When to Start Your Child In Gymnastics
Here at Dansations, we work with girls and boys aged 18 months to 18 years! We love introducing new kids into our family, and our little community has grown strong over the years. Here on the blog, we like to talk about things that many parents may be wondering about and help to better understand the path to being a great dancer. When it comes to dancing, gymnastics and acrobatics are great ways to get started and begin understanding the fundamentals of movement. One of the most asked questions about gymnastics is… When should we start? Here are a few things to think about!
When is “Too Young?”
Like we mentioned, we take kids as young as 18 months here at Dansations, but it’s often assumed the earlier a child starts, the “better” gymnast they will be in the long run. This isn’t exactly true. Many parents find that early entrance into gymnastics provides a great social activity as well as a place to release bound energy. At this young age, you certainly don’t want to OVER do it… Gymnastics should be fun, and social, especially at a young age. This is early development. You may not want your child in a highly competitive WNY gymnastics gym if they are new to the sport. Find a nice place that will allow your child to feel comfortable and safe to be themselves, and express their full selves!
Remember… if you wait until your kid is ready, they can still be great down the line.
When is “Too Late?”
Our programs will go up to age 18! It’s never too late to grow and learn! When it comes to gymnastics, there are certainly varying levels of competitiveness. If an individual truly wants to be a high-performance competitive gymnast, the earlier the better. Expect to practice, hard and often. The more work a gymnast puts in, the better they will be. Oftentimes we see if a kid chooses to be a gymnast, they may step away from dance completely in order to focus their performance on gymnastics.
Remember… your kid should be the one making the decision on if they want to be competitive or recreational.
Recreational Acro is an Great Start to Being a Great Gymnast OR Dancer
The best way to find out what type of gymnast your kid can be is to try! Here at Dansations we understand how important things like gymnastics and acro are for a dancer, and that’s why we have programs set up for toddlers and young kids to be able to have fun and learn. Younger kids deserve a chance to be young! There’s no real specific age as to when a child should start. The best way is to give it a try!
If you’re interested in entering your child into a toddler acro program, just give us a call or reach out via our contact form!