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TRAINING EBOOKS & VIDEOS
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TRAIN AT YOUR OWN TIME
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RESISTANCE TRAINING
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FEATURED CLASSES
BIKRAM YOGA
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HIIT MAX
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STRENGTH BOOTCAMP
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MEET THE OWNER
CECILIA NEWVILLE
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© Copyright 2025 StoryGymnastics
StoryGymnastics: Once Upon a Flip
Certified Trainer by the International Health and Fitness Committee
Cecilia is a huge inspiration for us trainers. She constantly pushes us to work hard for ourselves and our clients. Lorem ipsum sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor.
- Denise Porta, Certified Trainer at Fitspo
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Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) was first defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), which focuses on five core competencies:
Self-awareness
Recognizing one’s own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses
Social awareness
The ability to take others’ perspectives
Responsible decision-making
Using social norms and ethical standards to make positive choices (CASEL, 2005, 2012, 2017)
Self-management
managing emotions in different situations
Relationship skills
creating and maintaining healthy relationships through clear communication and collaboration
By mastering these skills, children can take responsibility for their actions, show care and concern for others, and effectively manage their emotions (Bear & Watkins, 2006).
Therefore, gymnastics classes can be a powerful platform for children to develop their SEL competencies alongside their physical abilities.
- Bear, G. G., & Watkins, J. M. (2006). Developing self-discipline. In G. G. Bear & K. M. Minke (Eds.), Children’s needs III: Development, prevention, and intervention (pp. 29–44). National Association of School Psychologists.
- Carol M. Ciotto & Amy G. Gagnon (2018) Promoting Social and Emotional Learning in Physical Education, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 89:4, 27-33, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2018.1430625
- Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2005). Safe and sound: An educational leader’s guide to evidence-based social and emotional learning programs – Illinois edition. Author.
- Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2012). 2013 CASEL guide: Effective social and emotional learning programs (Preschool and elementary school edition). Author.
- Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2017). Core SEL competencies. http://www.casel.org/core-competencies/.
- Damon E. Jones, Mark Greenberg, and Max Crowley, “Early Social-Emotional Functioning and Public Health: The Relationship Between Kindergarten Social Competence and Future Wellness,” American Journal of Public Health 105 (2015): 2283–90, doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302630.
- Hromek, R., & Roffey, S. (2009). Promoting Social and Emotional Learning With Games: “It’s Fun and We Learn Things”. Simulation & Gaming, 40(5), 626-644. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878109333793 (Original work published 2009)
- Jones, S.M., & Doolittle, E.J. (2017). Social and Emotional Learning: Introducing the Issue. The Future of Children 27(1), 3-11. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/foc.2017.0000.
- Jones, S.M., Barnes, S.P., Bailey, R., & Doolittle, E.J. (2017). Promoting Social and Emotional Competencies in Elementary School. The Future of Children 27(1), 49-72. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/foc.2017.0003.
- Neil Humphrey et al., “Measures of Social and Emotional Skills for Children and Young People: A Systematic Review,” Educational and Psychological Measurement 71 (2011): 617–37, doi: 10.1177/0013164410382896.
- Paley, V. G. (2004). A child’s work: The importance of fantasy play. University of Chicago Press.
- Terrie E. Moffitt et al., “A Gradient of Childhood Self-Control Predicts Health, Wealth, and Public Safety,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (2011): 2693–98, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1010076108;
- Walter Mischel, Yuichi Shoda, and Monica L. Rodriguez, “Delay of Gratification in Children,” Science 244, no. 4907 (1989): 933–8, doi: 10.1126/science.2658056;
- Weissberg, R. P., Durlak, J. A., Domitrovich, C. E., & Durlak, J. A. (2015). Social and emotional learning: Past, present, and future. In J. A. Durlak, C. E. Domitrovich, R. P. Weissberg, & T. P. Gullotta (Eds.), Handbook of social and emotional learning: Research and practice. (pp. 3–19). New York, NY: Guilford.
In my years working with young children, one memorable moment stood out:
During an after-school origami session, a 4-year-old child quietly said, “I made the best origami.” When others proudly presented their own, another child commented, “No, this one is the best.” Without hesitation, the first child calmly responded, “This is the best for me. I like it.” This interaction revealed not only a child’s ability to assess their work but also an essential skill in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): self-awareness and emotional regulation.
What is SEL? And why is it essential in gymnastics classes?
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) was first defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), which focuses on five core competencies:
During an after-school origami session, a 4-year-old child quietly said, “I made the best origami.” When others proudly presented their own, another child commented, “No, this one is the best.” Without hesitation, the first child calmly responded, “This is the best for me. I like it.” This interaction revealed not only a child’s ability to assess their work but also an essential skill in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): self-awareness and emotional regulation.
What is SEL? And why is it essential in gymnastics classes?
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) was first defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), which focuses on five core competencies:
- Self-awareness – recognizing one’s own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses
- Self-management – managing emotions in different situations
- Social awareness – the ability to take others’ perspectives
- Relationship skills – creating and maintaining healthy relationships through clear communication and collaboration
- Responsible decision-making – using social norms and ethical standards to make positive choices
(Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], 2005, 2012, 2017).
According to Humphrey et al. (2011), SEL also includes children’s ability to regulate their emotions and interactions in a way that benefits themselves and others, helping them succeed in school, relationships, and citizenship. By mastering these skills, children can take responsibility for their actions, show care and concern for others, and effectively manage their emotions (Bear & Watkins, 2006). Early childhood is a critical stage for developing skills that shape a person’s life. Its importance is not just immediate; as demonstrated by Mischel, Shoda, and Rodriguez (1989), Moffitt et al. (2011), and Jones, Greenberg, and Crowley (2015), children’s social and emotional skills are directly linked to their life outcomes 20 to 30 years later—including future job and financial security, as well as their physical and mental health. Therefore, gymnastics classes can be a powerful platform for children to develop their SEL competencies alongside their physical abilities.
Background and Inspiration:
Having worked as a gymnastics coach for over a decade, I’ve come to realize that SEL is often overlooked in gymnastics. Many coaches may not be aware of its significance in children’s development, and gymnastics programs, especially those for preschoolers, focus primarily on physical skills. This gap in current practices has motivated me to rethink how we approach teaching gymnastics to young children. As a graduate education student with a passion for working with young individuals, I’ve sensed a strong need to fill this gap in my gymnastics classes.
Inspired by Vivian Gussin Paley and her book (A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play, 2004), I have decided to prioritize children’s social and emotional development. Paley was one of the most influential educators in early childhood education, spending nearly 40 years highlighting the power of storytelling, creativity, and play. Much like her approach, in Story Gymnastics, children learn skills through stories and play. Storytelling and role play enhance children’s creativity, empathy, and social skills. One of my favorite parts of my job is sitting with children and listening to their stories. Children are natural-born storytellers and tend to pick a character, develop a story, and pass it around so that other children can take part in it. They continue to change the story as it fulfills their needs. Through each story, children can foster problem-solving skills, connectedness with others, and empathy. The delivery of SEL skills is also essential for children in an educational environment. Play-based interventions are most effective among preschoolers, as they align with the child’s developmental level (Jones and Doolittle, 2017)
Inspired by Vivian Gussin Paley and her book (A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play, 2004), I have decided to prioritize children’s social and emotional development. Paley was one of the most influential educators in early childhood education, spending nearly 40 years highlighting the power of storytelling, creativity, and play. Much like her approach, in Story Gymnastics, children learn skills through stories and play. Storytelling and role play enhance children’s creativity, empathy, and social skills. One of my favorite parts of my job is sitting with children and listening to their stories. Children are natural-born storytellers and tend to pick a character, develop a story, and pass it around so that other children can take part in it. They continue to change the story as it fulfills their needs. Through each story, children can foster problem-solving skills, connectedness with others, and empathy. The delivery of SEL skills is also essential for children in an educational environment. Play-based interventions are most effective among preschoolers, as they align with the child’s developmental level (Jones and Doolittle, 2017)
Why Story Gymnastics?
In Story Gymnastics, we transform a gymnastics lesson into an adventure. Whether it’s a journey through a jungle, across an ocean, or into a monster zone, children are not only developing motor skills but also building their cognitive, emotional, and social abilities. The environment is dynamic. The gym transforms into different imaginative worlds, and each lesson is delivered through a story and game. One week, the gym might become a jungle where we are adventurers swinging across monkey bars to escape wild animals, crossing rivers, and jumping over obstacles. Each child creates their own character, adding details and personality to it. These stories are meaningful opportunities for children to develop essential social, emotional, and physical skills. Games are fun for children and motivate them, providing a transformative learning environment where they learn through social interaction, connectedness, and collaboration, which encourages children’s social and emotional well-being (Hromek & Roffey, 2009). As Weissberg et al. (2015) explained, promoting children’s social and emotional competencies is most effective when it occurs in a supportive, safe, well-managed learning environment that also nurtures their development and provides opportunities to practice SEL skills.
In Story Gymnastics, we transform a gymnastics lesson into an adventure. Whether it’s a journey through a jungle, across an ocean, or into a monster zone, children are not only developing motor skills but also building their cognitive, emotional, and social abilities. The environment is dynamic. The gym transforms into different imaginative worlds, and each lesson is delivered through a story and game. One week, the gym might become a jungle where we are adventurers swinging across monkey bars to escape wild animals, crossing rivers, and jumping over obstacles. Each child creates their own character, adding details and personality to it. These stories are meaningful opportunities for children to develop essential social, emotional, and physical skills. Games are fun for children and motivate them, providing a transformative learning environment where they learn through social interaction, connectedness, and collaboration, which encourages children’s social and emotional well-being (Hromek & Roffey, 2009). As Weissberg et al. (2015) explained, promoting children’s social and emotional competencies is most effective when it occurs in a supportive, safe, well-managed learning environment that also nurtures their development and provides opportunities to practice SEL skills.
We also train Story Gymnastics coaches to model creativity and social and emotional competence—qualities I believe are just as crucial as physical ability. Teachers with higher social and emotional competencies tend to have more positive interactions with students, which supports their social and emotional development (Jones et al., 2017). Additionally, in Story Gymnastics, there is a feedback system where coaches can reflect on the effectiveness of lessons and make adjustments based on the children’s stories and experiences. The goal is to create a safe learning environment that is both fun and educational, fostering children’s emotional growth and motivating them to learn. According to Ciotto & Gagnon (2018), there is no better place to develop social and emotional skills than in a physical education classroom, where children can challenge their motor skills through game play and have positive interactions with their peers.
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