Peppermint Preschool Gym Program

Welcome to a fun experience at Peppermint Preschool Gym Program. This letter is to acquaint you with our Mightymint, Dynamint, and Kindergym class procedures. Feel free to address any questions you have to the office or your child’s teacher.

Before each class, parents/students wait in the locker room where the instructor will come to greet you to start class. Please do not send students into the gym before they are called by an instructor.

Once in the gym, children will be directed to a specific area for warm-up activities. There may be several groups in the gym and we may be warming up with other groups. After warm-ups we will divide into our age groups.

We will expect that children will be distracted some at first, (especially 3 year olds although almost any child will be excited!) but when they get used to the surroundings they will begin to follow and understand what is expected of them at class.

We have found it sometimes takes 2-4 classes for them to follow along. Be aware that observation is a form of participation and that many students will observe before trying something new. The older a preschooler is and how long they have been in the program will make a difference in how they react and participate in class. Don’t compare your child to anyone else. They were new once too!

Safety in the gym... We encourage feet first landings, walking to and from areas, following from a distance when taking turns are just a few of the things we are working on in class. During open gym it is important to follow the same rules as in class. Kids should not be on equipment that is over their head without a spotter. Hanging from bars by the knees alone is dangerous as well as bad for small knees. Jumping from heights greater than knee or hips of the child can be bad for ankles and knee joints.

What do we do in class? All preschool classes use a variety of activity stations. These will include large muscle areas for jumping, running, rolling, swinging and crawling. In addition to fine motor skills musical activities are used to develop listening skills, rhythm and timing. There will also be some supervised free exploration of some areas for them.

Mightymints! Major goals of the 3 and a half year old classes is not just 'skill development'. These young children are new to groups and teachers. Many have never been anywhere other than with family or a small play group. So in addition to learning things like locomotor skills, tumbling and balance activities they are also learning these:
1. Stay with your teacher.
2. Follow directions given by the teacher.
3. Wait for turns and take turns.
Children need to learn these things. Most do not know them with out being exposed to them.

There isn’t a wrong way, just different ways... It is okay if your child does not participate in the exact way the teacher presents. There are many ways to do the same thing. Eventually they will 'conform' to the class structure and you will be amazed at how many things they can do by the end of a term.

Evaluations and skill checks - When a student is in the 'Dynamint' level he/she will begin using the 'Fun & Fit' Poster reward system. The child receives a skill poster at the beginning of a term. Posters are to be kept at home. The posters have basic progressive drills and skills on various events in the gym. Throughout the term we are working these skills.

When a child shows a skill correctly 3 times he/she is considered to have passed that skill. Progress is recorded. Approximately two times per term a student will receive an envelope with the stars and a list of skills they have learned. Take the stars home and put them on the poster.

In most cases a student will have a picture taken with their teacher after they learn all the skills from the poster. A new poster will be given with the next level of skills.

If a child misses class when stars are handed out, we do keep record and will give them out at the next class.