The senses
- Sight
- Hearing
- Touch
Focus for this ageSupporting
BangkokPre-K / Grade School · 5–7 years
Good Friends
Stronger skills, kinder teamwork
Good Friends bridges playful pre-K learning and more progressive gymnastics. Children build balance, coordination, power and control while learning to set a goal, accept coaching and show sportsmanship toward classmates.
GF5–7 years
Best for5–7 years
Class length60 minutes
How the class worksChildren participate independently and progress at their own level.
GF
Why this age matters
From participation to purposeful progress
At five to seven, children can understand technique and connect effort with improvement. Individual challenges happen inside a supportive team, so achievement and character grow together.
Body + brain together
The developmental focus for this age
The original program framework connects sensory processing, reflexes, language and motor development. The emphasis changes as children grow.
Body & Brain · Relationship Development5–7 years
Balance · Vestibular
- Posture
- Balance
- Alertness
- Concentration
- Stillness
Focus for this ageEmerging focus
Body intuition · Proprioception
- Body awareness
- Spatial awareness
- Sub-conscious movement
- Strength management
Focus for this ageEmerging focus
Language
- Verbal
- Physical
- Musical
- Symbolic
Focus for this ageActive focus
Coordination
- Midlines
- Dominance
- Body rhythm
- Timing
Focus for this ageActive focus
Power
- Strength
- Stamina
- Flexibility
- Agility
Focus for this ageStrong focus
Control
- Positioning
- Pacing
- Pressure & force
- Eye–body coordination
Focus for this ageActive focus
Four connected outcomes
Gymnastics is only the beginning
Every activity has a physical purpose and a wider developmental purpose. The goal is confident progress that children can carry into everyday life.
Balance, power & control
Gymnastics drills refine movement quality, strength and safe technique.
Goal-setting
Children learn to break a skill into manageable steps and notice improvement.
Coachability
Trying a correction teaches that feedback is a tool, not a judgment.
Sportsmanship
Encouraging friends, respecting rules and sharing space strengthen character.
A purposeful rhythm
A normal class, step by step
Familiar structure helps children feel secure, while new weekly themes and skill progressions keep curiosity alive.
Weekly class approach
A 60-minute school-readiness class balancing teamwork, gymnastics and games
01Opening Circle2 minutes02Warm-Up & Stretch8 minutes03Group Activity10 minutes04Gymnastics — 3 Stations30 minutes05Game10 minutes06ClosingPart of this phase
01Opening Circle
2 minutes+Open details
Opening Circle
2 minutesWhat children do
- Introduce yourself and greet the group
- Discover the week’s Skill of Focus
- Review the gym’s safety rules
- Set the goal of trying your best
What it develops
- Listening and following instructions
- Confidence speaking within a group
- A clear safety and learning mindset
02Warm-Up & Stretch
8 minutes+Open details
Warm-Up & Stretch
8 minutesWhat children do
- Yoga poses
- Flexing and stretching
- Sprinting and a variety of jumps
- Galloping, jumping and skipping
- Playful movement such as Monkey Jumps and Donkey Kicks
What it develops
- Develops locomotor, gymnastics and motor-coordination skills
- Improves flexibility and circulation while helping reduce injury risk
- Practises listening, cooperation and positive social participation
03Group Activity
10 minutes+Open details
Group Activity
10 minutesWhat children do
- Parachute
- Rhythm sticks
- Stretch rope
- Scarves
- Air mat
- Hoops
- Bean bags
- Jump rope
What it develops
- Cooperation and increasingly mature social skills
- Movement development with varied equipment and music
- Listening, timing and rhythm
04Gymnastics — 3 Stations
30 minutes+Open details
Gymnastics — 3 Stations
30 minutesWhat children do
- Bars — Pull Over, Back Hip Circle and progressive hanging skills
- Beam and floor — Cartwheel, Forward Roll and balance progressions
- Rings — L-shape, Straddle and strength positions
- Vault — Direct Vault, Handspring preparation and safe landings
What it develops
- Builds a broad foundation of gymnastics skills
- Develops courage and confidence through achievable challenges
- Encourages children to think, solve problems and say, “I can do it myself”
- Strengthens the whole body with careful progressions
05Game
10 minutes+Open details
Game
10 minutesWhat children do
- Apply recently learned gymnastics skills inside team and movement games
What it develops
- Makes practice fun and gives children a positive way to relax
- Teaches rules, turn-taking, sportsmanship and etiquette
- Practises winning, losing, forgiving and playing socially
- Develops judgement, quick reactions, problem solving and sequencing
06Closing
Part of this phase+Open details
Closing
Part of this phaseWhat children do
- Recognise effort, teamwork and personal progress
What it develops
- Helps children name success without comparing themselves with others
Designed for lasting participation
Why this format works so well
The older-child decks explain why gymnastics at The Little Gym is an unusually versatile foundation for an active childhood.
Easy to join — children only need comfortable clothing, not special equipment
A comfortable indoor, air-conditioned environment away from heat and PM2.5
A non-contact activity with carefully managed progressions
Non-competitive — progress is measured against each child’s own starting point
Never repetitive — more than 30 gymnastics skills, 20+ pieces of equipment and a new weekly focus
Exercise and games combine to make movement joyful and relieve stress
Challenges develop confidence, patience, discipline and the satisfaction of success
Gymnastics creates a transferable foundation for sports, dance and ballet
The original Bangkok program deck
See the complete class presentation
Move through the original slides to understand the developmental focus, weekly structure and activities parents and children experience during a normal class.
Use the arrows, thumbnails, or your keyboard to move through the deck.The slides are presented in their original form. Use the page language switch for the bilingual guide around them.
Age-right development
Milestones we support
Development is individual and rarely linear. These are common signs of growing confidence, not a checklist or promise.
Milestones we support
- ✓Following a multi-step circuit
- ✓Holding stronger body shapes
- ✓Connecting two or more skills
- ✓Using feedback on a second attempt
- ✓Encouraging a classmate and respecting turns
Skills children explore
- ✓Handstand and cartwheel progressions
- ✓Beam walks, turns and balances
- ✓Bar supports, swings and pullovers
- ✓Vault approach and safe landing
- ✓Floor combinations
What parents may notice
- ✓More focus on the details of a movement
- ✓Greater patience with practice
- ✓Pride in improvement rather than comparison
- ✓Kinder, more confident teamwork
See Serious Fun
See Good Friends building skills together
A real Bangkok class clip gives you a feel for the pace, coaching and joyful atmosphere.
View class presentationBefore your first visit
Questions parents often ask
Is Good Friends a beginner class?+
It can welcome beginners and returning gymnasts. Coaches choose progressions based on each child’s control and confidence.
How do children progress without competition?+
They work toward personal technique goals, receive specific feedback and see their own skills become stronger over time.
When should a child move to Flips?+
Age, focus, body control and readiness for longer skill work all matter. Your instructor will recommend the right transition.
This guide preserves and expands the original The Little Gym Bangkok program presentation. View class presentation →
The journey continues
Explore all seven classes
Ready to see the right class?
Try it with a coach who understands this stage.
Tell us your child’s age and preferred branch. Our team will help you choose a comfortable place to begin.