Gymboree: Getting down on your limbs to play with your child

Gymboree instructor talks about the importance of parent-child relationship.

“It’s about strengthening the bond between parents and their children,” said Cybil Chowdhry, Gymboree instructor and model. “We make the parents get down on all their four (limbs) and play games with their children.”

Chowdhry, who took extensive teacher training last year from Gymboree, the world leader in early childhood development, opened up a franchise in Lahore this year bringing home a new concept of summer schools where parents are also encouraged to participate along with their children.

“Our programmes include activities that most parents normally would not participate in. But after a few sessions, they get comfortable with it,” she said while speaking at The Morning Show with Huma Amir Shah on Express 24/7. Gymboree’s website itself points out:

“We believe that children develop at their own pace, through physical, mental and creative activities, with the involvement and support of parents and caregivers. Parents therefore need to stay within arms reach of their child at all times.”

Speaking about the teacher training program at Gymboree, Chowdhry said, “We train teachers on how to communicate with a child as many of them do not themselves have any children and thus, do not know how to interact with them,” she said. “We also teach them how to ask open-ended questions from children.”

Gymboree emphasises on the idea of ‘learning with fun’, she added, children and parents both will learn something with our programmes, even if they’re just playing in the sand.