Wilmette Gymnastics

The gymnastics room is pretty nice. They changed the equipment around since last year, which in my opinion makes a lot of sense. There is a fantastic foam pit and trampolines. The staff here is always friendly and helpful. There’s also plenty of obstacles and elements for the little ones. It’s a great gym for kids of all ages. They hold classes for the age groups all your long.
Both my young daughters have been through the programs here and they have a great experience every time.

This is my 4 yr old daughter’s second session here and she is so excited to attend each week!
The classes start up with warm ups together and break into smaller groups. Then the children cycle through the equipment and do different things each class. They don’t get bored, and wait time in line is minimal since the groupings are fairly small. Instructors take their time with each student to ensure that they are moving correctly. Sometimes they focus on general moves like handstands or cartwheels. They have a huge foam pit and trampolines that students use every class.
The 4 – 6 year old class is an hour long and parents wait outside in the lobby, which has glass windows into the gym.
A few critiques:
1. «Roll call» after warm up seems a little lengthy.
2. I’ve seen many missed opportunities for instructors to assist students doing moves that some students can do with ease and others can’t. (Like a flip over a short bar.) I know they can’t help everyone all the time but that’s a reason those kids are there!
Overall I really love the gym and my daughter does as well. She’s learned how to do a back bend and somersault in a fairly short time! The classes are well priced and the instructors seem very positive and knowledgeable. (I’ve seen one demonstrate moves on various pieces of equipment! Pretty impressive!) We are glad to have found this gymnaclass!

Fully renovated! New equipment!

Maybe best as a diagnostic for small children — if they like gymnastics, then find a better program.
We’ve been to three weeks of the fall session, and regardless of the instructor, the kids’ time is spent 85% waiting in line or listening to instructions and maybe 15% actually touching a piece of equipment — which they then get to use once before moving on. To stand in line again.
What 5yo ever learned how to do a sport by listening to instructions and then waiting ten minutes to try out what he was told? The equipment is high end, but this isn’t even an energy burn for kids. Definitely not worth the $.

I noticed there aren’t many reviews of the birthday parties here, and wanted to put in my 2 cents worth. We just held my daughter’s 5^th party here, and it was mostly really great. The cost goes by how many kids you have, as it is a ratio of gymnastics staff to children. We had about 20 kids and needed 3 teachers, and it was $ 285. That is comparable to many of the other kids party places (jump zone, etc). For the price you get an hour of activities for the kids and then an hour in a party room for food and cake.
The person I spoke to on the phone was helpful as far as registering and giving me the information I needed to know as far as timing, etc. for the party. They are clear that children under 3 are not allowed on the gym floor during a party, except for siblings of the birthday child. I made sure to state this in my invite.
I had never been here before so I couldn’t quite picture how big the place was. The facilities are great and the staff were mostly very nice (I stayed with my daughter’s group for a bit and the woman could remember all the kids names after about 5 minutes, impressive). A few days before, one of the staff called me and confirmed the number of kids, and also clarified that parents can watch but not go on the gym floor, except for the birthday kids’ parents to take photos. I didn’t think it would be a problem as I thought the place was smaller than it was. As one of the reviewers says below, if your child has issues separating there are no exceptions. I felt a little bad at first because two of the kids were feeling very shy, crying, and did not want to go out on the floor. HOWEVER, one of the staff, an older man, was great and let the kids have some time on the side with the parents. He worked his magic a few minutes later and the tears stopped, the kids were participating and all smiles. The issue is that you can’t have 20 parents over running the place when the staff needs to make sure that safety is the priority on the gymnastics equipment. I get it.
Other than this small issue, I thought the party and set up were great. There was another party going on at the same time, but the kids are all divided into small groups with an instructor, and there are so many activities that you don’t even notice. The staff kept the kids busy and my daughter and her friends had a really fun time.
It would be helpful if the web page for their parties was updated to clearly explain the policies on parents and siblings. I would just say, know your audience, if your child is not the type to enjoy being with a teacher on their own, don’t hold their party here, and make sure that anyone you invite knows the policy as well. It could definitely be a drop– off party for older kids as well.

Firstly, you’ve probably noticed that I’m the Duke of Wilmette Gymnastics, which is to say that I’m a pretty big deal. Please let that soak in for a bit before continuing.
Okay, were back. I’ve been bringing my son here since he could barely walk. He’s now 5 and looking forward to 3-​day-​a-​week gymnastics class this summer. We live in Evanston, but feel that the facilities here are worth the commute and expense. The folks here are willing to include kids who may need a little extra help of supervision, for whatever reason.
We hang out in the lounge after class, and in temperate weather play in one of the attached playgrounds for a while before heading home.

I took my 5 year old to a birthday party. My daughter has separation anxiety and would not go onto the gym floor with a stranger (the instructor whom she just met). The instructor would not let me onto the gym floor to take her around with the other kids in the party. Only parents of the birthday kids were allowed on the gym floor. I explained my daughter had special needs and the instructor rudely said there were no exceptions to the rules. My daughter had to sit out and was not able to participate with her friends. She cried the whole hour of the party. I would not recommend this gym.

We were not able to schedule private lessons at this facility. We were told that Jim, the gymnastics coach, could do that. My daughter and I each called him. He berated us on the phone, got rather nasty and told us that although he is considered «amazing,» he isn’t «magic» and that he can’t do one lesson and help a kid. We wanted multiple lessons and had no problem paying the private lesson rate. I had never gotten a recommendation on him. But, I’d say a guy who teaches at a suburban Parks & Rec facility is probably NOT magic. This man was rude and I wouldn’t allow a child at this point to be under his supervision with his unpleasant, aggressive attitude. He wants students to bring in 5 – 10 other kids for his classes… that’s his job to fill his classes, not people willing to pay $ 100 an hour. The whole experience was flat weird.

Great gym for girls and boys gymnastics. I used the facility when I first started sown my gymnastics path. The real advantage this place has is the trampolines and foam pit which help you learn the tougher tricks at an accelerated pace.

I am in Advanced @ wilmette gymnastics I am a level 3 and will be moving up to the house team soon, my coach became close to me. and the work with you well and perfect your skills well and the coaches are very nice, but are strict and work you hard (like conditioning) but conditoning is only for the higher levels (advanced– elite) they are very dedicated 2 making you as best @ gymnastics as you can be:)

GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY
My daughter had her 6^th birthday party here in 2007. It was great! Easy registration. Affordable. Received a phone call from the organizer the week before. They were very helpful and pleasant.
They provide you with a big room to store coats, etc. and have food and cake. We had about 20 kids — almost an even number of boys and girls — and they split them up into two groups. The instructors were fun, organized, and somehow kept the kids in two lines doing all the gymnastics the whole time. The gymnastics equipment is clean. The huge gym is safe and cool — padded floors, lots of equipment, and a big foam-​filled pit for the kids to jump into! All the kids had a lot of fun and my daughter loved it!