The Many Benefits of Gymnastics

Gymnastics is one of the most comprehensive "lifestyle exercise programs" available to children, incorporating strength, flexibility, speed, balance, coordination, power and discipline. Plus... it's a lot of FUN!

Educational benefits
Children who participate in gymnastics/movement education activities have longer attention spans, increased communication skills, general problem-solving skills and improved self-esteem.

Physical health benefits
Healthy activities like gymnastics keep children off the couch and engaged in a healthy lifestyle, and active children are more likely to grow up to become active, healthy adults.

Participation in gymnastics also helps athletes become more flexible. Baseball players, basketball players, football and soccer players all benefit from increased flexibility, and gymnastics builds flexibility better than any other sport. In addition, flexibility helps limit injuries. And studies show that resistance training, an important facet of gymnastics, improves joint health, maintains muscular development and improves cardiovascular fitness.

Emotional health benefits
Studies show that the more time children ages 10 to 16 spend being active, the higher their self-efficacy and self-esteem. In addition, statistics show that children who actively engage in organized “positive choice” extra-curricular activities such as youth sports are less likely to be involved in self-destructive and anti-social behavior and juvenile crime. These youths also have better school attendance rates, lower anxiety and depression, and decreased use of drugs, tobacco and alcohol.

Social benefits
Gymnastics provides children with an opportunity to meet with friends, make new friends and have fun!

Where else can you fly through the air, swing, jump, flip, vault, bounce and twist?

At SunDance, of course!