Is baby gymnastics something that you do with your kids every day? What about toddler gymnastics? Do you know what are the benefits and the risks if you skip those?
Without a doubt, exposure to physical activities has tremendous effects on a child’s growth and development. Nowadays, children’s exposure to cellphones, tablets, and television has been overwhelming, and the parents tend to forget how important it is for children to play and engage in physical and social activities.
In this article, we have given you 7 reasons why NOT to skip baby gymnastics and start toddler gymnastics if you have not!
*Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, we will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Reading plan:
Children and Technology
According to Child Encyclopedia, about 83% of children ages 6 months to 6 years use screens every day to read, play, or learn. Moreover, if they are always exposed to digital media during their early years, they will be more prone to having problems with emotional and attention control in the future. This alone should be enough reason for parents to engage their children in physical activities.
In this time of the pandemic, even toddlers are exposed to long hours in digital media to do their schoolwork and online classes. This becomes a hindrance in their normal social development because they spend fewer and fewer hours outside, without any social interaction. This, plus the lack of physical activities, can result in bigger problems for their holistic development.
In this time of the pandemic, even toddlers are exposed to long hours in digital media to do their schoolwork and online classes. This becomes a hindrance in their normal social development because they spend fewer and fewer hours outside, without any social interaction. This, plus the lack of physical activities, can result in bigger problems for their holistic development.
Baby and Toddler Gymnastics
One of the best physical activities they can explore is toddler gymnastics. You can start exposing your child to baby gymnastics as early as day one! Putting your babies in different positions can help stretch and strengthen their bodies, thereby paving the way to the foundation of a physically healthy child.
During their toddler years, the emotional, cognitive, and social development of a child is molded. This is why it is important to give time to immerse them in activities that have long-term benefits to their character and personality. For one, toddler gymnastics is a great way to encourage a holistic approach to a child’s development.
There are a lot of gymnastic moves for kids available on the internet that you can easily do at home or in the backyard. Make sure to do sufficient research for proper demonstration of gymnastic moves you can do at home. Moreover, your child must wear the appropriate attire to do these. There are 6 methods you can do at home:
During their toddler years, the emotional, cognitive, and social development of a child is molded. This is why it is important to give time to immerse them in activities that have long-term benefits to their character and personality. For one, toddler gymnastics is a great way to encourage a holistic approach to a child’s development.
There are a lot of gymnastic moves for kids available on the internet that you can easily do at home or in the backyard. Make sure to do sufficient research for proper demonstration of gymnastic moves you can do at home. Moreover, your child must wear the appropriate attire to do these. There are 6 methods you can do at home:
- doing the spider-man against the wall
- jumping
- doing the splits
- learning the forward roll
- practicing your scales
- getting ready
Are you in the postpartum period? You might be interested to read our articles about how to choose the best postpartum pads and how to choose postpartum underwear!
Why you need to start today?
Surely, exposure to physical activities is one of the best things you can do for your growing child. Below are 7 reasons why you have to start baby gymnastics and toddler gymnastics now:
1. Promote a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle
Just like any other physical activity, toddler gymnastics promotes a healthy lifestyle. The benefits of exercise, specifically gymnastics as early as baby or toddler years, is that they can explore their ability to climb, crawl, hop, balance, jump, roll, swing safely, and flip. Establishing active and physical exercise is also a lot of fun for your child.
2. Improve body coordination and motor skills
Toddler gymnastics is the perfect avenue for children to develop coordination with his or her body and senses. Moreover, the environment for gymnastics is usually padded, colorful, fun, and safe, which makes it a great element in supporting your toddlers’ developmental progress.
3. Develops strength, balance, flexibility, and stamina
For a child, gymnastics has great benefits for the vestibular sense of your child, or the sense of balance. This plays a great role in the overall physiological development of your child. He or she is also given a vast understanding on position and space, or the proprioception. The use and development of muscles also demonstrate to be a great benefit of gymnastics. Strength, balance, flexibility, and stamina are reinforced in toddler or baby gymnastics.
4. Encourages social interaction
In this age of technological breakthroughs, children become stunted in terms of social interaction as some prefer to play games and watch videos on their cellphone or tablet. Gymnastics promote social skills through peer interaction, sharing, and taking turns. They also develop classroom skills by following directions, listening, and staying with the class.
5. Promote self-confidence and poise
Children become more confident and poised as they are encouraged to learn and develop new skills. This in turn, becomes an important part in molding them to grow as confident individuals, able to showcase their skills and talents. They become more poised as they repeatedly practice to improve on their moves. The best way about this it to be the example your child will follow. Even though the struggles of parenthood for young parents are many, remember that you are taking care of another human being that is different than you and your partner!
6. Instills discipline
Just like any sport, gymnastics instills discipline to your child. They learn to follow guidelines and rules. They are also exposed to discipline in terms of sleeping patterns, diet, and physical activities. In the long term, this becomes a precursor on living a healthy lifestyle and promoting wellness even when they become grown-ups. If they start to be disciplined as early as their toddler years, this will prevent problems like obesity, high blood pressure, and other health problems once they reach adulthood.
7. Inspires your child to work through their fears to achieve a set goal
Toddler gymnastics encourages your child to work through their fears instead of being scared of the unknown. Gymnastics involves a lot of movements and stunts which require great discipline, mindset, and determination to achieve a goal despite fear of what might happen. As a whole, the child learns to face their fears and not be afraid of making mistakes. This becomes a foundation for your child for future activities and engagements.
Conclusion
The toddler years are the most vulnerable and important part of your child’s development. How you rear them as early as now will be the prime foundation of their personality and their character as they grow up. It is important that you help them as much as you can in these foundation years because this will be a crucial part of their overall physiological, emotional, and mental development.
You, as parents, are their models, and your children look up to you and will follow whatever it is you inculcate upon them. Their physical wellbeing, even when they become grownups will be dependent on activities you expose them to as early as their baby and toddler years.
Related Posts
Best Postpartum Pads 2021 – How to choose them?
Maternity pads are a postpartum essential that are often overlooked when packing your hospital bag. How to choose the...
Read More
10 Tips on How to Choose the Best Postpartum Underwear
Have you heard the term "postpartum underwear"? Do you know which are the best panties for the postpartum period? Rea...
Read More
10 Must Haves Postpartum Essentials for Mom and Newborn
Every mom has a different journey, a different experience, and different expectations. There is no handbook on “how t...
Read More