After attending trial classes at three different baby gyms, we decided to sign Noah up for classes at Gymnademics, located at Safra Toa Payoh. We are halfway through our first ten classes, and I must say that I’m really glad we chose Gymnademics. Noah started crawling a little after just two (three, if you count the trial) sessions, and I often wish that I had brought him to a baby gym much earlier. To be fair, most babies don’t seem to need any baby gym classes to help them learn how to crawl, and they also start crawling much earlier than Noah, but every child is different, and ours probably just needs more help in this area.
Because we attend the weekday class for Noah’s age group, the class size is considerably smaller than the other two baby gyms we visited, and having two teachers in the class meant an even lower teacher-student ratio. Why is this important, you ask? Well, our main objective for bringing Noah to a baby gym was to help him learn how to crawl, as suggested by our PD at Noah’s last check-up. This was the only baby gym out of the three, at which the teachers not only had the time to work individually with Noah, but also made the effort to do so. There is a lot of emphasis on ensuring that the child is comfortable in class, so parents are encouraged to bring their kids to class 15 minutes earlier, to allow the children to ‘warm up’ by playing in the classroom. What impressed me was that the teachers would also work with the children during these 15 minutes, as well as the 15 minutes after class. They gave us pointers on how to encourage Noah to crawl, and showed me some techniques, such as placing my palms or knees behind Noah’s feet, so that he has a ‘wall’ to kick against.
Noah having fun with one of his teachers after class
Gymnademics employs a holistic approach to help babies like Noah to become mobile. Each session includes a wide variety of activities, and I must confess that I still can’t remember the sequence of all the activities, and usually just follow the teachers’ cues. Initially, I hesitated to sign Noah up at Gymnademics because I thought that the flash cards, music, puppet show, story-telling, and many other parts of the class (Yes, there really ARE that many things going on in one hour!) wouldn’t really help us to achieve our primary aim of sending him to a baby gym. However, I learnt from the teachers that everything, and I really mean everything, that they did, would help him to achieve mobility. Some were meant to help improve his hand-eye coordination, as well as cross his mid-line, which would help him in learning how to move his arms when he crawls.
Tapping the wooden sticks together during the puppet show
Sometimes, I think I get more of a workout during his classes than he does! Guess I shouldn’t really complain, since it’s the only form of exercise I get these days, and I can bond with my baby at the same time.
Doing some exercises with mummy (pardon my unglam facial expressions)
Noah really seems to enjoy being at Gymnademics, and he has become more confident in crawling and pulling himself up to stand. I like that the padded floor means I don’t have to worry when he falls, and the equipment is definitely geared towards helping him become more mobile. We’ve even brought him to use the equipment in the other studio, on a day when he didn’t have lessons. (Weekdays only, $10 per hour. Call ahead to check if the studio is available. For Gymnademics members only.)
Going up the Wedge
Happy to be at Gymnademics!
Gymnademics offers classes for children from 5 months to 5 years of age. Trial classes are available on both weekdays and weekends, but you’ll need to contact them to check for timings and class availability. Please remember to state in the registration form that you heard about them via Growing with the Tans, okay? 🙂
Gymnademics Early Enrichment Centre 293 Toa Payoh Lorong 6, SAFRA Toa Payoh, #02-01, S(319387) t: +65 6259 0307 | e: info@gymnademics.com
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Disclosure: We were given a free trial in the Bambino class, and subsequently signed up for a full term of 10 sessions. All opinions are my own.
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