Playnastics casual gymnastics sessions are a perfect first taste of the sport for kids aged from babies up to 4 years old. Run by the innovative Essendon Keilor Gymnastics Academy, these sessions allow preschool children to explore real gymnastics equipment in a safe and fun environment.
Playnastics at Essendon Keilor Gymnastics Academy
As one of Victoria’s biggest gymnastics clubs, Essendon Keilor Gymnastics Academy (EKGA) in Airport West is a family business that caters really well to young kids. By providing a clean and safe environment with a wide range of gymnastics equipment the facility is enjoyed by all age groups and skill levels.
Ignite your little ones’ curiosity with more ways to climb, tumble and spring through the air at EKGA’s fun Playnastics gym sessions. Run by patient and friendly preschool gymnastics coaches, kids will love these unstructured play sessions.
Exploring gymnastics from a young age can help children strengthen their movement skills, coordination, concentration, flexibility and core strength, setting them up with the confidence to play any sport they choose.
Whether you have a new crawler or confident runner, a range of activities are set up throughout the 2,000 square metre facility to entertain all types of curious kids.
Several low beams and benches will have children practising their balancing, while the bars, ropes and rings let them sway and swing in new ways. There are several colourful soft-play wedges and shapes to build, climb and tumble down, as well as ladders and slides.
Other fun activities include balls, hoops, tunnels, puzzles, ribbons, blocks and bouncy animal hoppers.
Music is playing over the speaker so kids can really move and groove to the beat. One of our favourites, We Will Rock You by Queen, had my kids ecstatically jumping and bopping along.
With a number of trampolines dotted throughout the space and surrounded by soft matting, kids can feel safe jumping higher than they ever have before. One of the clear highlights is for kids to do a big run up and spring off a trampoline into the large foam brick pit.
This is such a fun way for children to test out different gymnastics equipment and allows them to move their bodies and improve on all sorts of active skills such as climbing, hopping, jumping, landing and balancing.
While EKGA coaches are on hand to help and guide kids with the equipment, parent supervision is required at all times.
Playnastics sessions run for one hour, and being in such a large play space there is plenty of room for kids to move around at their own pace and still get to each activity within that time-frame.
For the last ten minutes of the program, the instructors gather the group together and play some kids music to sing and dance along to together. This is a great way to wind down and finish up the exciting experience.
We all know how important it is for kids to develop a healthy mindset towards physical and mental fitness, and at Playnastics children can build on this in a fun and explorative environment.
Located just off the Calder Freeway and Western Ring Road interchange, there is parking available out the front of EKGA and CàPhê Cafe is on the other side of the street, if you’d like to grab a convenient coffee or snack on your way in or out.
Playnastics sessions run on Wednesday and Thursday mornings and are on a casual booking basis, this means there is no need to commit to a whole term. The cost is $17 per child or $8.75 for crawlers. If you bring a small baby that’s not participating, they are free of charge. Children must be registered online before visiting.
The facilities at EKGA include toilets with a baby change table.
As well as Playnastics, EKGA runs other fun programs for kids including structured Preschool Gymnastics for ages 2-5 years, Little Ninjas for boys attending 4 year-old kinder, Twirling Tumblers for girls attending 4 year-old kinder as well as a range of options for school age children.
All-inclusive parties at EKGA are a lot of fun too with a range of games, obstacle courses and loads of energy-burning play opportunities.
The EKGA School Holiday Programs also provide various ways for kids to keep active with plenty of flips, kicks and cool tricks involved.
Playnastics: Things to note
- Register online and pre book your session time
- Session times are:
- Wednesday 9.15-10.15am
- Thursday 9.30-10.30am
- Sessions are casual, no need to commit to a full term
- Parent supervision is required at all times
- Shoes and socks off for the kids, parents can leave their socks on
- Toilet and baby change facilities available
- Parking onsite
- Pick up a coffee or snack from CàPhê Cafe across the road
- Book an all-inclusive party at EKGA
- Keep an eye out for the EKGA School Holiday Program