Arts
Little Gym opens its doors here for some serious fun
It is not just an ordinary gymnastic studio with mats, air mattresses, balance beams, uneven bars and vaults. Located in the heart of the city, the Little Gym is a small, yet cosy entertaining space for some “serious fun.”
Starting young: Learning the ropes of gymnastics
A global franchise spread over 29 countries, the Little Gym is a place for children’s gymnastic lessons which are designed to promote the three dimensions of learning- physical, mental and social. The lessons address sports skills development and imaginative play with fun games, singing, dancing and much more.
The gym offers three main gymnastic based activity classes; the Parent/Child class for children from four months to three years of age where parents are to help the kids to explore motor and social activities; the Pre-Kindergarten class for three to six-year-olds which offers gymnastic lessons and the Grade School class for the children of six to 12 years, which is more fast-paced and structured allowing kids to repeat, review and refine the skills taught while stimulating holistic development.
“At the Little Gym each child progresses at their own pace and specific feedback is given to every child for what they actively performed at the gym. We have created a non-competitive environment in teaching and learning as children could freely engage in activities,” says Shilpa Perera, Chief Executive Officer, the Little Gym of Colombo.
In operation for over a year, the Little Gym has a well-trained enthusiastic group of instructors. Programme Manager, the Little Gym, Colombo, Tharindu Perera, loves working with the children. A professional gymnast with years of experience, Tharindu is a qualified gymnastic judge and coach. “Gymnastics helps children to build their physical skills, laying a foundation to make them better at any sport they will choose later in life. The Little Gym concept, founded by South African gymnast and educator Robin Wes in 1976, focused on the cognitive and social development of children who initially take a passion in gymnastics in their pivotal ages of 4 to 12 years.
Parents whose kids are members of the little Gym speak to the press
“Throughout his years in the sport, Robin noticed that gymnasts while extremely physically fit are not the most confident and extrovert people in society. Since gymnastics involves lot of hard training, the mental and social development of the players takes a back seat. To overcome this, the Little Gym curriculum is made in such a way to develop all dimensions of personality,” says Muralidharan Ravi, Head of Training and Consulting, the Little Gym of India. In addition to the gymnastics programme, the Little Gym also offers sports skills development, karate and dance classes. The venue could also be booked for kids’ birthday parties.
For more information visit the Little Gym, 2nd Floor, Business Machines Building, No. 1, Lake Crescent, Colombo 2 (near the Gangarama Temple) or
www.thelittlegym.com