Play Goes A Long Way

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In today's digital age, managing your child's screen time can be a challenging task. With the allure of tablets, smartphones, and televisions, it's easy for young children to spend more time in front of screens than engaging in physical activities. One effective way to balance this is by enrolling your child in a recreational class. Kids First literally has something for everyone in the family! We provide a fun and engaging environment for your child but also offer numerous benefits that can help reduce screen time. Let's explore how class can be a great solution for parents looking to limit their child's screen exposure. 1. Encourages Physical Activity Our classes are designed to get children moving! Through a series of circuits and routines, our develop and strengthen their motor skills, coordination, and balance. Physical activity is crucial for children's growth and development, and it naturally shifts their focus away from screens. 2. Boosts Social Interaction Class time is a great opportunity for your child to interact with their peers outside of their school day. This social interaction helps them develop communication skills, learn to share, and work as part of a team. These experiences and skills are invaluable and cannot be replicated through screen-based activities. 3. Enhances Focus and Discipline Participating in structured classes helps children learn to follow instructions and develop discipline. This focus and discipline can translate into better attention spans (school readiness!) and reduced reliance on screens for entertainment. 4. Establishes a Routine Attending class on a weekly basis can help establish a routine for your child. Having a set schedule for physical activity can reduce the likelihood of excessive screen time, as children have other engaging activities to look forward to and are often more likely to continue to engage at those activities at home as well! 5. Builds Confidence and Self-Esteem As your child learns new skills and overcomes challenges, they build confidence and self-esteem. This sense of achievement can motivate them to pursue other offline activities and reduce their dependence on screens for satisfaction. We know that limiting screen time is essential for whole child overall development, and participating in classes at Kids First can offer a fantastic way to achieve this goal. By providing a fun, engaging, and physical environment, we can help not only help reduce screen time but also contribute to your child's physical, social, and emotional growth.

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Gymnastics and Tumbling classes can significantly benefit your child's performance in other sports by improving their core physical abilities like flexibility, balance, coordination, agility, and body awareness. These ability are are crucial for performing well in a wide range of athletic activities, allowing them to move more freely and potentially reducing the risk of injury. The skills developed in gymnastics and tumbling essentially act as a foundational training program for various sports. Key benefits of tumbling for other sports: Enhanced Flexibility: Tumbling exercises like splits, stretches, and back bends improve overall flexibility, which can be beneficial for quick movements, absorbing impact, and preventing muscle pulls in other sports like soccer, basketball, or gymnastics. Improved Coordination and Balance: Skills like cartwheels, handstands, and somersaults helps children develop better spatial awareness and control over their body movements, leading to better coordination on the field or court. Increased Agility: The dynamic movements we practiced in Gym Jam and Tumble Bees train the body to quickly shift direction and change posture, which is crucial for agility in sports like tennis, hockey, and field hockey. Strength Development: Every class engages various muscle groups, building core strength and stability, which is essential for power and endurance in most sports. Mental Focus and Discipline: Learning tumbling skills often requires concentration and practice, which can translate to improved focus and mental discipline during other athletic activities. Examples of how tumbling can benefit specific sports: Soccer: Improved agility to quickly change direction while dribbling, better balance to maintain control of the ball. Basketball: Enhanced jumping ability and coordination for dunking and rebounding, better body control for quick changes in direction. Volleyball: Improved jumping and landing techniques for powerful spikes and better reaction time to the ball. Track and Field: Increased flexibility for improved running form and better ability to recover from falls.

Did you know that core strength is the foundation for typical movement patterns and achievement of age-appropriate gross motor milestones for all children? The progression of your child's motor skills from simple tasks to ones that are more complex relies heavily on their core strength! Weak core muscles can present in your child in a variety of different ways. In infancy, tasks such as tolerating tummy time, rolling, crawling on hands and knees, sitting up unsupported, pulling to stand, and independently cruising and walking, all would be challenging for those with weak core muscles. As your child's caregiver, it is important to look out for and address any weakness or muscular imbalance to avoid potential delays in your child's gross motor development and to prevent any atypical movement patterns from developing. But what is your core and what does "core strength" mean? The word "core," as it relates to the body, refers not only to one's superficial abdominal muscles but also the muscles found in the back, shoulders, obliques, and deep core muscles including in the pelvic floor. Good core strength creates a stable base in the body improving balance, body awareness, and coordination. When children are given the tools to build proper core strength they have the foundation needed to develop complex gross motor skills like climbing stairs, skipping, jumping with two feet off the floor, and navigating obstacles. So, if lack of core strength can affect a child's gross motor development from a very young age, what does this mean for them as it pertains to fine motor skill development and school readiness? Children who lack of core strength may struggle to keep their bodies stable and upright while in a seated position (in a chair or on the floor). Children who lack the strength to sit for a period of time will also miss out on the development of their fine motor skills like picking up and manipulating small objects (eating, playing with blocks or puzzles), coloring and writing letters and numbers with control and accuracy or even cutting on a line with scissors. A child who is too weak to sit must direct their focus on keeping their body upright and still instead of on fine motor skill they should be practicing. The best way children build core strength is by participating in unstructured, spontaneous play. These days, kids are more likely to spend the majority of their day in front of a screen rather than getting out and participating in unstructured, spontaneous play. This lack of activity and movement leads to bodies and brains that don't receive the stimulation and input that physical play provides. Caregivers can also provide opportunities for their children to participate in classes like Tumble Bees. Group classes can be a fun way to introduce your child to a wide variety of physical challenges that can help them to not only build the physical strength and endurance they will need to be ready for school but also provides age appropriate social and emotional development (which also contribute to school readiness!) The more diverse and varied the movements are, the better a child can gain the strength needed for everyday tasks!