Kids' Gymnastics Classes
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April 2009
Does anyone have a recommendation for a gymnastics class for my 4-year-old
daughter. She is a little lacking in coordination and arm an abdominal
strength compared to what I see with the other kids at preschool (i.e. can't
do a sit up, or even hang on the monkey bars for more than a second), so I
want to help foster that without too much pressure. We are not looking to
make her a future olympian! I was always terrible with upper body strength,
and I'm hoping to avoid that. We live in Oakland. Any comments about
experiences good and bad are appreciated. Thanks!
Not monkeying around
Try Ruby's Tumbling
in Alameda. It's totally zero-pressure on
the kids, but they have a lot of fun and learn a lot. My 3 1/2
year old loves it! http://www.rubystumbling.com/ Mama of a
Tumbler
I am not sure where you live, but
Kids In Motion in Oakland on
Piedmont is terrific. What is nice about that facility for
beginners is that there is a seating area right in the gym for
parents to watch the classes. And Golden Bear Gymnastics has
good classes as well. A bigger facility and ultimately, a
competetive program for older children. I would encourage you
to try one of these over a community center program, as there is
more equiptment available to the children in the classes.
Trampoline, bars, ropes that may not be offered in a communtiy
center room where mats, etc. are brought in by the gym teacher.
Mom of a gymnast
I have a four and a half year old son who also is not the most
coordinated or the strongest guy (would much prefer to look at a
book). Anyway, we have been looking at and trying classes for a
couple of years now.
We first tried a session with Head over Heels and were very
disappointed (this was about 2 years ago; as they moved in to
their new facilities). The facilities are very nice, but they
had so many classes going on at the same time that it was VERY
NOISY and hard for the preschoolers to hear their instructor and
to then try whatever they wanted them to try.
Most recently we tried Kids in Motion on Piedmont. We actually
went to several sessions (maybe 3? 4? each session is about 8
weeks long). The first session was great; and then they kept
going downhill. The biggest problem is that even though we
stayed consistent on the time we went; we got a NEW instructor
every single time (usually they were new to KiM too). Felt like
our son never got consistent instruction or learned anything.
So, recently (about 3 months ago) we tried martial arts at Bay
Mountain Martial Arts on Grand Ave (near Safeway) and we LOVE
it. The Sensei (teacher) is very focused on the kids. He knows
all of their names from day one. It is AMAZING how much our son
has changed is such a short time. They are working on ''life
skills'' not just martial arts. Each week has a different focus
(coordination was this week, then there are things like memory,
self control, discipline, focus, etc.). They have a whole
thought through system that really motivates the kids. The
preschool teachers also cannot believe the changes he is making
esp in terms of his confidence and his abilities on the
playground.
Best of luck!
James' mom
Oct 2008
I am looking for a place where I can take my daughter to gymnastic
class. She is 1 1/2 year old. I want to keep her busy with
activities. Any suggestions?
gabriela
They have classes at head over heels in emeryville - www.hohgymnastics.com, or
kids 'n dance in oakland has gymnastics/creative movement classes -
www.kidsndance.com.
have fun!
My daughter and I (parent participation until 3 years old) have been taking
gymnastics classes at Head Over Heels
(www.hohgymnastics) for the last 9
months. A new session starts in early November (although you can also join a
class mid-session (tuition in pro-rated). The coaches are great. My daughter
works hard, but has a good time too.
Gym Mama
Check out the creative movement / gymnastics classes at
Kids N Dance in Oakland (www.kidsndance.com). There are fun
''parent-and-me'' participatory classes for the under-two crowd,
and the teachers do a great job keeping the kids engaged and
participating.
Enjoy!
August 2008
Hello,
We showed our 5 y/o boy gymnastics and diving from the Olympics and he
seems to have the bug! All the reviews about different places are a few
years old. Where should go, which should we avoid? We live in Oakland.
Many thanks,
Bobbie
Hi, I had great luck with Kids in Motion on Piedmont Avenue.
My daughter was 3 and 4 when she went there (last 2 years), and
she loved it. The teachers were very enthusiastic and
attentive, the class sizes were small, the difficulty of the
exercises was age-appropriate, and they kept things moving
along and lots of fun. I highly recommend it.
Oakland Mom
My boys (3 and 5) have done a few sessions at
Head Over Heels
in Emeryville and love it there. They do gymnastics and also
circus classes, which include some trapeze, clowning, juggling,
etc. More info at www.hohgymnastics.com Gotta Tire Them Out
Somehow
My daughter has been attending gymnastics at Head Over Heels
in
Emeryville for a year now. They have great coaches from
beginners gym tots to the competitive classes.
happy with Head Over Heels' offerings
This isn't straight gymnastics, but very fun for a 5 year old.
Trapeze Arts is a wonderful circus school in Oakland, where he
can learn tumbling, trapeze, trampoline, etc. It's
non-competitive and fun, with close attention paid to safety.
The family that runs the school are wonderful, caring people
who hire the same. Have fun!
Heidi
Our son took a week long gymnastics camp at
BayIslandGymnastics.com.
I was a bit apprehensive but he LOVED
every minute of it. I've since taken him for a weekend class
and he chose not to participate until Ashley coaxed him to the
mat. She proceeded to give him a private lesson that day. All
the other staff have been fantastic with my son, too. Don't let
the location avert you, they're near the 24hr fitness/Home
Depot at 880/High St.
Tumble Heaven Close to Home
Jan 2008
I thought I'd post to get
suggestions for good places for my daughter and her friend to attend a
weekday morning gymnastics class. I was most curious about experiences
with Head Over Heels in Emeryville and Kids in Motion on Piedmont Ave
in Oakland. Thanks so much.
Gym Momma
Kids in motion was great for my daughter when she was
little. The only thing I would recommend is that if your
little one really enjoys gymnastics and does it for a number
of years you may want to explore a gym where they compete,
like Golden Bear Gymnastics at UC Berkeley or Head over
Heels in Emeryville. Kids in Motion is a non-competitive
gym. The standards are very different.
My daugher did eventually begin to compete and wished she
had moved to the more competive gym before she did. She
thinks she would have been further ahead but Kids in Motion
was a great place to start.
We've been going to the Tiny Tumblers class at Kids in
Motion on Piedmont for about 6 months and my two year-old
loves it. The class is not very structured, which works
well for that age group. Most of the time the kids are free
to play on the equipment and with other toys/activities that
are set up in advance by the staff. There are also two
''circle times'' called during the class when the kids come
together as a group for stretching or a game and for the
kids to take turns demonstrating different ''moves''
(somersault, crawling through tunnel etc) for each other.
It is a really enjoyable class and I highly recommend it.
Eve
My 2yo has been doing
Head Over Heels in Emeryville since
last fall and we love it. Lots of variety in activities;
fun, friendly teachers; accommodating of his various 2yo
moods. The best thing for me is that we can take both kids
(ages 2 and 4) to classes at the same time in the same big
room, and I stay with the 2yo while the 4yo does his thing.
Mom of Two Bouncing Boys
Nov 2007
Does anyone have any recommendations for a gymnastics class for a
toddler/preschooler?
oakland dad
Head Over Heels
in Emeryville. Just google Head Over Heels to get to
their website. My 2 year old is in their gym tots class. It took 4 or 5
classes for her to display interest. Even though she's paid attention to
everything they've done there. Because when you ask her to show you the
stretches, she can do them. Now she gets excited when we head over to
class.
Crystal
Great classes at Bay Island gymnastics
- the teacher's name is Darcy & he
is really fabulous. I can't say enough good things - he varies the
routine, does stuff that gets the kids moving & having fun & using their
imagination. He is a dad himself & I think that makes a big difference. It
is a fabulous facility. They are right across from Home Depot in Oakland.
love our gymnastics class!
I have to say we have tried both HOH gymnastics
and Kids in Motion. We
LOVED HOH, the instructors are amazing and the facilities are primo!!!
Kids in Motion
was a terrible experience. The instructors were trying to
make kids do things they weren't interested in, pulling arms, using
inappropriate analogies, etc. When telling the owner of my bad experiences
she told the instructor, and also pointed out who I was, even though I had
asked my complaint to be anonymous. In the next class the instructor
harassed me, wanting to know my specific concerns. I was very
uncomfortable and told the director, she told me she would refund me
money. To be short, we had to fight for our refund, the owner repeatedly
failed to return our calls. It was an AWFUL experience. I wouldn't
recommend them to anyone.
oakland mom
Jan 2007
I am looking for a gymnastics class for a 2.5 year old in
either Piedmont or Rockridge. The reviews on the site didn't
have any for classes in these areas. Thanks!
the couch is not a junglegym
Hi. We go to Kids in Motion
for gymnastics. It is located on
Piedmont Avenue. It is perfect for little ones. Nancy
I have a few recommendations for toddler gymnastics:
Kids in
Motion on Piedmont Ave is always great (510-601-8424), Gymboree
on the corner of Lakeshore and Mandana is brand new but I don't
know the quality yet, there is also a combination
gymnastics/jiu-jitsu class called ''Gym-Jitsu'' on Grand Ave for
ages 3-7 (510-207-6640)
stephan
My daughter attended
Kids in Motion Gymnastics classes and camp
programs from age 3 until she grew out of Kids in Motion and
joined the Golden Bears Gymnastics team located on UC Berkeley
campus. While I loved Kids in Motion for many reasons, if your
child really loves gymnastics and wants to compete you will need
to move them to Head over Heels in Emeryville or Golden Bears in
Berkeley. If they truly want to compete the sooner you move them
to a team the better off they will be. Kids in Motion is a non-
competitive gym and is a great, safe, place for your toddler to
have fun and learn the basic moves for gymnastics. But if they
stay there too long they will not get the skills to compete at
the higher levels -- at least that is what we found.
Mom of a jumping bean
Try Kids in Motion gymnastics on Piedmont Ave. -
http://www.kimgymnastics.com/. The City of Piedmont also runs
some programs (definitely in the summer and maybe year-round),
though in my experience they fill up fast. Call 510-420-3070
for a catalog.
JP
April 2006
Looking for a fun toddler gym for a 13 month in the Berkeley area.
sr
The gym class at UC Berkeley Village
is great and affordable,
much more reasonably priced than Gymboree.
anon
We enjoyed the Kindergym/babygym classes at the
Albany YMCA at that age. Open
to non-Y-members. It's drop-in, so there's no commitment. They offered it 2-3
times/week. Berkeley Y also has kindergym, but i'm not sure if they're open to
non-
members.
Mary
Kids in Motion
on Piedmont Ave in Oakland has toddler gymnastics
classes. Our daughter goes there and likes it. There is also
something over at Cal. www.oski.org
Nov 2005
Hi,
I'm looking for a great, fun, small gymnastics (or lively
uncomplicated dance) class for my energetic 6 year old son who
has some attention and social deficits, but who is also a very
exhuberant and friendly guy. He loves to tumble, jump and hop
around, and since his O.T. at school has recommended that he
better his lagging gross motor skills, we thought a gymnastics
class might be a great way for him to use his abundant energy
and learn some skills in a fun way. I'm particularly looking
for a really good teacher, ideally with some experience with
special needs kids, but much more importantly skilled and
sensitive and patient!
Thanks,
Julia
My 6 year old son has been taking gymnastics classes at
Kids in
Motion (kimgymnastics.com), on Piedmont Ave., for a few years now
and the staff seem quite aware of a variety of developmental
issues and have been able to help redirect my son (sensory
intergration issues and language delays). He's been in classes
just slightly under his actual age-level which has worked out
fine for us socially and developmentally (eg. he's in a class for
4-5 yr. olds right now). I would avoid Sat. midday classes
because the studio is quite noisy and distracting, and try for a
day when there is maybe only one other class going on at the same
time. Good luck.
Tracy
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
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)
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
August 2003
Can anyone offer comparisons between gymnastic classes at
Windmill v. Head over Heels v. Albany Village? My 6 y.o. did the
Albany Village program last year, and while she enjoyed it,
there seemed to be an awful lot of sitting around. I'm
wondering if the other programs are superior. Thanks,
Monika
We were disappointed in Windmill gymnastics. Briefly the
instructors were young (in their early teens), distracted and
bored. My child left after completing one session even though
she wanted to leave after the third class. Most everyone in my
child's class left and went to Golden Bear gymnastics at UC
Berkeley. By comparison Golden Bear is so professionally run and
they have unrivalled equipment and sp
Liking the Gold Bear
2000
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!
Helen
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).
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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