Berkeley Parents Network: Kids' Gymnastics Classes

Berkeley Parents Network

Kids' Gymnastics Classes

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Classes & Lessons > Kids' Gymnastics Classes

Questions

Low-cost tumbling class for 3-year-old
Tumbling classes for 2-year-old
Gymnastics for Older Boy
General

Related Pages

Reviews of Specific Programs

Low-cost tumbling class for 3-year-old

August 2004

I have a really active 3 year old who's very in touch with her movements and I would love to join her up in a low-cost weekly TUMBLING class in Oak/E'ville/Berk areas. I've looked into some classes but, they're all pretty pricey for the generally free-form activity of a 3 year old. I'm not looking for anything regimented...just a 30-45 minute session of jumping, summersaults and general energy release in a controlled atmosphere with other kids. Thanks. Alena

Recommended:

Montclair Rec Center

University Village Gymnastics

Tumbling classes for 2-year-old

June 2004

Can anyone reccomend classes for a 2 1/2 year old that loves to tumble? I would be very interested in a program that is located close to Berkeley, Kensington, Albany or El Cerrito. Thanks in advance. Julie

Recommended:

University Village Gymnastics

Gymnastics for Older Boy

September 2001

Our son would love to continue gymnastics. A couple of years ago he took classes at Windmill gymnastics which is a fantastic place (staff and facilities), but it is the other side of the world (for us). Any recommendations for a gymnastic class (for a very active, older child, 10-yr-old), in North Oakland, Piedmont, Lake Merritt area? Mara

Recommendations received:

Head Over Heels (2)

Gymboree

2/00 Hadley
I'm interested in taking my 4 1/2 month old to Gymboree classes and I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with their program. I have never heard of anyone taking their kids there so I'm wondering if it is a good program or if there are better options for a young infant who is bored around the house with mommy all day! (mommy is bored too!). Thanks

Xenija
My daughters all loved Gymboree and I enjoyed the interaction with other moms and also learning new songs and fingerplays to use at home. Great tapes to play in the car, too. Gymbo was a favorite puppet toy in our house for many years. The program is a bit pricey, but, I felt, well worth it. Great for Dads on Saturday mornings, too. Another suggestion: join a play group or a parent support group, churches, community centers and such have them. Look in Parents Press for other such nonaffiliated groups. Time with baby does get to be more fun as they learn to do more things. Good luck!

From: Jane

My daughter, Heather, and I participated in Gymboree for about a year beginning when she was eight months or so and it was a good experience. She was at the time a very, very shy kid and it helped her connect well with another adult (the instructor) and promoted her sense of "body self." When we would go home she would continue to try out body movements she learned there, practicing and developing her agility and coordination. It was nice for me to connect with other parents, just for casual conversation about developmental issues.

Kindergym at Temple Beth Abraham

Sept 2004

Has anyone had any recent experience with the Kindergym program at Temple Beth Abraham on Macarthur in Oakland? There is one older review posted in the archives, but I'm hoping for more (and more recent) feedback. Thanks.

I loved the Kindergym at Temple Beth Abraham. Check out this month's NPN newsletter for a great review of the program. sharon

We went to Kindergym for a little over a year, until we moved out of Oakland about a year ago. I can't recommend it highly enough! My son, husband, and I absolutely loved the program. There was tons of stuff to do, plenty of room, lots of good climbing/gross motor activities. To top it all off, Dawn, the ''teacher,'' was the best. She made a point, every single session, to interact with every kid and parent/caregiver there. This is no small feat, because it was always very well attended. Dawn always remembered not only my son's name, but my name and my husband's, too -- after the first time we met her. Also, Dawn has a real gift for circle time...It was just the right energy level for this age group. I wish we still lived in Oakland, so that I could look forward to attending Kindergym with my younger son. Grace

Kindergym is a fabulous program for preschoolers of all ages. The atmosphere is casual and friendly, Dawn has amazing amounts of energy and simply adores the children, and there is a wide variety of activities for your child to choose from. Some of the special benefits of Kindergym include (a) one parent/adult can bring more than one child (i.e. siblings or twins or a nanny share) (b) parents take turns bringing juice and graham crackers (or challah on Fridays) for snack (c) one has the choice of whether to wear shoes or remove them (d) there are no additional ''products'' for sale (e) Dawn sings her amazing original songs at various activities around the room and during parachute and bubbles time at the end of class (f) on Fridays there is a great Shabbat experience for those who are interested but it is an equally comfortable atmosphere for people of any religion. My son Micah attended Kindergym from 18 months until 4 years old and my son Jonah began at birth and is still attending at 2 years old. We hope to see you there! Karen

My toddler and I have loved going to Kindergym at Temple Beth Abraham! The teacher, Dawn Margolin, is such a warm soul and loves playing with the children (all of whom she knows by name). The play space is filled with great toys, ride-ons, blocks, books, climbing structures and even a ball pit. After lots of free play and a short clean-up, the children gather for circle time. On Friday mornings, Dawn & Rabbi Bloom celebrate Shabbat with the children. (Other weekday mornings, however, are not religious.) My toddler enjoyed it so much; now I'm looking forward to starting the next session with my baby! You can reach Dawn at (510) 547-7726. Jen F.

I just finished taking my second child to Kindergym(he began preschool this year) at Temple Beth Abraham and I highly recommend this program to all. It was a fabulous experience for my children, allowing them to socialize with other young children and experiment with both fine and gross motor activities. It gave me the opportuniy to meet many other moms, dads, and caregivers. Dawn Margolin, the program creator and director, is amazing!! She is one of the most energetic and sweet women I know and is a fantastic advocate for young children. As an added bonus, on Fridays Rabbi Blum and his guitar join the fun for a mini shabbat including candles, juice, challah, and of course, lots of singing. ronni

Re: Infant & Preschooler in the same class? (Aug 2002)
There is a great, non-religious Kindergym program at Temple Beth Abraham on Macarthur in Oakland. The woman who runs it, Dawn, is really terrific and very accomodating to siblings. It is run on Wed, Thur, Fri (those were the days last spring) at 10:00. It is basically free play on equipment/ball pit plus water and rice tables, some toys and a little painting/playdough. Then there are stories, songs and a little snack. Check it out. Jill

Windmill Gymnastics

From: Helen

To Mary Carol on the subject of toddler gymnastics: my daughter (4 yrs. old) goes to a preschool in El Cerrito (Keystone) where they bring in people from Windmill Gymnastics once a week for an additional fee. My daughter absolutely loves the class and comes home showing me how they learned to do stretching exercises and some tumbling. So far, she hasn't gotten hurt, and she has an elbow that dislocates easily. I also know that some kids in my son's 2nd grade class take classes from Windmill Gymnastics on the weekends, and also have excellent things to say about them. I believe they are located in either El Cerrito or Richmond. Hope this helps!

From: Heather
My best friend happens to be the assistant head coach at Windmill Gymnastics in the Richmond Annex. The telephone # is 527-0570. I've been around that gym for about 5 or 6 years now, and everyone there is really nice. I haven't seen what they do with the little kids as much as I have seen them work with the team. I would be happy to find out more information about what they offer for younger kids (my friend is the team coach, for the older kids).

YMCA-Richmond

From: Sue

My daughter [age 4.5] just started a "Road Runner Gym" class at the Hilltop YMCA in Richmond and had a great time during her first class [from her reports]. They have a whole series of classes for preschoolers and then "real" gymnastics for the older kids. Very inexpensive--I think it was $12 for 5 or 6 weeks if you're a member. It was good for us since we wanted to give her a chance to try "gymnastics" out before getting into a "full-blown" program at a gymnastics school. The Hilltop YMCA also has a nice variety of classes for preschoolers like swimming and biddy sports.

General

We have no experience with Richmond, but we have done the Cal program and Kids in motion, and a neighbor has done the head over heels program. I'll bet kids in motion is your best bet. Both the Cal program and head over heels are located in big, cavernous rooms which can be really great for the energetic, whooping-it-up type but if your child is shyer than most, probably a more intimate atmosphere might be better. Also the Cal program is staffed by a number of different Cal students and a very jolly no-nonsense older woman -- Tamara, who is great, but a shy child might not respond to her that well. Good luck.
Alison

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