My First Book of Gymnastics

What a lovely book! I've not seen anything like this on the market before, and it seems a great way to introduce exercise to toddlers! I can't wait for my little one to be able to appreciate this

A fun introduction to the basic moves of gymnastics. Each move is compared to the way an animal moves; young folk can slither like a snake, for example. The illustrations are vivid and multi-cultural. Children and their parents can enjoy this book together as they bend, stretch, jump and use up some energy. A cute addition for a toddler's bookshelf!

First impressions: As soon as I saw this I knew that I had to read it! I love gymnastics and have been involved with the sport, either as a participant, judge or coach for most of my life. I am a big advocate for children getting involved with gymnastics as early as possible because it builds such a great foundation for fitness, flexibility and stamina, all of which can feed into improving performance in other sports or everyday life. This book looks like a fun introduction to gymnastic movements which could be used to get young children interested in the sport, or simply moving and building awareness of their bodies.

This book opens with a list of tips for trying out the activities in the book - do them in order, wear loose clothing and have fun! It then presents ten different movements for children and parents to try together, each given a fun context with cute animal illustrations. I really like this, because it mirrors what gymnastics coaches would often do in a preschool session. Lots of poses/movements are named after animals e.g. chicken walk, happy cat (in yoga, cow pose), and this is a really fun way to get children engaged and thinking about the different things their bodies can do.

One of the children's favourite games to play in our gym is based around this: The children must move like a certain animal, find something of a specific colour, touch a certain part of their body to it, and then find their way back to the coach who will have moved while they're searching. E.g. Move like a giraffe, find something green and touch it with your elbow. This game is not only great fun, but is fantastic for getting the children comfortable on and around gym equipment, learning parts of the body and experimenting with moving in a variety of ways.

All of the activities and poses in this book can be done by anyone, anywhere, with or without gymnastics training and without the need for any equipment. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a toddler or as a gift for new parents. I, for one, will be getting a few copies in to recommend to our gym parents!

A fantastic way to get kids moving!





What I liked: It's about gymnastics - yay!, Cute illustrations make these engaging and accessible for all, shows children from a variety or backgrounds, all adoring what they're doing. A beautiful gift for new parents!

Even better if: I would like more books like this! I remember my mum getting me the DK book of The Gymnast and picking up a copy of Olga Korbut's biography and a paperback story about gymnastics called The Fortunate Few. Other than that, there weren't many options for a gymnastics-mad-bookworm!

How you could use it in your classroom: This would be a lovely addition to any early years practice or primary school, as well as a great book for any gymnastics club. The exercises are so simple that they could easily be done in a classroom - I am planning to get a copy to use in the classroom and in the gym! This book would also make a fantastic gift for new parents.

Perfect book for teaching toddlers simple gymnastic techniques. Keeps them active and engaged. Easy pictures to follow.

A brilliant book to introduce exercise and fun to every day. A great starter book for kids yoga and gymnastics. The illustrations are bright and easy to follow even without the words. We had a lot of fun dancing like a bird.

I took my first gymnastics lesson when I was three, and even though I don’t remember all that much about it (of course!), I’ve seen photographs and some things in this book seem similar.
I think My First Book of Gymnastics Movement Exercises will set parents or teachers in the right direction to introducing small children to the sport. These are things that can easily be done at home, and without equipment, and – while not actual gymnastics – will help kids get active and creative at the same time.