Stretch-n-Grow Altrincham began in 2008 and Stretch-n-Grow Sale began in January 2009, and I am very proud to say that many many nurseries who started with us in the first few months are still Stretching and Growing every week!
I first heard about Stretch-n-Grow from my then three-year-old son. He came home from nursery one day enthusing about a new exercise class he had taken part in where he had balanced a bean bag on his head, done a lot of jumping and learnt the names for his muscles. “It’s brilliant Mummy!” So I had to find out more!
When I purchased my first franchise, he and his sister became fully-fledged Stretch-n-Grow Stars and have helped me over the years in practicing and giving me feedback about any new routines!
In Stretch-n-Grow Altrincham and Sale we have a team of four (soon to be five) and we teach over 1,000 children a week that exercise is fun and that healthy food gives us energy. So we are busy keeping 2,000 little legs jumping and 1,000 little hearts beating fast.
The team in Altrincham & Sale
Through our Stretch-n-Grow lessons we learn that exercise is fun, but we also learn about our bodies, healthy food and many other health-related issues. One of our objectives is to build self-confidence in the children and we get lots of opportunities to praise them as our routines focus on developing their motor skills, balance, flexibility, strength and coordination.
We love working with young children as they are so enthusiastic and learn so much in a short period of time. Movement is so fundamental in the first five years of a child’s life; so although we have loads of fun in our classes, we also feel we have an important role to play with providing crucial opportunities for their development.
We definitely have a shared team objective of healthy happy children and feel like we have one of the best jobs in the world!
Wrigglers
Wrigglers (under 2’s)
We teach babies the joy of movement and love seeing them grow and develop week by week.
Stretch-n-Grow Wrigglers is a brilliant introduction to exercise and the children grow in confidence as well as skills.
“The babies get so excited when they know it is Stretch-n-Grow time. They can’t wait to get started” – Nursery Nurse
“I can’t believe how much they concentrate” – Parent observer.
Wobblers
Wobblers (2-3’s)
Our wobblers are always raring to go and are unbelievable with what they learn about their bodies at this young age. They love our colourful props and fun themes such as “at the farm”, “dinosaur adventure” and “under the sea”.
“The children ask if it’s Stretch-n-Grow day all week” – Nursery Nurse
“My two year old gets all the family exercising at home now he goes to Stretch-n-Grow” – Parent
Pre School programme.
Preschool (3-4)
Our 3+ children love a challenge and at this age we are making sure they are confident with their fundamental motor skills, so that they enjoy PE when they move onto school. The emphasis is still on fun and we use a lot of imagination with a totally new adventure every month.
“My son has grown in confidence in all aspects of his life since starting Stretch-n-Grow” – parent
Schools
We now teach in several schools in the area and have received fantastic feedback. Schools really love how we cover many important areas of the EYFS and focus on ensuring all their children grow their physical skills in a fun way that appeals to their age group. We have been with some of our schools for several years now.
Schools Programme.
Our class was recently part of an Ofsted “Sports Premium” inspection and when I met with the inspector afterwards he couldn’t praise our programme enough for being engaging for younger children and keeping the children moving whilst also focussing on key physical development areas.
In Stretch-n-Grow Altrincham & Sale, we work hard to build a good relationship with the school or nursery and to provide information to ensure they are getting the most out of the programme.
We provide curriculums in advance which show the topics we plan cover in our routines and discussions and also the focus areas for the EYFS for the months ahead.
Each month we also provide a detailed overview for staff of routines that month in terms of which physical skills we are focussing on – e.g. locomotor skills or balance, fine motor skills or cardio. Also which muscles we are focussing on strengthening.
We provide monthly newsletters with tips for parents.
We offer a free workshop for staff and parents around Physical Development in Young Children. 
Finally, we help out at Parents Evenings, Open Days and Sports Days.
If you are a nursery manager or teacher and would like to discuss a free demo class, a parent wanting to know more about what your child gets up to in our classes, or you are interested in joining our happy and successful team, please contact us.
Building Happy Healthy Hearts
