Flips & Giggles Gymnastics

This is a great gymnastics program. After several years of lessons at the YMCA, my daughter decided that she wanted to learn gymnastics without the pressure of «making the competition team.» I erroneously assumed that Flips and Giggles was a «mommy and me class» gym for babies and toddlers, but they have classes for all ages and levels, up to around 11 or 12. There is even a class for children with disabilities. It is a smaller gym housed inside a garage-​style complex, but don’t let the appearance fool you. Josie, her husband and her dedicated staff are all awesome instructors, full of praise and encouragement and lots of humor. My daughter has been there for over a year now and her skills have improved drastically (they give lots of individualized attention) as has her self-​confidence. Highly recommended!

We’ve sent our 3 kids to Flips and Giggles off and on over 3+ years.
Miss Josie, the owner (and teacher for nearly every class), is a brilliant instructor, a champion gymnast, and has a gift with children. She creates a phenomenal learning environment for kids. We’ve sent our three kids here over several years now, and they all thrive.
Miss Josie knows her gymnastics (a collegiate champion on the bars). More importantly, she trained in special-​needs education at Tufts (masters degree) and teaches PE in Medford public schools — experience which combines with her natural talents with children to create a wholesome learning environment. She gets the smallest kids out on the floor learning the skills right from the start. Our kids were always reluctant to join a group at a young age, but she made them feel comfortable. Our 6 year old son has made amazing progress in gymnastics and feels great about himself, too!
On the skills side, she’s had many kids move on to competition gyms, and always hears from their new coaches that their basic skills are simply outstanding. (Classic errors like throwing your head back before a back tuck never appear in her students because of her unique pedagogy.) She’s developed her own curriculum that has even tiny kids learning perfect body placement without realizing it (you’ve got to hear her little songs!); before you know it they’re doing cartwheels, roundoffs, and then handsprings with perfect form. To me, this is a shot in the arm to traditional gyms that think you have to be harsh with the kids to get them to perform well. She’s gentle and welcoming, but kids leave her gym with precise form and excellent foundational skills. Of course, plenty of kids just come for a year or so, build an athletic foundation, and then move on to other sports. It’s a great place for that, too.
Pricing is very fair, and she’ll often give an «early bird» discount for paying a week before a session starts. Unlike most gyms that require a semester or year commitment in advance, Flips ans Giggles runs in 9 – 10 weeks sessions that you can join or leave at any time.
This place is a hidden gem. Don’t be put off by the «warehouse» location. Once you’re inside, you’ll find a classy, brightly colored gymnastics studio with one of the best instructors I’ve ever seen.
I can’t say it enough — Miss Josie has a gift.