My Playground Delivers So Much!

My Playground offers active movement and gymnastics classes for children, ages 1 through 4.

We believe that physical activity is critical to a healthy and enjoyable life. Our goal at My Playground is to serve children with programs designed to promote motor skills development and self-confidence. Young children learn best through fun and play. At My Playground, our talented coaches will help your child to experience their bodies as both strong and capable. We are committed to your enjoyment and satisfaction.

PARENT-TOT Classes (ages 1 – 3*)

1. Fun and safe activities in a playful, self-paced, relaxed, inviting, engaging and nurturing environment.

2. Developmentally-appropriate movement experiences optimized for brain and motor development.

3. New concepts introduced like colors, opposites, numbers and letters through physical activities.

4. Unstructured and structured activity centers, equipment and exercise areas.

5. Opportunities to roll, run, jump, toss, catch, climb, spin, laugh, giggle, hide & seek, blow, sing, pretend, walk, dance, tumble, chase, tickle, bounce, kick, crawl, creep, slide and stretch.

6. Activity centers that include hoops, a slide, places to bounce, building blocks, rings, large and small balls, tunnels, scarves, obstacle course, bins to fill and empty, Brain Gym activities including cross-lateral movements, a large parachute and lots of room to run with a great big mirror.

7. Parent ‘tidbits’ on gross motor and brain development ages 1 – 5.

8. 3 and 4-year olds are introduced to basic gymnastics skills and learn to follow directions along with free exploration, cooperation and fun (*parent participation only as needed.

What the Experts Are Saying

Leading experts speak out about the need for physical activities for children:

1. Most children learn by moving and doing. 85% of children are natural kinesthetic learners.

2. Play is important in early brain development.

3. Movement facilitates awareness, thinking and judgment all of which play key roles in learning.

4. The general window of opportunity to build basic gross motor skills appears to be open from the prenatal period to around age five.

5. The primary motor circuits that control posture and coordination forge during the first two years.

6. Obesity among our nation’s youth has tripled in the last two decades. Obesity and physical inactivity are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

7. All children age 2 and older should participate in at least 30 minutes of enjoyable,
   moderate-intensity activities every day. They should also perform at least 30 minutes of vigorous physical activities at least 3-4 days each week to achieve and maintain a good level of cardiorespiratory (heart and lung) fitness.

8. Helping children adopt an active lifestyle early will have a tremendous impact on their physical, intellectual and emotional development.

9. Physical activity as a young child can promote an active and healthy lifestyle as an adult.

10. A number of studies have demonstrated that increased physical activity is linked to better school performance.

Sources: Brain Gym®, earlychildhood.com, actionbasedlearning.com, National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (Sep/Oct ’07 issue), The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (Sep ’07 issue).