Healthy Alternative to Screen Time

The average American child between the ages of 2 and 8 spends more than two hours on screens every day, according to a report by Common Sense Media in 2021. Change those ages to between 8 and 12, and the number doubles to almost five hours on screens per day.

Most parents are well aware of the many problems too much screen time can cause, including sleeping problems, behavioral issues, eye and vision problems, obesity, and delayed social skill development.

But what is a parent to do in this modern, sedentary world?

Enroll your kids in gymnastics! Gymnastics is a fun and healthy way to combat every consequence of screen time while also building new behaviors and habits without the need for screens.

Gymnastics offers an opportunity to stay active. During a gymnastics lesson, your child will be active the entire time. Typically, the lessons start with a variety of activities designed to warm up the athlete by getting their blood flowing and preparing them for what’s to come.

After warm-ups, lessons typically move into skills training on specific moves and techniques, including balance beam work, handstands, cartwheels, bridges, rolls, and other floor exercises.

Even the cool-down activities inside gymnastics lessons are active and include stretches and movement.

Gymnastics lessons provide a well-organized and extended duration of physical activity. This is good news because while kids love to be active, sometimes screen time can zap their creativity on how to do so. Gymnastics lessons are fun and guided by the coach, so all you as a parent and the students have to do is show up.

You can extend your child’s active time outside of gymnastics by asking your child to show you what they are learning in gymnastics, what they are really good at, and what they want to work on. Provide a safe and comfortable environment for your child to perfect their movements and techniques.

Gymnastics can also help develop healthy habits. Screen time can be a habit that develops unintentionally. Gymnastics can offer parents and their children the opportunity to develop a fun and healthy new habit. Plus, the more you learn gymnastics, the more fun it becomes. Gymnastics is a great alternative to screen time.

Attending gymnastics lessons is awesome, but it is not the only healthy habit developed. Children learn other healthy habits while being active in gymnastics, including setting and achieving goals, building discipline, and working with others. These healthy habits genuinely lead to better self-esteem and a better relationship with physical activity overall.

Additionally, regular gymnastics training can help instill healthy habits such as staying active and taking care of one’s physical and mental health. Through gymnastics, children can learn the importance of setting and achieving goals, building discipline and persistence, and working collaboratively with others. These healthy habits and values can help them develop a positive relationship with physical activity and prioritize it over sedentary screen time.

One way to further instill healthy habits while your child is in gymnastics is to talk to them about their achievements as well as what they enjoyed and to encourage them to practice outside of lessons.

Gymnastics can also help reduce screen dependency. Children who are enrolled in gymnastics have consistent exposure to learning, having fun, and being active without the use of screens. Each lesson reinforces the idea that they do not need screen time to be entertained or have fun. Moreover, the skills learned about working hard and improving oneself may be applied to other areas of life.

As your child is engaged in gymnastics lessons, their social skills may blossom, causing them to desire more playtime with friends rather than their screen.

As a parent, it’s tough to navigate a world where screens are increasingly dominating the lives of our children. Fortunately, gymnastics offers an alternative that allows them to stay healthy and active. By enrolling your child in gymnastics, you can help them stay active, develop new skills, set and achieve goals and build social skills.

If you’re a parent looking for help in this world where screens are increasingly dominating our children’s lives, consider signing up at U.S. Gold Gymnastics. We offer you an alternative for parents to help their kids stay active, healthy and social.

What is a Co-Ed Ninja Warrior Class and should your child be in it?

Is your child dreaming of becoming a Junior American Ninja Warrior? Do you want to witness your little one bouncing around like a ninja superstar? Well, you’re in luck because we’ve got all the info you need!

Let’s dive into the world of co-ed ninja warrior classes and discover what they’re all about. Picture this: your child leaping, flipping, climbing, and swinging through an epic obstacle course. It’s like a dream come true for any adventurous kid!

In this article, we’ll tell you all about:

  • What Co-Ed Ninja Warrior training is all about
  • The structure of ninja warrior classes
  • The benefits of co-ed ninja warrior training

The TV show American Ninja Warrior captured the attention of adventurous athletes all over the country. The incredible feats of strength, agility, and coordination are a sight to behold. Since we all know there’s a little ninja in every child, Ninja Warrior classes started popping up everywhere.

At U.S. Gold Gymnastics, our Coed Ninja Warrior Class is for kids in Kindergarten through 4th grade. They focus on developing the skills needed to navigate an obstacle course that requires jumping, flipping, climbing, and swinging. It’s kind of like a kid’s dream come true!

What is ninja warrior training for kids?

It may sound fancy, but the concept of ninja warrior training is quite simple. We take the skills you might otherwise learn in gymnastics lessons and put them into an obstacle course. Ninja Warrior training includes learning how to navigate through obstacles like the balance beam, monkey bars, warped walls, rope climbs, and cargo nets. As your child gets better, the difficulty can increase.

Since all boys and girls, especially between the ages of 5 and 10, love to climb, jump, flip, and swing, we made the class co-ed. It’s a great opportunity for your child to engage in healthy competition, learn to appreciate their own skills and the abilities of others, and learn from their peers of both genders. While it eventually becomes necessary to separate genders as they age, at this point, they’re still having fun together!

What to expect in a kids Ninja Warrior Class:

1. Warm-Up: We’ll always start with a warm-up to safely prepare your kids, their muscles, and their minds for the work ahead.

2. Skills: Your child’s coach will introduce, demonstrate, and lead them through specific techniques and events within the obstacle course they are training for. They’ll climb cargo net ropes, balance over elevated beams, jump from swinging monkey bars, and so much more!

3. Obstacle Course Work: Once the skills are practiced, it’s time to take them to the course and work through challenges designed to improve their agility, coordination, and problem-solving abilities. Our instructors create fun and unique obstacle courses that kids love!

4. Strength & Conditioning: While most of the work your child does will be on the course and events within it, they may also participate in training that helps them get stronger so they can master the next obstacle!

5. Time Trials: Your little ninja warrior will run through the course to establish a baseline time and then have subsequent chances to test how much they’ve improved.

6. Cool-Down: We’ll end the class with stretching to lower the heart rate, promote flexibility, and prevent injury.

Enrolling your child in a Co-Ed Ninja Warrior class comes with many benefits. First, you’ll notice an increase in their physical fitness and strength, which is especially important in today’s sedentary lifestyle. This class allows them to get moving and have fun!

While all gymnastics classes help improve agility, coordination, and balance, ninja warrior training takes it to another

 level by combining various techniques, events, and skills into one course.

Our Co-Ed class also gives your child a chance to practice their social skills in a safe, fun, and positive environment. They’ll build teamwork alongside their actual muscles and experience the unique camaraderie that comes from tackling challenges together with friends.

As your child masters new obstacles and improves their time, their confidence and self-esteem will soar. This is a priceless benefit for most parents.

So, if you want your child to unleash their inner ninja, join a Coed Ninja Warrior class today. It’s a thrilling, action-packed adventure that will keep them bouncing, flipping, and soaring with joy! Click on the schedules link on our website to find out which of our many sessions might work best for you and your child.

Raising Strong Kids: How Gymnastics Develops Healthy Minds, Bodies, and Social Skills for Preschoolers

Every parent wants to give their child the best possible start in life, so that they grow up to be healthy, happy, and confident adults. What if we told you that gymnastics could be your secret weapon to help your child build a strong foundation in physical health, mental health, and social skills? In this post, we’ll cover why gymnastics is an excellent option for parents of preschoolers and explain the benefits you can expect for your child.

What Makes Gymnastics Particularly Great for Preschoolers?

Preschoolers are at a unique point in life where they are developing the foundation of their mental, physical, and social habits as adults. Gymnastics can set them on the right path in a way that is unique from any other extracurricular activity.

For example, as your preschooler is just figuring out how to handle social situations, gymnastics provides the right amount of time each week for them to test out their social skills and then retreat to the safe space of their family.

Likewise, lifelong physical activity levels are learned early. A study published in 2010 in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health showed that kids who were physically active during childhood were three times as likely to continue being active as adults. Incorporating gymnastics for preschoolers can have a significant impact on their health and wellness as adults.

Finally, the mental health benefits of gymnastics are special for preschoolers. While those benefits play out for anyone at any age, building confidence, esteem, and discipline is easier the earlier you start. But what are the benefits of gymnastics for preschoolers?

Physical Health Benefits of Gymnastics

Gymnastics is an awesome activity for preschoolers because it helps them develop their motor skills and coordination. Plus, as preschoolers are learning to move their ever-growing bodies, they’ll have help as they learn about body awareness in gymnastics. Gymnastics also builds balance, core strength, and flexibility while boosting their strength and endurance. And the best part? It’s great for their heart health, improving circulation and reducing the risk of heart disease. Gymnastics lessons are an excellent way for preschoolers to burn off excess energy while also gaining fantastic health benefits.

Mental Health Benefits of Gymnastics

Fortunately, the benefits of gymnastics extend beyond just the body. As a parent, you can expect to see your child’s focus and concentration boosted. This benefit will continue to grow the longer they take lessons.

Gymnastics also gives your child the opportunity to improve their problem-solving ability as they face unique challenges in order to learn and perfect new skills. Gymnastics lessons lead to a cycle of goal-setting, trial and error, feedback, and analysis, all of which help your preschooler think creatively and solve problems. Gymnastics requires your preschooler to work on skills such as attention, memory, language, decision-making, and reasoning, all of which are vital for good mental health.

Finally, as your preschooler takes ownership of training their bodies to perform and perfect certain movements, they will increase their self-awareness and mindfulness.

Social Skills Benefits of Gymnastics

One amazing benefit of enrolling a preschooler in gymnastics is that they can learn to communicate and socialize in a new and safe environment. As they grow and get to know their classmates, coach and even their own bodies, their self-confidence and self-esteem will grow.

Although gymnastics can seem like an individual sport, the opportunity for your preschooler to grow in their social skills is huge. This is particularly true as many preschoolers start out in group lessons. This group environment with an experienced coach allows preschoolers to learn about teamwork and collaboration. This skill may have already started developing at home, but the gymnasium provides a different environment where they can grow. This environment also teaches your preschooler discipline and respect for rules.

If you’re looking for an extracurricular activity that can benefit your preschooler’s physical health, mental health, and social skills, and you live in the Destin, Miramar Beach or Santa Rosa Beach area, consider signing up at U.S. Gold Gymnastics. By starting your preschooler in gymnastics, you can help them build a strong foundation for a healthy, happy, and confident future. So why not enroll them in a gymnastics class today?

How Gymnastics Enhances Academic Performance in Elementary Students

What if there was a way to have your cake and eat it too as a parent? That’s exactly what you get when you enroll your child at U.S. Gold Gymnastics. Your cake is a fun and healthy activity for your child and getting to eat it is the proven fact that gymnastics enhances the academic performance of elementary students.

If you’re interested in improving the success of your student at school while also providing safe, entertaining and beneficial extracurricular activities, read on.

Gymnastics helps elementary students to improve their academic performance in five ways:

  • Improving the focus and concentration skills in your student
  • Increasing memory and cognitive function
  • Aiding in the improvement of grades and standardized tests scores
  • Providing a much needed release from academic pressure
  • Increasing discipline, confidence and problem solving skills

How gymnastics helps improve your elementary student’s focus and concentration skills

Imagine your student trying to perfect the latest move they learned in gymnastics by putting their mind and work together toward a singular focus. Such a feat requires quite the focus and concentration skills. Add to that other gymnasts flipping, turning and jumping all around them, music blaring and their coach instructing them. You can almost imagine the smoke coming out of their ears!

When your student is enrolled in gymnastics, they have to learn to block out distractions and focus on the move or technique at hand. And they have to do it over and over again. This allows them to flex and grow those concentration skills more often and in a different way than they might in school.

How gymnastics is proven to increase your child’s memory and cognitive function

Memory and problem-solving are super important in the classroom! Fortunately, gymnastics allows students to develop these skills in a fun and engaging way. Gymnastics is also great exercise which has been shown to stimulate growth in the brain.

Children enrolled in gymnastics tend to have better memory retention, cognitive processing speed and information processing according to a study from the American Heart Association.

Gymnastics students have better grades and test scores

One study showed that students who were in gymnastics at an early age (aka, your elementary student’s age) were more likely to have better grades, higher test scores and an overall better academic performance than students not involved in gymnastics.

In another report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity was shown to improve grades and standardized test scores in elementary school children.

How gymnastics provides an escape from academic pressure for your child

Speaking of test scores, being a student can bring with it a lot of pressure. Gymnastics provides your student a time to let all of the pressure and responsibility of being a student go and just let loose on the gym floor.

Not only can gymnastics be a creative release for your child, exercise on its own is a proven stress reliever. That means that your young gymnast is learning a healthy method to deal with stress from a young age.

Finally, gymnastics provides another arena for your child to grow and succeed that isn’t based on their academic performance. This is important because having more than one area of focus creates a well-rounded child whose identity does not rise and fall solely on one thing.

How gymnastics helps students increase discipline, confidence and problem solving skills

Gymnastics requires discipline from its young athletes in order to master new moves and techniques. The continued application of self-discipline to improve in one skill can translate over to other things such as improved study habits and following through on projects and homework at school.

Likewise, the confidence a young person gets from trying and learning something new, especially something that requires such focus and discipline, will also bleed over into other areas of their lives.

As a parent, we know you’re always looking for ways to help your kids stay active, healthy and social. Gymnastics and improved academic performance also go hand and hand. It’s a win-win as a parent! If you’re considering signing up your elementary student for gymnastic classes and you live near Destin or Santa Rosa Beach, contact us at U.S. Gold Gymnastics today.