Spot Tots Information for Parents

Welcome to Kids Spot! Listed below are a few policies that must be followed to ensure the safety of your child and to provide a good teaching environment. The safety of you and your child are our top priorities. Amidst all of the fun and laughter during class, we need to be mindful of a few rules. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us.

“What can I expect?” As you know, the attention span of a 2 year old can be less than a second or as much 15 – 30 minutes, depending upon what interests them. Do not worry if your child doesn’t stay with the class. Stay with your child, keep him/her safe, and guide him/her where they are interested at the time. Together we will work on your child rejoining the specified activity. Be sure to talk with the instructor if you missed how to teach certain skills on a particular event. The instructor is there to help you learn how to work with and teach your children gross motor skills and gymnastic skills that will benefit them now and in the future.

How do we dress for success! Parents are most comfortable in sport shoes and comfortable clothing. Children should wear socks, T-shirt and shorts with no buttons or zippers. A leotard is recommended for all girls. Long hair must be pulled up. No jewelry of any kind.

An Instructor must be present in the gym during all activity. No playing on the equipment before or after class No gum, food, or drinks allowed in the gym area

Helpful Information about the Spot Tot Program for the parents You are your child’s first teacher! Yes, we are the instructors. But we are more of facilitators. (The gym is the teacher’s domain.) We’re here to guide you. Ask us questions, if you don’t understand something. This is not simply a playgroup! We have specific teaching objectives set for each class. We need you to be our teaching partners. Parents, YOU need to pay attention to the Instructor as he/she speaks because he/she will give you directions directly and then you direct your child. We will teach you how to spot your child. Please don’t rush in too quickly to aid your child, but keep safety foremost in all situations. Make the most of this quality time with your child. Lots of hugs and positive reinforcement should be the mainstay of your visits here. Our key is to raise their self-esteem.

Come to class early so you can get prepared and socialize with your buddies before class. When entering the gym we must be prepared to listen to our teacher and participate in class. When class is finished, you may gather in the viewing area to continue your conversations.

Our gymnastics class is all about FUN, smiles, and making your child feel good about themselves. Join in with us on the positive influence we expect to have in class. We are full of “Let’s try’s and huge applause for the kids’ efforts. We will attempt a variety of activities during class but we do not expect mastery. Please be encouraging towards your child. Praise them for little improvements. Small improvements in our eyes are huge accomplishments for a Tot. Your child does not have to perform movements exactly as the teacher has demonstrated. The teacher’s demonstration is often the target skill. We love to see how the children experiment with movement challenges. The children are our greatest source of new ideas!

Do not compare your child to others. The rate of successful task achievement is unique to each child. Children pass through age related stages. The stages are guidelines, not a clear-cut time line.

There will be times when your child wanders away from the group. Your job is to keep them safe and to satisfy their curiosity before luring them back to the group. Skill work will be nearly impossible if your child is excessively curious about a different area of the gym. Tots have a self-directed attitude. This does not necessarily mean they are being rebellious. They are simply extremely curious! You can draw your child back to the action by saying, “look what I can do. Now it’s your turn.” Or, “The teacher is dying to see you do a Log Roll. Let’s go show him.” Stay with your child, mainly for safety reasons. When your child wanders away from the group acknowledge her curiosity about whatever has caught her eye, then try to lure her back to the group, “look at the fun they are having with the flashy ribbons!” Toddlers are easily distracted. We plan for this!

When children are having a difficult time in class (crying, running away, not sitting, etc.), it’s usually because they want to do something. The way you handle this is important for a well run class. If they have a “melt down” and lose it during class, remove them from the gym. This allows the children who are cooperating to have a great class. When your child realizes that they won’t get to do anything in the lobby, they calm down quickly. Return to class and have fun!! By being consistent with this just a few times, the children learn that good behavior has positive rewards.

Class Format Start class with greetings and warm-up music and stretches. (About 5 to 7 minutes) Spot Tot Classes will then do 3 stations. Then end class with activity, cheer and stamps.