“First Educate the child”
Joseph Pilates was very straightforward in his vision to teach Contrology to youth.
“In childhood, habits are easily formed – good and bad. Why not then concentrate on the formation of only good habits and thus avoid the necessity later on in life of attempting to correct bad habits and substituting them for good habits”
Until recently Pilates classes were geared mostly towards adult population but the focus has started shifting in the last couple of years. More and more teachers recognize the need to teach Pilates to children but they are not prepared to do so. Most Pilates teacher training schools don’t prepare their graduates for work with this fun and yet very demanding group of students.
Is it time to change something?
Celeste Corey-Zopich and Brett Howard, both former members of the Pilates Method Alliance’s Pilates 4 Youth committee, have recognized the need to provide quality education resources for the Pilates teachers interested in bringing Pilates to children. Celeste and Brett participated with Dawn-Marie Ickes in co-authoring Pilates for Children and Adolescents: Manual of Guidelines and Curriculum. The book was published by the Pilates Method Alliance and released in 2014.
However the book (though an excellent resource for any Pilates teacher!) can’t answer all the questions of teaching and marketing Pilates to children. The next step was the creation of the Pilates Youth Organization – a training and educational resource.
What are some of the biggest questions of teaching Pilates to children? We’ll cover most of them in this interview and here is a quick glimpse at what we’ll be talking about:
- What is the best age to introduce Pilates to children and why?
- What are the goals of a Pilates workout for children?
- How can you instill discipline during a class?
- What exercise is most loved by children?
- What classical Pilates exercises do you recommend to avoid for children and why?
- When is the best time to introduce children to apparatus?
- What props do the children like the most?
- How to set up a successful pricing strategy for Pilates Youth classes?
- The best ways to market Pilates lessons to children and their parents.
- What kind of training and certification does the Pilates Youth Organization provide at this moment? What are the prerequisites and test-out requirements?
Resources:
- The Pilates Youth Organization
- Pilates for Children and Adolescents: Manual of Guidelines and Curriculum (aff link)
- The Pilates for Youth Certificate Course
would like to sign up for this certifcation training
Hi Vicki,
Thank you for your interest. We will be posting an on-line registration form next week. In the meantime, can you email Brett and I at [email protected] so we can put your information down?
Sincerely,
Celeste Corey-Zopich
Hi Vicki,
We currently have an early registration special going on for the course. If you are interested in the 10% discount, it will be on sale through February 9th. You can email us at the company [email protected] with your phone number and we can call you to discuss the registration.
Sincerely,
Celeste Corey-Zopich
Celeste, I participated last year in the Berkley sessions conducted ny you, Brett and Dawn. How is this different
Jim Smith
Hi Jim,
I remember you and it was great having you on the course! This is different in that it is 21 hours. There is more time to go deeply into each age grouping and more time for labs. We will discuss apparatus for relevant ages and populations. We also will have more on wellness, nutrition, meditation/mindfulness, self management, and leadership skills.
Best Regards,
Celeste
Do you plan to bring this training to Southern California in the near future? I have your wonderful book, and am starting a local youth Pilates program. I would love to participate in the training!
Thank you.
Hi Dena,
Thank you for your inquiry and please forgive my lag time in replying. Brett and I teach the full Certificate Course throughout the U.S. and Internationally. We do intend to be in California. Often, folks who are interested in the training, work to get a starter group together and a host site and then we assist in further promoting the event at the site through our mailing lists and contacts. Please contact us at [email protected] and we can further discuss.
Sincerely,
Celeste