Tumbling, jumping, going ninety to nothing because a child has more energy than they can run out. Why not have your child put that energy to learn a new skill? Head over Heels About Gymnastics is a great way to teach little ones gymnastic skills that they can learn at home.
There are three volumes of ‘About Gymnastics’. Volume One is about warm-ups and stretches. Volume Two focuses on pair and trio balancing. And Volume Three is about floor exercises. I’m going to tell you a little more about each fun, photo-filled, step-by-step book.
Volume One: Boys & Girls Floor Skills begins with examples of warm-ups and stretches. They outline posture and basic gymnastic shapes. These are important for performing more complex skills. Each skill is covered in sections such as jumps, skills, rolls, and leaps. It then goes on to explain that putting each of these together can make a routine. There are judging sheet that allows each little gymnast to track and record their progress.
Volume Two: Pair and Trio Balances is full of ideas to incorporate gymnastics skills into pair and trio gymnastic balances. This allows teams to develop valuable skills such as teamwork, co-operation, and trust while having hours of fun “playing” with their friends. The skills in this book will transfer into the child’s everyday life by encouraging children of all ages to work together. These books are recommended for children ages six through sixteen.
Volume Three: Floor Beam introduces a reader to the floor beam with basic skills like mounts and dismounts. It also coaches them through walk-steps, classes, and bunny jumps and then on to more difficult moves such as cartwheels, walkovers, and levers. The book then outlines several floor beam routines.
If your child (or any active child you know) has a lot of excess energy to run out, this series of books is just what they need. I wish they had been around when my daughter was younger. She would have mastered all the moves and then made up her own. She went through a stage where we tried the cheernastics, but we ended up moving after a year or two. She was very disappointed. Having these books would have kept her going while we looked for another gym.
For more information, visit Head Over Heels online.
