School Program

Palmer’s Gym School Gymnastic Program is the key to efficient and successful movement in all games and sports.

Their specialised program is the CORE of physical education, so it MUST be taught in order for children to make the connections of relevance to what they are motivated to do and play in everyday life.

Gymnastics and play for young children is wonderful.

It stimulates them, exercises them and opens their vital little bodies. However, skills aren’t important for children, what IS important is that they learn to feel good about their body, to develop confidence from completing tasks.

In our School Gymnastic Program, no activity is ever too difficult, so confidence, because of the multi-activity involvement, grows very rapidly. It then has a snowball effect; ie. more movement = more ‘skills’ = more confidence = even more movement!

How our School Gymnastic Program came about……

‘In one huge dramatic action (back in the 1980’s) we sold our sets of uneven bars, high bars, rings and beams and re-equipped ourselves with child-based, movement attribute based equipment. We designed and manufactured various pieces to offer a progression in skill acquisition eg. equipment that ‘grows’ or can be modified to suit that age or the stage of skill learning of the child.

Children have a spirit of adventure, a ‘desire to dare’ so we introduced trampolines and tumbling floors; we also made sure that all of our equipment was multi-coloured and thus highly attractive to the eye of the child.

We created a fun-learning environment that enabled the equipment presented to be utilised as a Resource Centre for Movement.

Session Outline – Prep to Grade 6: programs can be tailored to suit your students and school requirements.

Programs run between 4-6 weeks.

Sessions are of one hour duration. This time span has been set as the best ‘value for visit’. Although the physiological demands are great ie. non-stop involvement; the nature of the activities and the intrinsic motivation of the children when they are exposed to the program, ensure the pace and nature of the involvement and interaction doesn’t slacken.

1. Sessions begin with a 2-3 minute introduction period. The children are seated and the formalities of the session are carried out. This is the perfect opportunity to a) remind the children about particular behaviours or movement executions; b) to get eye contact with every child; c) to raise expectation

2. The Warm-up part of the session works endurance, explosive speed and flexibility. The locomotor patterns set, also works coordination and rhythm. All activities are to music, exhibiting the appropriate beat; Music is selected on a) rhythm, b) appeal to age group, c) locomotor patterns to be worked on. Jumps (star, tuck, straight jumps) are interspersed for that dynamic aspect of fitness but also as the perfect vehicle for the development of coordination and awareness.

3. Apparatus; the foundation of the ‘immersion’, necessities and encourages non-stop movement in, around and on the equipment. Interaction with the equipment, responding to the challenges places a physical demand on the body, whether its demand on strength, flexibility, local endurance or a mixture of them all. One HUGE advantage is that the appeal and attraction of using the multi-coloured equipment, masks the actual demands.

All sessions are interspersed with the question being asked; ‘Who has done something that they have never done before?’ and they are asked to demonstrate – only if they desire.

We always celebrate their success!

We are also a Sporting Schools Provider.

Send us an email: palmerstumbletots@gmail.com for further information or to make a booking