Term 4 is now well underway and many of our older Tiny Tornadoes have recently been, or are currently, involved in their school orientation program. They are sharing their excitement about what is to come with their coaches, and their coaches are noticing signs of their readiness for school too!
It is around this time that some parents start to wonder whether they should give their child a break from gymnastics for a term, or even a year, while they settle into school. Our advice is don’t! This advice also applies to those starting kindergarten or even high school.
Research shows that children who engage in physical activity most often perform better academically in school. A great read that presents the evidence and sets everything out simply is Brain Boost: how sport and physical activity enhance children’s learning: what the research is telling us from the Government of Western Australian, Department of Sports and Recreation. The report discusses why physical activity is crucial for the development of healthy learners in several different ways; including how involvement in sport and physical activity has been shown to improve concentration, memory, behaviour and academic performance.
This blog, written by Coach Mollie, highlights why staying enrolled in physical activity is beneficial for development and academic achievement.
So, although it might seem to be a good idea to give your child a break from gymnastics, to allow them to concentrate on settling into their new routine, we recommend you find a class that suits your child (early or late in the week tend to be better options than midweek, or even a weekend class). Our younger gymnasts are allocated the earlier timeslots after school so that they can get in
and out and still get to bed on time. If you find that your child is struggling to cope with the load, THEN reduce it. But it is more than likely that they will look forward to their gymnastics session more than ever after a long day/week at school!
