International franchise ‘The Little Gym’ in Sri Lanka

The Little Gym is a leading holistic child development centre that uses physical activity as a conduit to build physical, mental and social skills in children from the ages of four months to 12 years. 

The program emphasises the importance of movement-based learning and imaginative play to help young children become healthy, well-balanced and creative adults later in life. In an era where digital engagement has encroached on children’s playtime and is contributing to the development of unhealthy habits, The Little Gym presents a different approach to early childhood enrichment and sports skill development. The core philosophy of The Little Gym is to provide children with a fun, warm and nurturing environment, allowing them to experience success and build self-esteem in a non-competitive way. 

“Studies have indicated that creative physical activity helps children become more confident and successful. At The Little Gym we use age appropriate, fun-filled classes that develop physical, social and emotional skills in children,” said The Little Gym of Colombo Chief Executive Officer Shilpa Perera. 

The three-dimensional learning model involves three key aspects of development: ‘Get Moving’, ‘Brain Boost’ and ‘Citizen Kid’. The ‘Get Moving’ aspect focuses on gymnastics and physical activities that develop athletic skills and launch a lifetime of healthy habits while the ‘Brain Boost’ aspect works on exercises that stretch the mind and develop a love of learning in children. ‘Citizen Kid’, as the name implies, focuses on activities that impart life skills which help children become confident individuals.  

Physical activity promotes health and wellbeing, according to studies conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as physical exercise can stimulate positive mental health and cognitive development. WHO links such activities in young children to improvements in self-esteem and self-confidence.

“Parents wish to give their children the best start in life. This is where activities that trigger social and cognitive capacities are useful. At The Little Gym, we offer a variety of different learning experiences to children based on our core philosophy. We employ well-trained instructors who love working with children, providing them individual attention and specific positive feedback,” Program Manager Tharindu Perera said.  The Little Gym offers gymnastics classes through a unique structure that nurtures the three dimensions of development. The classes offered are age specific, covering age groups four months to 12 years broken down to three broad groups. 

Parent/child classes – four months to three years of age allow parents to help their children explore basic motor and social skills. Pre-Kindergarten classes – three years to six years offer fun-filled gymnastics classes that tap into the active imagination of children and introduce them to the right social skills. Grade School classes – ages six to 12 years are fast-paced structured classes that allow kids to repeat, review and refine skills, while stimulating holistic development in them. 

The Little Gym allows each child to progress at their own pace and encourages cooperation, empathy and teamwork. Each week, a different theme engages their imaginations and creativity – music fills the air and supports what they’re learning, triggering physical, mental and social skill development in them. Although gymnastics is at the base of The Little Gym’s curriculum, the classes bring a balanced combination of all the three dimensions, making the classes a powerful pre-requisite for school, sports, and life in general.

In addition to core the gymnastics program, The Little Gym also offers sports skills development, karate, and dance classes. The Little Gym also facilitates the most unique and awesome birthday bashes for children each week.

“The very first Little Gym was established in the year 1976 by Robin Wes, an innovative educator with a genuine love for children. What makes The Little Gym truly unique is our curriculum; our lesson plans have been developed over a period of 16 years by Robin and a team of passionate child development experts. The curriculum has seen over 26 years of iterative development since. The Little Gym’s classes focus on creating a non-judgmental environment for children, allowing them to discover the best version of themselves. The classes we teach are age specific, fun and positive.  The ultimate goal of the program is to holistically develop children, making it a springboard for a lifetime of adventures,” said The Little Gym of India Head of Training and Consulting Muralidharan Ravi.

The Little Gym International Inc., headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, was formed in 1992 to franchise The Little Gym concept.  Globally, The Little Gym International has more than 400 locations in over 29 countries.  This passionate team works relentlessly to impact the lives of children positively, one forward roll at a time.