Health Benefits of Gymnastics

Presenter: Nicole Palish, Marketing, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my Scholars Practicum Project, I completed service learning alongside my advisor Lee Finkelstein at the Little Gym of Springhouse in Springhouse, Pennsylvania. During my service learning, I was an assistant teacher in gymnastics classes where I gave instructions for activities, planned activities, and ensured the safety of the children. I learned how gymnastics affects an individual’s mental, physical, and social health. Specifically, I found how essential it is to focus on social skills in young children in order to improve their relationships with other individuals. Additionally, I found collaboration between students is essential for the children’s mental health as the students were happier when they interacted with others. Lastly, I found throughout my project that there was a clear improvement in strength and flexibility in the students who attended weekly classes. Through the different lenses of mental health, physical health, and social health, I was able to see the distinct benefits of gymnastics in the students at the Little Gym. With this said, as there are various benefits of gymnastics I learned how vital this gym is to children’s development, growth, and health. As a result, I would highly encourage parents with young children to engage in weekly activities such as gymnastics classes for their child/ children to allow them to receive these positive benefits.