Often, when parents enroll their kids into the CrossFit Kids program at CrossFit For Glory, they are looking for their kids to be more active and find something other than video games and T.V.
Other times, parents want their child to become really fit – usually in a way that supports their athletic endeavors outside on their field of play.
Or maybe they want them to fall in love with CrossFit’s unmeasurable benefits (social relationships, engagement with peers) just as they did when they joined CFG!
These are all fantastic reasons, and these goals are realized on a daily basis.
But let’s more clearly define what and how we do things, and most importantly why we do them.
One goal for our kid’s classes is to pair fitness with fun. One way we do this in disguise through games. After all, they are kids! They want to have fun and explore. We are striving to teach our young athletes that the gym is a fun, healthy, and safe environment. The moment you take the fun away is the moment you create an everlasting memory of the “dreaded gym.” Come on parents, you know what we mean!
When it comes to delivering an amazing experience that achieves the goal, we have three perspectives to consider: the parent’s, the child’s, and the coach’s.
The Parent’s Perspective:
Sitting on the sidelines trying hard to act like they’re not watching, we know parents can be really eager to see their kids working hard and doing things perfect. Imagine then what goes through their head as they peer up from the phone and see their child playing that row-ling game for the 100th time.
“What are they doing?! Its all wrong! They’re not even learning anything.”
They are wondering, “is this even doing my child any good? When coach said “CrossFit, but scaled for kids, I pictured my daughter lifting like Katrin and my son doing gymnastics like Alec.”
The Kid’s Perspective:
(*spots rowers lined up*) – “TODAY IS ROW-LING DAY!!! Last time I got a perfect ‘0’ – it was soooooo cool!!!”
Translation – they did good, achieved something, they found a bright spot, they high-fived their friends and fell a bit in love with what we as adults refer to as “working out.”
The Coach’s Perspective:
- “With row-ling, my athletes are learning how to operate a rower rather than a computer.”
- “The rowing pull is almost identical to a sumo-deadlift high pull; this will be perfect movement prep for the deadlifting we are doing today”
- “My kids will be, so excited – they LOVE to deadlift!”
- “10 rounds of rowing intervals will get their blood flowing and the class energy high.”
Of course, after the warm-up (aka game) is over, the kids must actually learn and practice how to deadlift safely and effectively. Special attention is paid to utilizing progressions for difficult or compound movements, and progressive loading dictated by size, age, and consistency in form. To that end, every weightlifting movement in a kid’s class starts out with a PVC pipe. (Guess what, the guys and gals at the Olympics still start every session with a PVC too!) This allows the kids to be refreshed on the movement and to have a chance to perfect it. Not all kids will move up in weight every single class, and that is by design! They are young, remember? We have decades to make them strong and fast. They need to learn how to move properly and progress sustainably over a long period of time before they dial in the weight and intensity.
The Kid’s Perspective:
“Some PVC pipes sound like a big maraca stick, that’s mine!”
“Check out my light saber!”
“This one is the same height as me…must have been made just for me!”
The Coach’s Perspective:
“Absolutely! I set that one aside just for you!!”
You know what that PVC pipe just became? Your child’s new favorite toy. There’s doubt she’ll hold it the entire class and put it in a “secret” spot before leaving, just so they can have it next class. (Yes, they deadlifted with it too for their workout.)
For the coach, that PVC is not just a tool to teach, its also a tool to create awareness and confidence.
Success, even with something as seemingly small as a PVC pipe, is what builds motivation. Its not the other way around. These little drops of success, these wins by your children, are what keep them excited and engaged. And that is how we forge healthy, life long relationships with fitness.
Want to know what some of the most well attended and fun days are in the adult group? When we play games stolen straight from the kids classes.
Interested in more information on our kids and teens programs? Click here to book a Free Intro!
