Family activities
Clubs organise physical activities for families in many forms: family exercise, toddler exercise, family acrobatics, family tricking and much more. What all of these activities have in common is that the child gets to be physically active with a family member or other familiar adult.
The path of family activities can be started during the first years of a baby’s life or when possible at the local gymnastics club. Typically, family activities are aimed at children under the age of five.
The family activities involves practising the basic skills of physical activity with a safe and familiar adult. Participants learn the names of body parts and practise movement skills, handling an apparatus and body positions. The aim is to create a positive and encouraging atmosphere that takes all families into account.
Exercise playschool
In terms of values, the basis for all activities is formed by a child-centric approach, versatility and play. The exercise playschool provides children with a safe opportunity to explore the gymnastics club’s operations. The sport-oriented playschool (Lajiliikkari) activities also form a natural path towards engagement in gymnastics.
The recent updates to the exercise playschool arrangements stem from the new recommendations for physical activity in early childhood. The lesson models develop children’s basic athletic skills in a diverse manner, before progressing to teaching actual sport-specific skills. The activities that are led by trained instructors take the children’s development into account. The versatile activities offered by the basic exercise playschool do not tie participants to any specific sports or forms of physical activity. However, the sport-oriented playschool activities for children aged 6 and over also add elements of the gymnastics school lessons, enabling children to learn about the world of gymnastics and dance in phases.
Gymnastic school lesson
The gymnastics school lessons teach children under the age of 12 basic athletic and gymnastics skills under the guidance of an instructor. The aim is to develop the children’s coordination, balance, mobility and basic strength through methods related to gymnastics and provide the children with fun experiences related to sports. The practising is diverse and provides excellent skills for pursuing gymnastics or other sports.
The gymnastics school lesson begins with an energetic play session to warm up. Then participants focus on practising a variety of skills and qualities. The lesson culminates with a final play session and cooling off and/or relaxation. Children participate in the lessons independently without their parents. The presence of an assistant can be discussed with the club. Many gymnastics clubs use a gymnastics school passport for children who take part in the gymnastics school lessons. This enables parents and guardians to monitor the development of their children’s abilities.
Member clubs of the Finnish Gymnastics Federation provide gymnastics lessons for children of varying ages. Very often, your local gymnastics club’s range of lessons will include gymnastics school lessons for specific ages or age groups, such as a gymnastic school for 3–5-year-olds. Some clubs may also name gymnastics school lessons based on the names of their groups (e.g. Faery Ballet), sport names (e.g. aesthetic group gymnastics for 10–12-year-olds) or names of other hobby activities (e.g. NinjaGym).
The Gym product family
The Gym product family includes the FamilyGym, NinjaGym and FreeGym. The Gym lessons combine learning basic sports skills with gymnastics-related elements in a fun way. The lessons also involve aspects of parkour, tricking and strength training. The product family is sure to have a lesson to inspire children and young people of any age.
Dance
When the music grabs you, it is impossible to stop moving. At its best, dance is a wonderful state of flow that teaches you new things and improves your fitness without you even noticing.
Dance takes many forms. It can be a carefully planned artistic performance, improvisation or simply a relaxed way of having fun. You can dance alone or with others, in pairs or larger groups. As a sport, dance is versatile, colourful and trendy. There is plenty to choose from, so all those interested can find something to their taste from street dance to adult ballet and from Lindy Hop to modern dance.
Children’s dance lessons teach basic athletic skills and the basics and techniques of dance in a way that suits each child’s age.
Rope skipping
Rope skipping is a sport that suits people of all ages. It involves performing a variety of moves and sequences with a skipping rope. The rope can be used for many kinds of moves: tricks, speed skipping and collaborative skipping. Rope skipping is also an international competitive sport.
Recreational sports for adults
Gymnastics clubs provide hobby opportunities for people of all ages. A diverse variety of exercise activities is available for seniors, including basic exercise, circuit training, stretching, chair exercise, dance, gymnastics and hydrobics. Get involved – improve your fitness, mobility and coordination. Clear day-to-day worries from your mind and meet new people. Gain friends from other enthusiastic exercisers in the area. You can participate on many levels; attend once a week or join a dance group, for example!