The Gymboree Play & Music theme for April is Wobble and we’re Focusing on Balance & Coordination. All this month we’ll be bringing you stories and activities that focus on balance and coordination.
Why Wobble?
Practicing our balance whether we are in tummy time, sitting up, standing, walking, or running helps improve our understanding of our body in space, or our proprioception.
When we have good balance, we avoid injury during physical activity, improve our posture, and create a keen sense of the capabilities of our muscles and joints.
When we use different surfaces to build up these muscles in our legs and core (like the surfaces in our playscapes), we take the challenge to the next level. Balancing on the floor is easy! But walking on our soft gym cushion? Tricky! Think about how you use different parts of your body and brain when you are walking on the beach, as opposed to when you are walking on the sidewalk. Different right? It’s because we are challenging our bodies, and that challenge improves our abilities!
Mrs. Sue Fowler is my son’s teacher at Gymboree Play & Music and she is awesome. Mrs. Sue leads her class with a genuine enthusiasm that really connects with the kids. With Mrs. Sue story books become adventures, puppets come alive, and the friendships she builds with parents and kids are real.
Thanks to all the Gymboree Play & Music staff, and especially Mrs. Sue for everything. It has been a wonderful and enriching experience. I am eternally grateful.
My husband and I enrolled our daughter, Genevieve, in Gymboree Play & Music when she was 13 months. She was an early walker at 10 months so we were desperate to find a safe outlet for her curious ways. Gymboree Play & Music was PERFECT! She could learn to climb (and fall), run (and fall) and bounce (and fall) all in the safest and softest environment.
The Play & Learn classes have been a hit from day one! Parachute time and bubbles are Genevieve’s favorite! As she became older, she also became attached to her teacher Ms Jessica. She now mimics the “pretend play” that Ms Jessica has taught her and she looks forward to seeing “Ms Jessica!” as we drive to Gymboree Play & Music. Genevieve also warmed up to Ms Julie (a returning employee) very quickly and gets very excited to see her as well!
Genevieve has seen Ms Denise from the beginning but only in the capacity as the desk lady . . . but all of a sudden she became quite interested in what Ms Denise was doing behind that counter. She would ask me if she could say hello (Daddy works behind a desk at home and sometimes cannot be interrupted so that is why Genevieve wanted to be sure it was ok to talk to Ms Denise). Genevieve quickly became attached to Ms Denise as well which was perfect timing . . . we recently began the Preschool Steps class (the one hour drop off class) led by Ms Denise and Ms Julie. While the “drop off” time may involve a tear or two, Genevieve is SO EXCITED when I pick her up! She tells me what they did and PROUDLY shows me her paintings, letters, etc.
My only regret . . . I wish I would have started this class earlier!!
So that leads me to a suggestion . . . when a child turns 2, they should receive a certificate for a free trial class of the Preschool Steps. Thanks Gymboree, Ms Jessica, Ms Julie, Ms Denise and all the other workers who have made Gymboree such a wonderful place!! Joyce & Genevieve
I started bringing my daughter to Gymboree Play & Music when she was 11 months old. She is now almost 16 months old and we go to Gymboree Play & Music at least 3 days a week.
She has enjoyed going, so much, and I have seen so much growth in her! Her teachers are fantastic!!!! They are so enthusiastic and involved in each class. We love our monthly, unlimited pass.
We have also met new people and my daughter has met some great little buddies. We are looking forward to growing even more and being able to attend more classes!
Before I begin one of my (many) favorite Gymboree Play & Music stories, I must make the comment that Gymboree Play & Music has been and is WONDERFUL for my son, Asher! His teacher, Ms. Emily has a true talent in teaching her classes and the rest of the Pearland staff is awesome as well!;) We have made new friends and that’s always great!
Asher, had been “cruising” and taking a few steps here and there for quite some time! It’s been an amazing time and opportunity to have Asher at home and not in school or daycare, and as the super overprotective, no germs on Asher parents that my husband and I have been and are lol, We never really had Asher around a lot of other Little Ones! His relatives are all older than he is! He never saw other Little Ones his age walking and just preferred to be picked up and carried everywhere, as we enjoyed this too!!! This “I’m not going to walk until I’m ready” was until of course, we started to attend Gymboree Play & Music!!!
We came in on a Friday, spoke with the staff, and decided to do a trial class the next day, Saturday, and Asher cried literally the entire class! After his class, the staff assured us that Asher just needed time to get used to Gymboree Play & Music and we should come to open classes, so we enrolled him! Best thing ever!!! We were confident that Asher would familiarize himself with Gymboree Play & Music and like it! What we did not know was that he was truly taking everything in and observing his now friends!
Later that evening, we were playing with Asher and blowing bubbles with him as he did earlier with Ms. Emily! We were trying to repeat some of the things Asher did earlier in his class and voilà!!!!! Asher began to walk!!! After being completely astonished and grabbing the camera for pics, we concluded that this newly found walking was due to Gymboree Play & Music and Asher noticing and observing other Little Ones in his class! It had to be! We didn’t do any other exercises with him and he had seen bubbles before!!! I’m so glad that we got the pics- and story to prove this!!! Gymboree Play & Music, you are great and we will always remember you all as taking part in our bright star, Asher walking!!!
