According to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guideline for the early years (0-4 years), children one year and older should spend at least 180 minutes participating in a variety of physical activities each day. For children 2 years and older, 60 of these minutes should entail energetic play; more is better. Children 5-13 years should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day, with vigorous muscle and bone strengthening activities at least three days per week. These are tall orders, especially during winter in Calgary! Your daycare brings Gym Jam in to help their students meet these standards. Further, gymnastics is a uniquely beneficial sport: children get to test their bodies on diverse and exciting equipment which are surrounded by numerous mats to ensure safety. Many aspects of physical literacy are inherent in gymnastics- whole-body strength, flexibility, agility, balance, coordination, and more. We challenge you to find a more well-rounded sport!
The minimum age differs by daycare and can be found on our page that outlines daycare specific information.
Like all sports, there is always a risk of injury. However, the risk is small, whereas the benefits are significant: learning that physical activity can be fun, and gaining physical confidence, skill, and strength at an early age increases the probability that your child will be active for life, which is vital to long term health. Kids can improve their agility, balance, and coordination in a safe environment with lots of padding and under the supervision of qualified coaches. Further, gymnastics safety knowledge can be transferred to the playground. Kids learn to give one – another personal space when doing physical activity, they learn “safety landings”, how to fall, to watch for dangerous objects in their play space, the importance of asking before trying a trick, etc.
While on the topic of safety, we want to mention that spotting (lifting, holding, or otherwise physically assisting) a participant is necessary to maximize learning and to ensure safety. In other words, please be advised that there will be respectful physical contact between your child and your child’s coach.
We can often tell when children are in lessons at gymnastics clubs- they know how to tuck their head in during a forward roll, what “tuck, pike, straddle” mean, how to lunge, etc. These kids appreciate the opportunity to show off what they can do, and we appreciate how inspirational they are to their friends! At the same time, our instructors know when a child needs to be further challenged and will so do when children are ready.
Plus, if your child enjoys their gymnastics lessons, you can be confident that they’ll enjoy Gym Jam lessons too! As parents, you’ll enjoy the in-house convenience of Gym Jam and fees that are half the price of lessons at a gymnastics club!
Clothes that your child can move comfortably in and feel comfortable in! Your child doesn’t need any specialized clothing, but we have found that some jeans are physically restrictive, and of course, we don’t recommend dresses. Depending on the policies of your child’s daycare, footwear will be either running shoes or bare feet. Sandals, open-toed footwear, or shoes that are too large aren’t allowed.
The best way to know what your child is learning is to check out our Calendar of Preschool Themes and Focus Skills!
Clicking on each “event” in the calendar provides further details.
Dinosaurs, Outer Space, Teddy Bears, the Arctic, African Animals, Reptiles, Dogs, and 47 more! Please note that some weekly themes are tied to Christian holidays. However, Gym Jam strives to make all classes acceptable to everyone, and as such, concepts relating to Jesus or Christian divinity are not explored (Santa, the Easter Bunny, Valentines hearts, etc. are). If you have any concerns please contact us at inquiry@gymjam.ca.
Every parent loves to see pictures of their child having fun and learning new skills! While daycare staff may take pictures from time to time, please be advised that Gym Jam has explicitly requested that their focus be on providing a minimum child-to-caregiver ratio in order to ensure optimal fun, learning, and safety.
Please email to inquiry@gymjam.ca and we will be sure to get it to the right person. Also, if you have a concern or complaint about a coach or the program and wish to address it through a third party please contact your daycare manager.
