GET UP AND MOVE SOMETHING~!

Cathy Twenhafel, owner of Tumbletown Express, held Alex Bess up to the bar as other children waited their turn, from left, Jacie McCullough, Kami Beckett, Bryce Bigham and Colton Ellis.

Chleo LeGrand swung to the next rung aboard the Tumbletown Express.

Remember the last time you did a forward roll?

Maybe not, but in a pinch you probably could do it with little effort.

That's because most adults and older children have well-developed motor skills and hand-eye coordination. However, the ability to do a forward roll is a major accomplishment for those in the 2- to 5-year old age group.

At those ages, children are only just beginning to develop the hand-to-eye-coordination, concentration and physical strength they will need to perform a myriad of tasks -- including the forward roll -- for the rest of their lives.

"I've had teachers tell me they can tell the kids that go on my bus," said Cathy Twenhafel, owner of the Tumbletown Express.

Twenhafel, a gymnastics instructor, has a mobile mini-gym that she takes to day care centers in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois weekly to teach skills that enhance fine- and gross-motor skill development.

The skills children gain also teach them to enjoy physical activity at an early age and help them develop good self-esteem, she said.

"Gymnastic skills are great for motor skills, strength, flexibility -- a lot of different skills," said Twenhafel. "They're not going to be awesome gymnasts in this age group, but the awareness, the stretching, are things they can use to know their bodies and know what they're capable of doing."

There are a variety of skill-building activities to choose from in the region. Jennifer Pehle, director of Just Kids child care center, said she offers a variety of fitness alternatives on a rotating basis to students.

Currently, the Tumbletown bus visits the center weekly, but children also have participated in the Kids Bee Fit and Music And More programs. It benefits child care providers to host the activities because they help children and parents, she said.

"Parents look for activities that develop the children's skills," said Pehle. "By our providing activities during the day, it takes some of the stress from parents to try and get the kids to nighttime activities."

Leslie Martin, director of A Small World Pre-School in Cape Girardeau, said it is child care providers must create opportunities to get children moving. Daily physical activity is essential to personal development and physical strength, she said.

"I don't think children today get enough physical activity," said Martin. "Kids need to be moving."

Martin's preschoolers may participate in weekly Tumbletown visits or use similar equipment kept at the facility. By walking on balance beams or stretching in front of mirrors on child-size dance bars, they can become more coordinated and develop skills they will later use to develop intellectually, she said.

"They're going to be sitting when they go to elementary school, so they need to be moving now," Martin said. "The more they do, the more developed they become."