My Gym, Little Gym or Gymboree Play and Music

We are members of My Gym (we lived in Denver and were members there, so we just kept our membership when we moved to the Seattle area). My son, who has been doing it for over 2 years, loves it...I think that the facility in Bellevue is clean, the staff is nice, they do a nice job of working with the kids...no complaints. I can't say anything about the other places because I have not been - but My Gym is great.

We've visited pretty much every one out there, and from observation they were all about the same...and all bad. Well...not like being raised homeless in East LA...but bad in comparison to places (like Seattle Gymnastics Academy http://www.seagym.com/) where the coaches are professionals; highly trained, intent, alert, and THRILLED to be with the kids.

As a former competitive athlete I don't care if my son ever competes (it's about having FUN a learning how to move your body!), but I've got years of experience in evaluating programs and coaches. Little Gyms/etc. are essentially the Free Clinics of tumbling. Sure there are a couple good coaches/doctors here and there, but they're few and far between and you have to be very lucky or search exhaustively. Usually both.

The YMCA would be the next step up. They can't pay very well but they have their pick of instructors...and so many people owe them so much they get a good draw.

The next step up after that would be good gymnasiums. SGA is our hands down favorite. We didn't do the Mom'n'Dad'n'me class...I've got little Mr. Independant...but we did the older classes for some time. There's another good one in Edmonds...I'm afraid I don't know of any eastside...but that doesn't mean they don't exist. :)

One gym to AVOID is Cascade Elite. They talk a good game, but they stick parents waaaaay up out of the way for viewing (a warning sign), and browbeat the kids. YUCK! My gym in CA turned out at least one olympian every 4 years...but they were NEVER mean to the kids training...OR snotty to the ones who were just there for fun. Cascade Elite does both. :P

<grinning> I'm obviously biased, but you did ask for experience.

Good Luck & Have FUN!!!

We love Little Gym in Bellevue. All the teachers are great, especially Dana and Tracy. My 3 year old daughter has attended classes there for over 2 years and loves it. Currently she is taking a Dance/Gymnastic class (age 3-4) which is perfect at this age. If she likes dance, then we'll move onto a studio when she is older. She really enjoys the gymnastics part and it's nice that the class is a blend (at this age, developmentally they are still working on their motor skills and controlling their bodies so providing variety is the key). My 14 month old son loves Little Gym too. He started classes at 12 mos. and loves the time to explore and see/interact with other kids his age.

I can't speak to My Gym but we did take 6 mos of Gymboree with my daughter (6-12 mos). I felt there wasn't enough variety in the class and unfortunately got a little tired of going. We started attending Little Gym and can't say enough about it.

I hope that helps.

--M.

My daughter (currently 19 months old) goes to the Gymboree Play & Music in Lynnwood. We absolutely love Teacher Ethan. What I like about Gymboree is the variety of experiences. There are themes each time, and they change how the kids interact. There are things that are consistent from class to class as well. My daughter also has a crush on Gymbo (the giant stuffed clown that is the Gymboree mascot).

I've heard less than stellar things about Little Gym, although I have no personal experiences with My Gym or Little Gym.