The Little Gym, Mockingbird & Abrams

My 2 sons –3 and 5– are attending a saturday one hour session, and they look fwd to it. Every 2 weeks, they touch to a new sport in a gameish way. Like the owner and the staff a lot. Thanks

We ultimately decided to pull our son out of The Little Gym. Rather than learning to follow adult instruction, he is learning that he can do whatever he wants and still have fun. Here’s our story:
I was impressed with The Little Gym at first, and I actually told the manager how excited I was to be working with them. My son is not in preschool, so I was excited to have him learn to interact in groups and follow directions from other adults. He was originally in a class with quite a few kids. The teacher: student ration is 7:1. That’s great! After viewing one of his classes, I sent this an email to the manager expressing my concern that the majority of kids were not following instructions and were, therefore, being taught that they don’t have to mind. My child was included in the ones who were not minding. He consequently fell off a balance beam and got a bloody nose. There were so many kids doing whatever they wanted that the instructors couldn’t keep up. The manager responded back defending her staff and reminded me that the students are given a choice to participate or sit on the watching wall. Here was my response:
«Tucker apparently chose a 3^rd option, which was to run around and do whatever he wanted like 4 other kids were doing simultaneously. We do choices at home, too, but one of the choices must be selected and followed through with.
I put him in this class so he could better learn how to follow adult instruction & participate in groups. He’s a late September birthday, so he’s probably the youngest member of the class. Instead of learning to follow instructions from someone other than his parents, though, he’s learning that he can do what he wants because his two „choices“ aren’t being enforced.
I was advised by staff that parents are encouraged to stay out of the gym and let staff handle the kids. I’m all for that if it’s being done properly. However, 5 of 12 kids were running around doing what they wanted (mine included). Two of twelve were sitting in their parents’ laps on the wall. That leaves 5 of 12 kids actively participating. Is this normal? It’s only our third class, so I’m genuinely curious. His other two classes weren’t like this at all.
If you think he’s too young for the class, I’d love to know. Again, we chose TLG because it’s more than just gymnastics and sports. It’s learning to interact and follow instructions from not-​mom. I want him to get both components.»
The manager and I decided to try a smaller class, and she kindly added another teacher to the class. Due to time conflicts, my husband had to take him to this class. I finally got a chance to go with him to his new, smaller class and the EXACT same thing happened. There are 7 kids in this class with two instructors. At one point, there were THREE instructors… and 3 kids were running around doing whatever they wanted. At one point, one of the instructors was giving private attention to one kid and ignoring the rest.

We have had great experiences at Little Gym, especially with Pierce as the instructor of my son’s «Birds» class. The staff is friendly, helpful, and flexible, and great with kids. It’s always nice to see their smiling faces holding the door open when we arrive for class.

I love the Little Gym! Sadly, my daughter and I have to stop going because we are moving, but we had a great experience there.
The staff is excellent. They hold the door open for you when you arrive and leave (such a nice touch, as it’s tough to open doors with baby and diaper bag in hand). You can do a free trial class, and they display a little welcome sign for you with your baby’s name on it when you get there.
I started taking my daughter when she was 4 months old. Since she doesn’t go to daycare, it was a great opportunity for her to be social and see other babies. Even at that age, the classes are all very structured with a clear curriculum and feel like a good use of time. You do a range of activities, from singing to stretching to baby tumbling and even using the gym equipment. The teacher provides clear instructions for the activities along with an explanation of how it helps your child’s development. Her teacher, Mr. Forrest, was great with all of the babies and very understanding if a baby (usually mine!) started to melt down or cry. The other parents are very friendly and it truly feels like a little community.
The only reason I don’t give the Little Gym 5 stars is because it is quite expensive. There is a membership fee plus tuition. Perhaps if they offered open gym times in addition to the weekly classes it would feel like a better value.
If you’re on the fence, it’s at least worth trying out a free class!

Our daughter LOVES The Little Gym. We do too! Her class is one of our favorite family times. My husband and I have had so much fun watching her develop, get to know her instructors, and succeed at new tasks. As she has progressed in class, it is amazing to see how she knows cues for «Skill of the Week» or Ball/​Bubble Time. She claps and runs to the instructor — and often steps up to be one of the first to try whatever flip or turn or beam walk they are demonstrating. It is fun to see our little one learning to stand in line to climb an obstacle course wall or walk across the beam. Our class parents have compared notes on how Little Gym has supported their kids motor skill development, and our just having fun learning with our kids. It IS intended to be a parent-​interactive class — but I can promise that the more you put in, the more you get out of it. We plan to continue Little Gym classes next year. Wouldn’t miss them!
As an update — now that our daughter is 3 — she participates in the «drop off» classes. Love that!

Overall, I really like Little Gym, and I love the concept. I was a bit frustrated with some of the hands-​on instruction. The classes starts out great and ends well, but as the kids learn their lesson on one piece of equipment it is up to you to coach him where ever they may wonder, at least when they are in the 2– and 3-​year-​old class. I would have liked to have seen more trainers at various stations, but all in all the kids love it!
Give it a try? They let you have a trial class to see if you and your kids like it. They also have a parents’ night out from time to time. So, that may me a way to check it out and see if it’s worth the investment of your money and your time.