Another happy case study :-)

I opened my laptop to write an article on a subject that I have been long wanting to and that is Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS). A term I heard only after I started my research last year on Kids Fitness and later went on to do my specialized certification in Singapore in this subject.

But then again, an interesting observation came up post my fun fitness class today and I thought that needed a mention again via a new post.

So, FMS surely will be the next one now. For one liner, FMS is to sports what numbers are to mathematics or alphabet are to words.  I am excited to share all that I know about it.

Back to my online classes

Good 3 months of running online fitness classes for kids, a lot of new content creation in the process, spontaneous games, better understanding of kids and of course new learnings. Like everyone else in Covid times, chores and work take up majority of my time. However, the good thing is my work makes me spend time with these little kids. I have always been fascinated with them; I love activating their creative cells. And now that comes in handy in our fun fitness batches too. I have been advised by some friends cum mentor to start outsourcing the training part and focus on scaling up. Someday, will have to do it- until then I want to make the max out of this part of my role

I have been running two different program in these classes { https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/you-keeping-your-kids-active-priyanka-chaturvedi-1f/} (I)Structured (II) Fun Fitness.

Little did I realize while launching, that Fun Fitness will become a more popular program in these lock down times. Recently, I launched a 3rd program, which as of now is only once a week- Active Hour (Parent- Child Fitness Hour). It is again a program focused on kids and not an Adult Fitness Module. I thought it was much needed in these times.

Needless to say, all the programs are focused on meeting the physical activity requirements, but the end objective is different. Structured program has been appreciated by kids who were active in sports and needed themselves to keep fit in these times. In this program, we do a mix of cardio, strength, core, agility and at times sports related drills (online has a constraint to fully deliver on the last one, but nevertheless). This group has to be kept engaged and challenged, else they will lose interest.

 Most of the parents who opted for fun fitness are the ones, who saw their kids going in a shell, feeling isolated, low on energy, mood swings etc. I am glad these parents realise that even an hour of physical activity a day can bring in a change. I have had many instances in these 3 months and I have shared a few on my social media too, where parents came back with a positive impact it has had on kids. One such instance happened again today and every time this happens- it kind of reconfirms all what I read on paper about the benefits of physical activities

“Father was very keen to get his child (let’s call him Avi) enrolled for a physical activity class end of last month. Avi has been ‘locked-down’ like any of us and parents have been busy. His outdoor activities had come to a standstill and he is a shy child. Parents were sensing a change in his behavior. Avi came for trial class, and told his parents he was not very excited. Father was still keen and he said ‘let’s give it a shot and enrol’. I did not want a situation where parents felt the money went waste. So, I asked them to let him come for a week and then decide. A few free session are better than unhappy parents & kids ??. I am glad I did that. He came for a week and felt more comfortable, but never got to hear his voice. Now after attending 8-10 sessions, he is a different kid altogether. I am keen to make a video this weekend and share with parents. His participation and energy levels in the class both have gone up. He is a happier kid and it made me utmost happy when his mother sent a Thank You message recently”

Fitness is overall well-being- we get our activity time but I also like to encourage interaction to keep it engaging whole through. There are few kids who do not want to leave the meeting even after the session is over. One kid gets her little chair post the session for a nice chit chat; another one keeps requesting for the class to go on. Fun fitness is all about activities disguised as games and fun. Fun Fitness group has to like you, to start with. I have to use a lot of imagination to run this program thrice a week and may be now I will have 50 different games that could make them move, jump, run, balance and more. It is heartening, when these kids go back and play these games with parents over the weekend. I am documenting all of it and some day (hopefully) will create content out of it. There was a dearth of Kids’ Fitness content or even a simple certification in India, when I started my journey.

I feel good I have managed to keep kids engaged and happy for these 3 months. Most of the kids who joined on day 1 have continued whole through till date, so now they all are like a new family in lockdown. It makes me happy when parents tell me their kids look forward to the Wonder Yearz online class. I take all classes personally and I am observing all kids in the class- what they like, do not like and how can I make the experience better.

Priyanka Chaturvedi

Founder- Wonder Yearz

"On a mission to make fitness a part of every kid's formative years and help build a fitter future generation"