How do we do it? How in this age of cell phones, video games, and never having to leave your house to be entertained do we encourage our children to get up and move? To not just get up and move, but to get back up and try again when they fall? It's a struggle that parents and caregivers with kids of every age have to deal with. To find the answer to this all too common problem, we headed over to the brand new Kid Fit facility now open in Cherry Hill, NJ.
Daily Vacationer Jr originally met the gym owner and CEO, Brian Hurley, when he was teaching preview classes at Kid Fit partner, the Garden State Discovery Museum. These classes were unlike anything we had ever seen before. With exciting names like "Superhero Academy" and "Ninja Training", the classes were designed to build a bridge between a child's imagination and their physical bodies. Even the most timid in the group was soon trying their hardest with enthusiasm and a smile on their face. There was something about these programs that was making a room full of children laugh and move and just keep trying.
Now that Kid Fit has it's own space, the potential for what it can be used for is unlimited. The unique classes are back with something for every level and interest from Tiny Tumblers to Future MVPs. Not sure which class your kid will be most interested in? Kid Fit lets you request a FREE CLASS (and we highly recommend that you do!). Classes are scheduled all week with a variety of different time slots giving everyone the chance to come and discover what makes this place so special to kids and their families. Kid Fit is also available for some pretty amazing (and stress free!) Birthday Parties (on weekends AND weekdays), and they have a lot of different options for Scout events and Field Trips including Overnights, a combo visit with the Garden State Discovery Museum, and even a Mobile Gym that can come to you!
Along with an amazing class schedule and event opportunities, Kid Fit also offers Open Play throughout the week. We attended an Open Play time, and we were amazed again with how every kid in the room was climbing or jumping or rolling or crawling or just moving in any way that they could - and they were all so excited about it! We loved the infinite number of play area set ups and obstacle courses that were constantly changing and being moved around, giving kids different ways to try things and challenge themselves. Foam pits, climbing barriers, inclined mats, gymnastics equipment, and lots more were scattered around the room and all being used by children in so many different ways (and when they opened up the zipline for use, it was like Elvis had entered the building).
So what is it that Brian Hurley and Kid Fit are doing that is motivating children of all different ages and life stages to be physical active without realizing they are? We think that the secret lies in confidence. Kid Fit doesn't just provide a place to move - they provide the confidence to move. The confidence to see an obstacle as a challenge. The confidence to know that not doing it the first, second, or even fifteenth time does not mean that you will never do it. Everyone was celebrated for doing the best that they could and encouraged to try anything that they wanted. There was hand holding and a boost up for those who needed it and a hands off and step back approach for those who wanted to do it on their own. Kid Fit is one of those few and far between places where failing is not seen as the end of trying, but rather just another step toward getting it right. Simply put, Kid Fit is making being active fun and exciting and something that everyone can be.
Open Play:
$10/child
$5/child for GSDM Members
FREE for Kid Fit Members
Membership:
$75/mon
$65/mon for GSDM Members
Sibling and Twin discounts available
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I love the blend of movement, imagination, and confidence that Kid Fit aims to inspire in children. My daughter gets off the bus after a day of sitting in school and she has so much energy. I'll definitely put this on the list of places to check out of the summer!
ReplyDeleteLook like so much fun! Can't wait to visit with my daughter!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fun place to visit.
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