We’re excited to introduce our special award scheme tailored just for our Under 5’s classes.

Each child receives a coloured card, detailing 12 specific skills to be practised on the floor, vault, bars, and beam. This card serves as their roadmap to mastering foundational gymnastics skills.

What awards do the Under 5’s receive?

Weekly Stickers

While our aim is for each child to earn 1 sticker on their card every week, the focus is not solely on perfecting the skill. It’s more about the joy of trying, gaining confidence, and celebrating small victories.

Completion of Badges & Rewards

Once all 12 stickers adorn the card, your budding gymnast will earn a special badge. They can proudly take home both their filled card and badge as a memento of their achievements.

How do they progress to the next level?

After completing one card, our under 5’s will embark on a new adventure with a fresh coloured card, filled with new challenges to complete.

Our Under 5’s classes are centred more around confidence building, following directions, and exploring the gym space in the company of peers. Rather than striving for perfection at this age, we emphasise the importance of exploration, interaction, and personal growth. Moreover, it provides an excellent opportunity for parents to socialise, fostering a sense of community and offering your little ones a chance to build early friendships. We genuinely believe that this early-stage introduction to gymnastics, paired with a nurturing and social environment, will be a treasured experience for both you and your child.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss the scheme further, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to ensure the best for you and your child. Thank you for being a cherished part of our Affinity Academy community. We anticipate many joyous moments and shared milestones ahead!

Will my child be on the same colour as before – does it match across?

Overall, no and it does not. All colours are in the same order as before. However, as this is a completely new award scheme, the colour your gymnast was previously on will likely change when moving over to the new scheme as our previous award required different criteria across the different colours. All gymnasts are being evaluated by our coaches in class to determine the most suitable starting award. Please don’t worry if your gymnast is now placed on a colour they had previously completed on the old scheme, this does not mean they haven’t improved, we are teaching different skills within the awards. This may also mean they are now on a different award to their friend who used to be the same as them. Some gymnasts excel and struggle in different areas so this will all be taken into consideration when deciding their starting award.

How often will we assess these? Does everyone get an award at the same time?

Gymnasts will be assessed during termly ‘skills weeks’ which will take place across two weeks to ensure gymnasts are given the chance to show their coaches the skills they have been working on.  Coaches will pass skills once they’re completed to a safe and high enough standard to progress to the next skill.

It’s important to note that our new system doesn’t operate on a fixed schedule. Every gymnast’s journey is unique, and we fully appreciate and respect this. As such, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to when an award will be achieved and gymnasts will not all pass at the same time.

When are we getting started?

Our first skills week will take place in November! Each gymnast will receive their card and begin working on getting their skills ticked off.