Southland Centers Offer Fun-and-Family Workouts

They start as young as 3 months in classes such as Tiny Tykes, Mini Tots and Baby Gym. By the time they’re walking, they may have advanced to Waddlers, Super Tots or Adventurers.

Some of these precocious exercisers may wind up as stars of the 2004 Olympics, but for now the emphasis is on fun, family togetherness, coordination and social development.

Your child can join the Junior Sweat Set at dozens of Southern California gymnasiums and fitness centers that offer classes for families.

These institutions won’t try to put your 2-year-old in a program that produces bulging biceps or Mr. Universe abdominals. They tend to stress pleasurable movements that children can perform with their mothers or fathers and activities like non-competitive games, simple gymnastics and perhaps dancing and singing.

Many of these facilities feature play and exercise equipment designed for the size and motor abilities of small fry.

Building self-confidence in the child is a primary aim of most instructors. Jeff Lulla, founder and president of Fun & Fit Gymnastics Centers in Burbank, says: “A good movement program for children should be non-competitive and should build a child’s self-esteem and provide success experiences.�

Parents who put their children in fitness classes seem to appreciate this type of philosophy. One mother has a 2 1/2-year-old son who has been in classes at SuperKids in Hermosa Beach since he was 6 months old. “It is really fun for Jason and me to come to class together,� she said. “He loves the equipment and the songs, and I think that the interaction with other children is good for him. It is a special time for us to be together without the usual interruptions.�

Specialists say there is no solid evidence that exercise speeds children’s physical development or turns them into athletes. But most agree that well-directed fitness classes are generally beneficial if both parent and child enjoy them and they do not create anxiety or boredom in either.

In the face of increasing childhood obesity and findings that U.S. youngsters are deficient in some areas of physical performance, many parents and educators are looking to private exercise instruction.

Some believe that exposure to pleasurable exercise at an early age instills in youngsters a love of movement and fitness that will carry over into adolescence and adulthood. And they say that programs like those offered by organizations like the YMCA and commercial firms can be a leap in the right direction.

Southland fitness centers generally have membership fees ranging from $10 to $30 and offer courses of eight to 10 weekly classes at $50 to $85 per course.

Most programs have a no-obligation trial class available. Many organizations give discounts for enrollment of more than one child and provide the use of their facilities, without charge, for the birthday parties of their child members.

Following is a sampler of fitness centers guaranteed to get you and your offspring moving.

Dave Rabb’s Children’s Fitness Centers, 10858 Washington Blvd., Culver City, (213) 559-4110; 5520 Crebs Ave., Tarzana, (818) 343-1120. Dave Rabb says he was one of the first physical educators to have a special fitness center for very young children.

Fixtures in his gym are rearranged weekly to provide new challenges and stimulation for students, who may be enrolled as young as 4 months, he said.

Rabb said the key goals of the children’s programs, which cover youngsters up to 8, are self-confidence and physical awareness.

Fun & Fit Gymnastics Centers, 1919 W. Burbank Blvd., Burbank, (818) 845-0700. Owner Jeff Lulla and his staff have extensive backgrounds in coaching, gymnastics and dance. Classes for children include Baby Gym, 16 months to 3 years; Kinder Gym, 3 to 5 years; Progressive Gymnastics, 6 to 12 years, and Teen Gymnastics, 13 to 18 years.

In the Baby Gym classes, the parents work with their children on developing motor skills, hand-eye coordination, eye tracking and basic gymnastic and social skills.

Lulla says his company (formerly Burbank Gymnastics Center) emphasizes individual attention, small classes, praise from instructors and grouping of children with similar abilities. He added that a second center will be opening soon in Canyon Country.

Gymboree. Check your phone book for the nearest location. This Burlingame, Calif.-based company, (415) 579-0600, has franchises in West Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, South Bay, northern Orange County, Burbank, the San Gabriel Valley, Westlake Village, La Mirada and Long

Beach. There are 45-minute classes, held once a week, for children 3 months to 1 year, 10 months to 3 years and 2 1/2 to 4 years.

Youngsters play and learn on special bouncing and climbing fixtures, tunnels, slides and a brightly colored parachute cloth. They also sing, blow bubbles and interact with Gymbo, a clown puppet.

Jeanne Christie’s Baby Dance Academy, 6700 Coldwater Canyon Ave., North Hollywood, (818) 980-1388; 10556 De Soto Ave., Chatsworth, (818) 998-5300. Jeanne Christie, a veteran teacher of children’s dance and fitness, says her academies specialize in tumbling, ballet, tap dancing, baton and singing. The staff is trained in techniques that Christie developed during her 40 years in the field.

There are six to eight classes a day, six days a week. Students are grouped by age, starting with 18 months and progressing through 14 years. The students often perform in events such as fairs, Christie said.

Kidnastics, 3874 Florista St., Los Alamitos, (213) 431-1102. Children as young as 4 months can be enrolled. At 3 1/2 a child may begin a regular gymnastic program, one that owner Dale Williamson said is more structured but is not necessarily competitive.

“We do not gear the children for (gymnastic) team competition, but that aspect is definitely there if someone wants to go for it,� Williamson said.

MY GYM Children’s Fitness Centers, 9218 W. Pico Blvd., Beverly Hills, (213) 274-9593; 2806 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, (213) 828-6804; 17646 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, (818) 996-8725; 22289 Mulholland Highway, Woodland Hills, (818) 340-8093. In the Tiny Tykes class (3 to 10 months), parents and infants can explore the child’s natural movement abilities. Other classes are Waddlers (11 to 18 months), Gymsters (19 months to 2 years), Terrific Twos (2 1/2 to 3 years), Mighty Mites (3 to 4 1/2), Whiz Kids (4 1/2 to 5 1/2) and Champions (5 1/2 to 7).

The emphasis is on developing motor skills, coordination, agility and flexibility through stretching, tumbling and game playing.

South Bay Gym for Children, 4172 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, (213) 378-1988. Owner Craig Matthews says the gym’s classes for children focus on “learning to use the body in an enjoyable way.�

Matthews holds a degree in kinesiology from UCLA with an emphasis on perceptual and motor development in infants and children. He says most of his staff also have degrees or have completed special training in the field.

Groupings at the South Bay Gym range from the Freshman class (4 to 9 months) to Superstars (5 1/2 to 7 years).

SuperKids Gym, 710 Pier Ave. (Community Center Gym), Hermosa Beach, (213) 374-6990; 29625 S. Western Ave., San Pedro, (213) 374-6990. Teri Thompson, director of SuperKids, has supervised and taught gymnastic programs for children for more than 15 years.

Baby Gym classes are for children 6 months to 1 year. The Toddler Gym classes (1 to 3 years) includes stunts on mats, bars, balance beams, ladders and other apparatus made for children. Gym Exploration classes are for ages 3 to 5 years.

These three levels have original guitar, piano or harmonica music by Tom Lambert.

Older children may participate in a range of classes, including the use of cheerleaders’ pompons and the baton.

Le club gymnastics, 19555 Prairie St., Northridge, (818) 886-3331. This 25,000-square-foot center boasts more than 700 young members, director Charlene Bottner says. Children as young as 18 months may participate in le club’s Mommy and Me classes.

Major goals of the staff are teaching a youngster at his or her appropriate level and uninterrupted supervision by coaches, Bottner said. Many employees have degrees in childhood development, she added.

Le club gymnasts have competed in U.S. Gymnastics Federation meets, and some have participated in national competitions, the director said.

A new class in karate for boys 4 and over will be starting soon.

Bottner said, “We are very family oriented here. Our philosophy is to provide a positive, safe and fun environment.�

YMCA (consult your telephone directory for the branch in your area). The YMCA has two basic programs for children. The Movement Education programs are for children up to 5 and the Youth Fitness programs are for older children.

“The Movement Education classes consist of Gym-and-Swim sessions, which emphasize parent/child interaction and bonding, and learning of motor skills, coordination and basic swimming techniques,� said Kevin Butler, associate director of health and physical education at the Torrance YMCA. “The children first participate in a gym class with special equipment and then go right into the pool for a very basic class with the parent.�

The Youth Fitness program includes classes in gymnastics, sports skills, jujitsu and creative dance. There is also a family-fitness class that explores family values.

Butler said the YMCA philosophy is that “everybody is a winner and gets to participate.� He added, “Success comes from the body, mind and spirit working together, and that is what we stress at the YMCA.�