L was invited by a playgroup friend to a My Gym “Backyard Mobile” class. We had our first session this week and I am here to tell you- it was SO. MUCH. FUN!
My Gym BRANDON offers incredibly FUN Mommy-and-Me programs, pre-gymnastics, Ninja classes, and more for children 6-weeks through 12 years of age. The programs focus on child development. The franchise has over 700 locations worldwide! Our local My Gym is located in Brandon, FL, about 25 minutes east of Tampa. They have brick-and-mortar classes throughout the week, but recently started this "Backyard Mobile" option.
With more and more caregivers opting for virtual learning (especially this year!), My Gym is helping make sure that kids don't miss out on the benefits of physical fitness and socialization.
Ms. Angela, the director, brought everything she needed for the class- foam mats, a balance beam, props, a big bin of age-appropriate sensory toys, music- with her.
She started the class with everyone spread out on their own towel (which is the only thing that we brought from home). She introduced herself and had everyone introduce themselves and their little learners. She sang a couple welcome songs, which included individually saying hello to each child. I love when programs do this- it really helps make each learner feel important and recognized.
After the introductions and songs, she allowed the toddlers to explore the different stations and equipment. I loved how she let the learners direct where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do. It’s difficult to force a curious 15 month old into anything, especially when they’re super interested in something specific (like the big bin of sensory toys- where most of them wanted to start).
Ms. Angela played some great background music and really took the kids’ leads during the middle part of the class. She eventually assisted the little learners at a somersault station and the balance beam station. She had a great bubble machine, which seriously produced more bubbles than I’ve ever seen at once in my life! I asked her for the specifics so I could get us one at home and it's only $8! If you want a link to the bubble maker, shoot me a comment below and I’ll post it for you! Who doesn't love a bubble party?!
Towards the end of the class she had everyone meet in the middle of the yard on a big mat. She sang “Five Little Speckled Frogs” with frog finger puppets. She said goodbye to each individual child. The 30 minutes went by so quickly! We’re already looking forward to next week! (We're signed up for 10 weeks total and the cost is so reasonable.)
I asked Ms. Angela to share with me her favorite part of her job. She said, “The absolute favorite part of what I do is seeing the kids flourish in all aspects of their development. Whether it be social, physical or cognitive, it’s super rewarding for me to know that I was there during the beginning milestones in their life. Or even with the older children, being a role model and watching them all grow. Seeing them love me back, it literally melts my heart. It’s unexplainable!”
Obviously a big part of why our first My Gym Mobile experience was so successful is Ms. Angela’s passion for what she does. Her energy is contagious. Anyone who can show up to anything early on a Monday morning with not only a smile on her face, but an electrifying, upbeat and positive attitude, is a saint in my opinion! Her energy is fed to not only us tired mamas, but of course, the little learners we bring along with us!
Shout out to the mom who organized this play date! I can’t say enough great things about it. As I’ve written about in the past, as a former teacher turned mom, I am always thinking about five areas of development: fine motor, gross motor, sensory, vocabulary/ language and social/emotional. I love that this 30 minute experience really touched upon each of these areas!
My Gym brought the fun directly to us in a friend’s backyard! They’re also willing to bring it to your learning pod in the comfort of your own backyard. For more information on a similar opportunity, reach out to your local My Gym (or another similar program) near you to see if they offer remote/ “Backyard Mobile” type classes for your little learners!
Next week, I'll share some of our favorite rainy day ideas for your little learners.
Thanks for reading! Continue to follow along to find (and share!) inspiration, information and innovation! :-)
* I'm not at all affiliated with My Gym - I just really loved the experience they offered and hope you can explore it as an option for your little learners too!