Healthy children are happy children, so keep yours active with these Abu Dhabi kids’ fitness classes.
Good habits start early. Teaching children to be healthy and active is important – particularly in the UAE, where instances of obesity and diabetes are on the rise. While involvement in sports programmes is an excellent way for kids to keep moving, the summer months tend to put an end to outdoor options. So how do you keep your kiddies active while the heat is on? TOAD has rounded up the best indoor fitness classes to keep your munchkins moving.
The Room
The Room is a relatively new operation in Zayed Sports City. It specialises in spinning and yoga, but also offers several classes designed for children as well as programmes for mothers and children together. It has a child-friendly, welcoming atmosphere: infants and teenagers alike wander around the cosy living room area and people coo over and play with other clients’ kids. The classes include martial arts and Zumba, as well as more unusual offerings such as street dance, which combines jazz, funk and hip hop dancing. Director Julie De Geest says, ‘Street dance is very popular with kids, they always love it. They learn dances to their favourite songs.’ Kids’ classes at The Room start at Dhs45.
Zayed Sports City, www.theroom.ae (056 331 0310).
Abu Dhabi Country Club
The Abu Dhabi Country club has long had fitness programmes for children. Its mums’ and kids’ Zumba class is one of the more popular children’s classes in the city. The class was designed so busy mothers could fit in their workout while spending time with their children. Girls aged three and up are welcome as well as boys aged three to 10. Mums’ and kids’ Zumba costs Dhs50 per person. In addition to the Zumba class, the Abu Dhabi Country Club also has sports school, a curriculum of classes for children that includes martial arts, kickboxing, dance and circuit classes. Sports school classes cost from Dhs220 for four sessions.
Al Mushrif, www.adcountryclub.com (02 657 7777).
My First Gym
This gym is designed specifically for children and toddlers. It opened last year and has been dedicated to family fitness since day one. As you might expect, it offers plenty of indoor fitness fun for children. In addition to offering active play sessions, where kids are encouraged to explore for themselves and bounce around the child-friendly gym (equipped with trampolines, swings, blocks and mats), My First Gym offers structured classes that focus on different skills. Its classes separate students by age and focus on important skills for each developmental stage. For example, its ‘rockers and wigglers’ class and ‘wigglers and gigglers’ class include yoga, tumbling and balancing activities for children aged from six months to two years. These activities are designed to develop ‘gross motor skills’, the basic movement abilities learned in infancy. My First Gym also offers kids’ classes in the Brazilian martial art capoeira. Kids can try their first class for free. Packages cost Dhs400 for four weeks and include one class per week and one active play session per week.
Delma Street, Al Mamoura, www.myfirstgymuae.com (02 444 3560).
Bodytree Studio
To call Bodytree Studio a fitness centre would be misleading. The Abu Dhabi establishment has developed into a fully-fledged community wellness centre. Its commitment to health, happiness and family is clear, and it’s no surprise that it offers an array of classes for kids, most of which are dance-based: ballet, Zumba, funk and creative movement, a dance class designed for three- to four-year-olds. Prices start from Dhs40 per class.
Al Khalidiyah, corner of 26th and 11th Streets, www.bodytreestudio.com (02 443 4448).
