As mentioned in some of my previous posts, the teacher in me tries to keep in mind five major areas of development when raising and creating activities for my 18-month-old daughter, L. These five areas include:
Fine motor- the ability to use small muscles in our hands and wrists (properly holding a pencil or scissors, threading beads, buttoning a shirt, zippering a coat)
Gross motor- movement involving large muscle groups (crawling, walking, kicking, dancing, skipping, balancing)
Sensory- stimulating the five senses (touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing)
Vocabulary/ Language- learning that words are the building blocks for understanding and expressing ideas and feelings
Social/ Emotional- SEL (social/emotional learning) can be divided into five components: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
One area that I feel doesn’t always receive as much attention as it should (even though it is as equally important as the other components of development) is gross motor. We rarely fully concentrate on gross motor development. Sure, we go to the park. L climbs her Pikler triangle. But I rarely think about purposefully exposing her to activities to help develop her gross motor skills.
(You’d think this would be different because I still vividly remember failing “skipping” in preschool. I galloped instead. Anyway, I should concentrate on gross motor development more and teach my girl to skip ASAP!)
All kidding aside, I was very excited to take L to her first Romp n’ Roll class for some gross motor (and social/ emotional!) development and fun!
If you haven’t heard of it, Romp n’ Roll is a play-based kids’ gym. They offer open play opportunities and classes for little learners aged 3 months through 5 years old. They have a curriculum that rotates weekly. It’s designed specifically to target developmental milestones.
Their programs encourage kids to gain the tools they need to learn, make friends, and grow in a healthy, positive environment.
The class we took was a mixed-age, parent-inclusive class. It was designed to focus on developing large muscle groups for mobile little learners. The larger muscle groups are important to toddlers who are progressing from crawling to walking, and those already on the move (focusing more on balancing, running, hopping, galloping, and of course- skipping.
I was very impressed with the equipment at the gym. It was all so colorful, soft, and mindfully arranged - clearly keeping a mobile little learner in mind. Apparently, they move the equipment each week to help encourage strengthening for frequent visitors. The space was just so welcoming and exciting for a toddler- L’s face lit right up as soon as we walked in the door. Honestly, mine did too! It was a sight to see!
After signing in, receiving our nametags, and taking off our shoes, our instructor Ms. Ashley welcomed us into a special room where she read us a story. She read “Princess Baby” by Karen Katz (one of our favorite authors) because the theme that week was myths (think: dragons, castles, princes, princesses). Ms. Ashley also introduced us to Rompy, a dog who is the gym’s mascot. L was a huge fan of Rompy (as I’ve mentioned in other posts, she loves all animals).
After storytime with Ms. Ashley and Rompy, a curtain to the gym opened, allowing the kids to freely explore the equipment! This is when the gross motor practice (and real FUN) started!
They had stairs, slides, ladders, balance beams, even rock climbing walls. L loved it all! I realized that even with her love for adventure, she definitely has some gross-motor areas to work on! Balancing was difficult for her. That day, I held her hand but I’d love to see her strengthen those skills and be able to do it independently soon! This is something I made note of in my head to work on with her at home - more to come on this!
As a former teacher, I appreciated how the class was organized. Ms. Ashley demonstrated different activities (like an obstacle course). Yet, she never forced anyone to participate in activities that weren’t comfortable with. It was up to the learners to make their own choices, which is very powerful in this type of setting.
Ms. Ashley played different songs and challenged the learners to complete different tasks throughout the experience (like balancing a small bean bag on their hand, arm, leg, head, and even nose). Each challenge was thoughtfully crafted to support the development of gross motor skills.
The class ended with bubbles, a dance party, and a goodbye song. We had so much fun! We’ll definitely be back again. Romp n’ Roll has over 300 locations. If you’re interested, check their website to see if one is located near you and check it out with your little learner (I promise, they’ll love it AND they’ll get to practice using those larger muscles groups)!
One additional note. I’m not at all affiliated with Romp n’ Roll - I just really loved the experience they offered and hope you can explore it as an option for your little learners too!
Thanks for reading! I hope you continue to follow along to find (and share!) inspiration, information, and innovation! :-)