ICE Trampoline is a competitive and recreational club who have New Zealand team coaches and international judges who compliment the largest number of international athletes from any one gymnastics club in New Zealand.

After partnering with a qualified physio who specialises in sensory movement along with funding from Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa, ICE Trampoline have undertaken the goal of providing a range of movement-based programmes for tamariki and rangatahi.

These programmes are specifically targeted at improving the physical, social, and emotional skills of the participants through the means of trampoline and gymnastics. The team hope these programmes will help develop participants’ confidence and keep them active and healthy throughout their lives.

Feedback gathered from the community, along with a hugely positive response to their open day, highlighted the need for sensory training and movement-based programmes. This need was echoed by specific feedback from families stating the need for individualised services to be available to participants to address not just physical disabilities but wider issues such as confidence, anxiety, and social interactions.

Following this, the team at ICE Trampoline began work with full support and backing from the Halberg Foundation and Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa, to develop these programmes further. They soon adapted their facility with specialised equipment available to cater for participants with a range of specific needs.

The Jump Smart programme’s key focus is on fun and participation through physical activity with the goal to develop participants’ fitness and physical skills. Through funding from Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa the Jump Smart programme has currently delivered 111 sessions to a total of 14 participants.

All these participants have some aspect of disability or learning and sensory needs, some formally diagnosed and others not at all. So far, the programme has seen participants with cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism, visual impairment, global developmental delay, as well as participants with dyslexia, dyspraxia, poor emotional regulation, and anxiety. The ages of participants have ranged from four years through to 24 with a mix of genders.

ICE Trampoline has received a vast amount of positive feedback about their Jump Smart gymnastics programme from both participants and parents.

One mother commented on the programme saying, “My son absolutely loves going to Jump Smart, where he can be free to explore and play with no judgement.”
 

Her son has ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and SPD (sensory processing disorder) due to this, he has low muscle tone and a lack of spatial awareness.

She continues on to say, “Jump Smart is great for him to experiment with space, the equipment and making choices. He doesn’t want to leave when his time is up,”

She is so pleased to have found a programme for her child, that meets his needs, “It is amazing!”

Many parents agreed that they have seen improvement in emotional and sensory regulation development in their child. They believe this is due to the specific movement and activities designed to support their child’s bodies and ability to process information. The increase in confidence and self esteem through the programme is also evident.

Nine-year-old George sums up the success of the programme well, saying, “It’s good for my anger management.”

While another participant, Arthur adds, “It’s good for my coordination and focus.”

Due to funding from Tū Manawa, ICE Trampoline has been able to provide training to several organisations and as the programmes develop further, the team will look to work with and support schools to also run these programmes independently.

One team member, who helps to deliver these programmes states that, "We see a magic moment happen at every session."

It's about, "Seeing the smile of a child really enjoying an activity, giving them the ability to walk along a beam that was previously too hard."

The trainers love the big smiles and hugs they receive at the start of a session, with the knowledge that the participant wants to come back the following week. Hearing that a child is sleeping better, managing school better and forming new friendships the trainers say, makes the programmes so worth it. It is these moments, they state, that make the programme so much more rewarding.

Finally, the trainers believe that the programme not only benefits the children through getting active and creating a safe space to build relationships with others, but it also provides an enviroment for parents to come together and support each other as well.

Read more Tū Manawa case studies here