The Heart & Soul Kids Approach

Classes at Heart & Soul Kids are developed with a whole-child approach: proprietary lesson plans are designed by Deanna, our studio owner and former collegiate gymnast, and Kristin, our managing director, to encourage physical and mental growth in children across dance and gymnastics. Each class focuses on age and developmentally appropriate foundational, motor, and social skills.

As you watch your child from the studio lobby, you'll likely see:

  • Small, similarly aged classes

    Smaller class group size helps children feel more comfortable and engaged, which is especially important in building their confidence and skills at their own pace.

  • Instructing from lesson plans

    You might notice an instructor referencing a whiteboard or binder during class. By utilizing lesson plans, instructors ensure that children are consistently challenged while reinforcing previously learned skills. This helps children progress steadily, as each lesson builds on the ones before, creating continuity and achievement.

  • Circuits, stations, and combinations of skills

    This keeps the class dynamic and exciting, as children rotate between various activities designed to develop different skills. Whether it’s practicing specific movements, improving flexibility, or conditioning, circuits and stations allow children to focus on various areas in a fun and structured way.

  • Spotted stations vs independent practice

    A skills station with an instructor assisting students creates a safe learning environment and provides the opportunity for immediate feedback while children learn new skills. The goal is for students to be able to practice all stations independently, as they gain strength, confidence, and technique.

  • Skill repetition

    The path to mastering a skill involves frequent repetition, a tool that’s especially necessary when children are in gymnastics or dance class once a week. Repetition helps reinforce muscle memory, making movements feel more natural and building confidence.

  • Encouraging coaches and teachers

    Our team is dedicated to creating a supportive environment. Positive reinforcement boosts a child’s motivation, helps them overcome challenges, and encourages a lifelong love of health and fitness.

What are the dance recital and gymnastics showcase?

While Heart & Soul Kids is an all-recreational studio, we strive to offer our students the same quality of competitive facilities, including annual performance opportunities: the summer dance recital and winter gymnastics showcase. Both activities allow our families to celebrate their students’ growth and accomplishments.

Mind-Body Connection

Our classes focus on more than just gymnastics and dance skills. They also foster spatial and social abilities, empowering children to thrive in any sport.

  • Balance and Coordination: Gymnastics and dance help children improve their body awareness and physical abilities by engaging in activities like walking along beams, jumping on trampolines, or even something as simple as balancing on one foot. These exercises teach them to control their body movements and build coordination between their arms, legs, and core.

  • Strength and Flexibility: Classes often include exercises that may seem simple to an adult but help children build foundational strength and flexibility in their growing bodies.

  • Listening and Following Directions: Children learn to follow instructions from their coaches and teachers in class, which helps develop listening skills and self-regulation. They practice following instructions and waiting their turn, promoting patience and an understanding of structure in a group setting.

Did you know? Growth milestones affect how your child can do a cartwheel!

As kids grow, their muscles, flexibility, and coordination change. These changes affect how they perceive and interact with the space around them, and in gymnastics class, most notably in a cartwheel!

While a child’s hand-eye coordination shifts during a growth milestone, so does their center of gravity. When they were once able to do a cartwheel with ease, they might feel suddenly uncoordinated or “stuck” at the start of the movement after a rapid growth change, physically and mentally. With time and practice, their spatial awareness and physical abilities improve, making it easier to once again master a cartwheel.

Taking Skills Beyond the Studio

One of our favorite compliments we hear from families is, “My child did an amazing job at soccer this season!” But what does soccer have to do with gymnastics and dance? 

Thanks to our whole-child approach in classes, the physical and mental skills a student learns at Heart & Soul Kids apply to many other sports as they grow older. Through dance and gymnastics, children develop a strong sense of how their body moves in space, helping them understand balance, coordination, and core control, translating to strong motor skills and the ability to react quickly in sports. An emphasis on proper form and safety from an early age teaches children how to protect themselves from injury, making them more mindful of their movements and body in all physical activities.

As children master new skills and perform in annual events like the dance recital or gymnastics showcase, their confidence grows. Seeing their progress and celebrating their accomplishments empowers them to take on new challenges with a positive mindset, ready to excel in any sport.

Ready to join our awesome community?