Little Gym opening in Waxahachie

The Little Gym, a gymnastics-based company for children 4 months to 12 years old, will soon open in Waxahachie.

Located at 1107 Ferris Ave., Suite 100, the space includes a multipurpose room for birthday parties and a gym with a balancing beam, mats, bars and more. It will offer a variety of classes with a three-dimensional learning approach – physical, cognitive and social – aimed at growing the whole child.

Each class is 45 minutes to an hour long. The gym is enclosed with glass walls, allowing parents to sit and watch their child’s class in the waiting area on a bench or chair. Parents can also join their younger children in select parent and child classes. The Little Gym will not hold open gym hours, but free intro classes are offered for parents and children to test out their curriculum and see if it is a good fit.

Classes hold 18 children each, with some of them already at capacity, owner Cody Herndon said. On Saturday, Jan. 7, The Little Gym hosted an open house, and classes begin Monday, Jan. 9.

Because The Little Gym is focused on helping children develop cognitively and socially, the curriculum includes activities one might see in a PE class along with learning gymnastics skills. The curriculum, depending on the child’s age, could include singing, clapping, throwing footballs through hula hoops, kicking soccer balls and more.

Herndon said The Little Gym fills the gap in gymnastics, not only for younger children but for older children too. Herndon’s son began gymnastics when he was 4 years old. As he got older, he was pushed to compete and began having three-hour practices four days a week.

“It’s very rigid, and he began to not have fun anymore and wanted to quit,” Herndon said. “I think we’ll have a home here for those kiddos who really like to do gymnastics and want to continue to have fun with it but don’t want to compete. It will be a safe space for the older kids that still want to come and have a good time.”

Herndon said they hire people with a gymnastics background and train them in The Little Gym curriculum, which has been finetuned for more than 45 years since the opening of its first location in Bellevue, Washington.

“We have a very rigid training program that we’ve all spent months going through,” he said. “We may not be your traditional gymnastics coach, but we’re fully stocked and ready to go in terms of our coaching and the ability to be able to lead these kids.”

Herndon also owns Urban Air and Fat Tuesday in Waxahachie and is passionate about franchising. The decision to bring The Little Gym to Waxahachie stems from his love for his hometown and for youth enrichment.

“The passion for me is seeing a smile on a little kid’s face and know that in our business, we’re giving them some type of skill set that will make them better in the future,” he said. “We’re excited to be here and serve the youth of our community.”

To learn more about The Little Gym, visit https://www.thelittlegym.com/WaxahachieTX.

Originally published January 8, 2023 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/business/little-gym-opening-in-waxahachie/article_f35d4052-8fcf-11ed-aa07-ab7296804b90.html