FOR pre-schoolers 4 years old
Sun Bears
This is the year skills get sharp.
At four, the body is ready to start learning. Not just moving — but actually acquiring skills that require repetition, attention, and the ability to receive and apply coaching. This is the year that separates a child who has been to a gym from a child who has been trained.
The Sunbears program introduces structured gymnastics skill development for the first time in the Jumpstart ladder. Classes build on the foundational movement patterns from earlier bands and begin progressive work on cartwheels, jumps with shapes, beam sequences, floor routines, and bar introduction. Each skill is broken into teachable components, so children experience genuine mastery — not just participation.
There is also significant work happening socially. Four-year-olds are learning to be coached: to watch, to listen, to try again. To cheer for a friend. To manage the gap between what they want to do and what they can currently do. These are not soft skills. They are the architecture of a growth mindset, and the gym is one of the best places to build them.
The stage
Four-year-olds are builders. Give them a skill in pieces and they will assemble it — as long as someone shows them the pieces in the right order. Sunbears is where the broad movements of Bunnies get refined into technique: rolls get straighter, beam work gets bolder, bar work gets stronger, and single skills start linking into sequences.
Stage
4 Years Old
Format
Independent
Duration
60 Minutes
Four-year olds are builders. Give them a skill in pieces and they will assemble it - as long as someone shows them the pieces in the right order. Sun Bears is where the broad movements of Bunnies get refined into technique, rolls get straighter, beam work gets bolder, bar work gets stronger, and single skills start linking into sequences.
The stage
Stage
4 Years
Format
Independent
Duration
60 Minutes
In class, your baby will
01
Tumbling: Forward & Backward Rolls
Refine forward rolls and learn backward rolls. These core tumbling skills build strength, coordination and confidence for more complex gymnastics later.
02
Beam Paths & Precision
Take on higher and narrower beam work: walks, turns and gentle challenges. Each new path teaches them to focus, place their feet carefully and trust their own balance.
03
Bar Strength & Skills
Build serious bar strength: hangs, swings, pullovers and supports. These bar basics develop upper body power and body awareness in a safe, supported way.
04
Powerful Jumps & Springs
Develop spring skills: hurdle steps, stronger take-offs and controlled landings. This powerful leg work sets the stage for cartwheels, vaulting and bigger jumps.
05
Linking Skills into Sequences
Link skills into short sequences — roll into a jump, balance into a turn. Putting moves together helps them remember patterns and feel proud of full routines.
06
Group Focus & Performance Skills
Handle longer instructions, station rotations, and simple performance moments. These group skills build focus, patience and the confidence to try in front of others.
What’s building underneath
Sequencing is the quiet superpower of this year. Holding a three-part instruction in your head and executing it in order is working memory in action — the same faculty your child will lean on for reading, maths and everything school demands. Meanwhile the body is in its prime coordination-building window: strength, flexibility and control developed now are developed at the lowest cost they will ever be.
By the time they move up to Eagles, most Sunbears can
01
Perform forward and backward rolls with control
02
Complete a full beam sequence — mount, traverse, balance, dismount
03
Pull over the bar with light support
04
Execute a shaped jump from the springboard with a stuck landing
05
Link three or more skills into a continuous sequence
06
Persist with a skill across multiple weeks until they get it
05
Link three or more skills into a continuous sequence
04
Execute a shaped jump from the springboard with a stuck landing
03
Pull over the bar with light support
02
Complete a full beam sequence - mount, traverse, balance, dismount
01
Perform forward and backward rolls with control
06
Persist with a skill across multiple weeks until they get it
Your role
Watch the details change. This year isn't about brand-new tricks every week — it's about the same skills done visibly better. The difference between a Sunbear in September and a Sunbear in June is the most satisfying thing you'll see from the parents' area.