And why words are so important to success in and out of the hall ...
One of the things we usually surprise new visitors to at The Little Gym is our claim (quite seriously!) that our children do not compete with each other. The girls and boys who come to us develop their talents, upgrade their skills and achieve remarkable successes, often surprising even to their parents. Behind these achievements, however, is not the motivation to beat someone, but something much more valuable - to be the best version of yourself.
This understanding has been at the heart of The Little Gym for over 40 years and is one of the reasons why children come into the hall with a smile and leave it with the feeling that they have achieved something truly meaningful. We do not condemn them, do not ridicule their mistakes, and do not compare them with each other, because we know that each child brings with him a unique combination of qualities and skills that cannot be framed. Instead, we focus on their strengths, encourage their efforts, and work hard at the gaps that make them vulnerable in one aspect or another.
How do we do it? Although the main means of expression used in The Little Gym are movement, in this respect our strongest weapon is words. We know that in everyday life, children often hear phrases such as "don't do that, you're gonna hurt yourself," you're still young "or" you can't handle it alone ". However, we also know that very often these claims are a reflection of parental fears. In fact, children could cope with many more and more complex challenges as long as we give them a chance to try. That is why during the training sessions we prove to them that they can, we mark their progress and we enthusiastically welcome every success.
You can!
Don't give up, try again!
Well done, you made it!
You did better than last time!
At The Little Gym, we embrace both success and failure with open arms because we know that every victory is preceded by a lot of training. Therefore, we closely monitor the progress of the children, lesson after lesson, week after week, and record their progress in special cards that show us what we have to work on in the future. Our main task is to educate children with perseverance and dedication, to show them that it makes sense to make an effort, because that is how they achieve their goals. And when victory is present, we do not miss celebrating it - whether it be with the "high five" or the loud applause we send the kids after each workout.
At the end of each semester, ie. twice during the school year, we pay special attention to the applause. We do it within the so-called Show Week, the week in which we welcome the most important people to our children - their parents and loved ones. Together we celebrate every front wheel, every front stand and twine that just yesterday seemed impossible to them. So our little champions realize how special they are and how much they have achieved because they have been courageous and constant in their efforts.
