Gymnastics

Eva has been taking gymastics since January and I wanted to share a few photos from her class this week. They aren't the best because I took them from behind the parent window in the waiting area so that I wouldn't be distracting her but I wanted to remember how precious she is during her class each week. Also it is really hard to get good photos or videos when you are trying to focus on one kid in a whole gym full of running, bouncing, flipping, rolling preschoolers :) She originally got to take the classes as a Christmas gift from grandparents but she loves it so much we are going to try to let her continue taking them through summer and hopefully next fall. 

After they do warm ups they all sit on a line and watch the coaches demonstrate each station. This is so cute to see because she isn't in a "look and listen" situation very often and I love that she just fits right in. She had to learn how to stay on task and listen to the coach her first few times but she does such an awesome job now!

Working on her cartwheel! I love that gymnastics has helped her work on strength and flexibility. I don't expect her to be a professional gymnast but she is learning skills that will help her with whatever she loves doing one day. Even just learning to stay at her station and to keep working is an important skill. I also appreciate that gymnastics is an indoor activity at 11am - not an early morning, freezing weather activity. Let's stick with this :)

One of my favorite things about watching Eva at class is to notice how much she is just herself. She is the tiniest, but she works hard. She has tons of energy, and that's compared to a full class of 3-5 year olds. She likes to please her coach but has also learned to be motivated enough to keep practicing even when a coach isn't right beside her. She gets so excited when she learns a new skill, like pulling herself up to the mid-balance beam!

Working on her back roll down the wedge mat. I wish we had these mats at home. She likes to practice rolling backwards on our bed towards the pillows for a soft landing. 

I don't know what this is called but I think its setting her up to be able to do a back flip one day? She also loves to do back bends. All. Around. The. House. - at nap time, watching TV, in the playroom, she is one crazy back bending girl! I'm so thankful she gets to do gymnastics and glad that she loves it too!