Rhythmic Gymnastics - when to start and can anyone do it?

[ChaosAndCuddles]

There is a very good rhythmic gymnastics coach at a local club near to me. My daughter (just turned 4) enjoyed the trial lesson. The majority of the girls at the club train 3 times a week, 6pm - 7pm (some do 6pm - 8pm too, if invited).

The, coach recommends to do at least 2 sessions a week. Does anyone have experience of their 4yr old DC doing any extracurricular activity twice or three times a week? Would I be putting too much pressure on my DD? She already does ballet (but it’s more recreational).

[allhailthebrain]

My daughter has been doing dancing twice a week since she was 3 I think - she still enjoys it now, at 11. No competing, just the occasional exam or summer dance show. Others do compete - pressure I guess comes down to what you do as part of the activity...

My son is now a teen and started at local stage school at 7. Before long he added drama club at school, dance lessons (several times a week), singing lessons (with exams), summer schools, later a second stage school that meets fortnightly. He did auditions and shows and all sorts of things. To some that would be high pressure - to him, it was everything, and remains so. Everything he added was at his request and with huge excitement. He is hoping to make it his career and works super hard at it.

So I guess it depends how you define pressure, how you control the pressure on them - and simply, what they get from it.

Try it, and see if it's what makes her happy, take it from there :) Many of these things you start, then they perhaps invite you to join more lessons, join a squad and so on - you can judge when and if there is a time to say no, along with your little one.

[Orangeandgold]

My daughter did Rhythmic when she was about 4/5. I remember she was also doing dance aswell. Both once a week.

My approach was that when she was tired with a class then she completes the term and can quit. She enjoyed rhythmic but then as she grew up they didn’t cater to older children and she found it very simply which was the reason that she eventually left.

She was very vocal about how she felt about the classes and at that age we were allowed to watch so I could also tell by body language.

At that age, for me, it was important that she enjoyed it. She still does gymnastics now and is part of a squad at 12 but it’s all friendly (no competitions).

Your instructor may either want to produce children that compete or maybe the recommended 2 sessions is better financially. My DD could easily do 5 days of gymnastics a week but fortunately it’s up to the parent’s discretion.