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Gym gives kids place to play

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

If you have driven by the Wal-Mart and Home Depot in Peachtree City, you have undoubtedly seen the vast array of colorful equipment and happy children playing and tumbling in a place called The Little Gym. The facility, owned by Darryl and Stacey Davis, opened in October of this year and has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success so far.

The Little Gym franchise has grown since 1992. There are over 161 franchises in 14 countries around the world with more franchises opening in an addtional four countries soon. There have been a number of facilities in Georgia but most of them existed only on the north side of Atlanta. Stacey Davis started taking her son to one of the Little Gyms on the north side, saw how much he enjoyed it and started thinking about running a Little Gym of her own.

Classes are available for ages four months old to 12 years old, offerng classes for parents and their children and teaching gymnastics, karate, motor skills development and sports skills development. In addition to these skills, children are also building their self-esteem, social skills and self confidence.

“Here at The Little Gym, we encourage growth by rewarding effort,” Davis said. “We don’t expect children to be ‘the’ best, just to try their best. All of our programs here are strictly non-competitive, which allows children to take risks, and rewards their individual efforts with consistent, positive feedback. This approach results in increased self-confidence and self esteem.”

There are currently five staff members at The Little Gym in Peachtree City and most have backgrounds in gymnastics or cheerleading as well as a good understanding of the Little Gym curriculum. Children are encouraged to run, jump and gallop and often play with educattional tools such as jump ropes and parachutes. In addition to the classes that are offered weekday mornings and early evenings and Saturday mornings, while the facility is reserved on Saturday afternoons and Sundays for birthday parties. Other special events include holiday and vacation camps and parent survival nights where the gym is open for a few hours so that parents can catch a movie or dinner.

Over 150 children are currently taking part in classes at The Little Gym and Stacey Davis is expecting more children to participate as word of mouth spreads and more classes are offered. For more information on The Little Gym in Peachtree City, phone 770-631-3731 or visit www.tlgpeachtreecityga.com.