Learn as you play, the Amanda way!
The biggest wish I have for all young children is to become an active child, because this gives them the best chance to become an active adult!
I believe that by encouraging children to move from an early age, they may well become our stars of the future, one day.
I thoroughly enjoy watching children develop in confidence each week through attending my weekly classes. I want to leave a legacy teaching pre-school children how to be healthy and active!
Now that you know what my biggest motivation is, I am chuffed and profoundly grateful that Sarah, mum to wonderful little Christopher, is happy to share with you why her son wants to come to my classes, every single week of the year and what this has meant for him and his mum. Christopher was about eighteen months when he first joined my class, and he’s been coming every week, up until now. He’s three-and-a-half years old and loves to dance, sing and join in with all the other children. Here’s what his mum Sarah wants to share with you.
What was your first impression when Christopher joined?
The reason I picked Amanda’s class initially is that she ran throughout all of the holidays. Her classes are not stopping and starting, it’s continuous and I enjoy that it’s always there for him to go to. We were also pleasantly surprised that her classes cater for mixed ages. She has babies from as young as four months joining in with up to three-year-olds, which is great, as the younger ones are learning through watching the older ones. Christopher loves the class, Amanda is very interactive, she uses a great variety of activities. Everything is very short, so a song might last for one or two minutes. And then they tidy up. They tidy up after every activity, you see, and Amanda has a special song for that. This way, Christopher and the other children have always got that sense of what’s coming next. They love that!
What I really like about Amanda is that she isn’t just running her programme, she is connecting with the children who are there. And this varies from class to class.
What developments have you noticed in Christopher?
Christopher has learnt a lot. For example, the pincer grip to develop his handwriting skills, using the koosh ball. He also loves using the Happy Clappers, which has taught him to count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and then give me a big high five. After marching with the drums, Amanda sits down with them, and they all tap the drum up to 10 or 20 times, depending on the ages of the children in the class. What’s brilliant, is that it all fits in with the EYFS, and that most of Amanda’s songs incorporate counting, colours, shapes etcetera, learning as they play.
What do you notice about Christopher at home, from going to these classes?
Well. Christopher knows the tidy up song, and he’s learned from Amanda how to put the toys back after an activity. I found this really good, because even at home I can say to Christopher “Right, we need to tidy up in your bedroom, cause we’ve got all these things out” so, at first might he be a little uncooperative, but then we sing the tidy up song and he’ll start clearing up with a smile on his face.
Do you drop Christopher off or do you participate?
I always stay there with Christopher, just like all parents and carers do. Amanda knows that children dance better when adults dance with them. Christopher will often say “Come on, Mummy. Mummy, join me”. It’s leading by example, really.
Another thing I love from participating is that Amanda always adapts her class depending on the audience. That’s very important to me as a mum. She’ll pick the songs that suit the younger ones, and then uses more grown-up songs for the older children. This makes it so personal.
Christopher likes it so much that we actually work our timetable around the Action Amanda Classes… we even changed round his nursery days to ensure Christopher could go. It is that important to him, and to us. These classes aren’t something we want to miss – not even one class, because Christopher just loves going, he would be really upset if he couldn’t go.
Did you ever try other classes?
Yes, I did… I went to two different classes, actually, one of which was a music class which I felt Christopher would love, but there wasn’t that interaction. They just went in, ran the class, and they didn’t involve the children in the same way or to the same extent. And it didn’t seem to make any difference if there were 10 or 20 children, they were just doing the class, running their programme. I just left, thinking, oh my goodness, there is no-one like Action Amanda.
What would you say to other mums looking for a class?
I would recommend other mums trying Action Amanda’s class: it’s dynamic, educational, and interactive, there’s lots of dancing, the children have fun and Amanda is amazing. My son is always happy to be there. Amanda is so genuinely herself, and she loves what she does. It’s not a job to her, it’s a passion and this is reflected in everything during the classes. She goes in, full of enthusiasm, positive energy and she is in total connection with the children.
Needless to say that I am thrilled with Sarah’s testimonial. Naturally, I very much appreciate the warm recommendation about me and my classes, yet what really warms my heart is what one simple class a week can mean in these children’s lives for the long term.
