Gymnastics query

Personally, I’d say keep looking. I’ve heard a lot of stories about people having awful gyms but my experience has only ever been with friendly and welcoming staff who were firm but kind.
I think at this age it should be engaging for them and fun - if it’s not then it’s not the right place place

Listen to your gut. If it feels off then it is probably is. Extra curriculars should be enjoyable. You will know when you have found the right club when she skips out smiling and happy.

I’d view it like any other club. If you’re unsure try a different one. You’ll find one that’s the right fit.
Over the years with 3 kids we have tried 5 swimming lesson providers, 3 tennis coaches, 4 climbing walls, 2 football sessions, 3 gymnastics clubs….before settling on favourites.

Agree with don't panic! At preschool age it's just another fun thing to do. If they enjoy it carry on, if not try something else. Things I'd look for, smallish groups so they're well supervised and not waiting around for a turn. Getting to play with different toys or climb on apparatus for a nice varied session. Friendly people.

If at a later stage they want to get more serious you can look around at options again. Signing up to rec classes doesn't commit you to taking the 18 hours a week route any more than toddler football signs you up for your local premiership club's academy or swimming lessons to 6am starts and all weekend galas.

DD has been doing gym since preschool age. She's still happily doing rec at 9. Her club has serious competitive squads but they don't short change the rec groups, DD usually has 6-8 in her group, gets to go on all the apparatus, learns new skills and has fun.

TheBeastReleased Don’t panic. Gymnastics can be brilliant. We are at a lovely rec club and both my girls adore it. They are strict but there is no pressure. It’s one of the best activities we did at a pre-school age and I think was excellent preparation for school.

There's a bit less pressure on boys (beyond the basic safety discipline stuff) as they (a) peak later and (b) are less common so clubs have to work to keep the ones they get.

I started toddler gym with my DS and after being ok with the vibe let my 6 yo girl go to her age sessions. Will admit that I waited until she had other sporting interests plus looks like she'll be tall to limit risks of needing to go beyond recreational level...

I'm so so glad I found this thread today. My son, also 3 just now (will be 4 in October) is going to his first gymnastics class this afternoon. We signed him up as my husband and I thought it'd be a great outlet for him to have fun and learn more about his body. He's always climbing and jumping off things, and doing handstands and forward rolls. He spends half his life upside down. He's desperate to get into climbing but unfortunately our local climbing walls have stopped doing their kid's clubs for under 6s, so I thought gymnastics would be a good alternative.

I'd imagined the young gymnastics classes would be fun and non-competitive, but having read this thread I'm now worried I've signed him up for something completely different. I think I'm allowed to stay for the class this afternoon so I'll keep a close eye out for any sort of weird vibe. I want him to have fun and hopefully make some friends, not be pushed into spending hours and hours training each week. Thanks for this thread, OP. I didn't have a clue about gymnastics clubs before reading this!

This is why we sent our DD to Little Gym. I’m sure it’s sneered at by “proper” gymnasts, but there are massive viewing areas and (especially as they get older) the classes are small and everyone gets close attention and supervision.

The traditional gym clubs around here are still busy channeling the Communist Era vibe - no way am I putting my child through that.

@throwitin the other option is to look for a dance school that has a gymnastics or acro class. They don’t have the same feel as a true gymnastic club. They won’t do the beams and bars etc but will do the handstands, cartwheels, Ariels, bridge (so the floor work).

@CoastalWave I agree it’s a nasty sport. I remember taking dd to the British championships in 2019. There were so many stressed girls. It was following this that dd quit. She was only ten and was under so much pressure to win medals, it had stopped being enjoyable. She moved to cheer which has been an eye opener! She loves it though.

@CoastalWave sadly I think youre right its just so pervasive amongst gymnastics. The number of hours and the culture.

Its so sad that the kids accept it as "normal."

If you have a child that loves gymnastics but don't want the competitive element, try a club that does gymfusion.

My child does 18 hours a week - she 8.

I would NEVER ever ever put a child in gymnastics again. Seriously the most toxic sport ever. I thought it was the first club we were in, so we moved. But trust me, it's just the culture. The club she is at now is the best of a bad bunch. I might add, one club she was at that was simply appalling was run by an ex GB gymnast - who told me (no word of a lie) that it's 'how gymnastics is, and people just need to get used to it'

I'm waiting for her to want to quit. I stay well out of it all. Unfortunately i'm well aware of how mean the coaches are to the girls in general - and I hate how the girls are just used to it. It's low level bullying. Often I daren't say anything as my daughter gets so upset saying it will make things 10x worse if I do. She loves her teammates which is why she still does it (that, and she loves it and she's good at it) That and lockdown was so tough - 15+ hours on zoom that she's desperate to stay and do her next level grades just so she has something to show for it.

I would love to find a club that was genuinely friendly and welcoming. They don't exist. Rec kids just bring in the income - they don't give a shit about your child. Once you're in squad, you're desperate to stay so you put up with a lot or else they threaten to move your kid back to rec. It's also impossible to be 'spotted' - you need to push your child forward for a trial if you think they have potential. Most clubs won't even advertise they have squads. There's a large club near us that has 200+ kids in rec - not one has ever been spotted. It's all who you know - children of coaches, friends of coaches etc etc. Once you're in squad, even if you're 5/6 you can wave goodbye to birthday parties etc etc.

I've complained to BG three times now - not once have they been surprised and no once has it been an isolated experience. It's a toxic sport and needs to massively change.

At 31/2 it should be fun. My eldest did pre-school classes at a rec only gym and a serious gym. At both classes they were quite strict but it was fun and encouraging at pew-school level. I would not be wanting small children to be punished in that way. In both our classes, there were little ones in and out for the loo, others that needed a hug or some comfort. I wouldn’t put a toddler anywhere that wasn’t prepared to deal kindly with little ones.

Go with your gut feel.
It if was the right club for your DD then you wouldn't have needed to post here and ask for advice.
Trust your Judgment

The child being given crunches as punishment for not getting a move right would be a hard no from me.

We accidentally joined a 'proper' club which was very full on so as soon as COVID hit we used it as the opportunity to back out quietly!!

I hated the focus on what you looked like in the older age groups and the pressure to train for hours / strength train etc was definitely not what we were after.

It might be worth asking around older parents locally. We were warned tbf but got so wrapped up in it at the time!