BabyGym with Lourista - Walvis Bay / Swakopmund

MASTERING MILESTONES
See the comments section below for where this developmental journey started.

LEARNING SHAPES
Shapes are abstract concepts and require repetition and exposure before a toddler can confidently recognise and name them.

Take it slowly — your toddler has several years to learn all the shapes.

Start with the basics. For your toddler, 2-3 years, focus on the circle and the square.

How to support learning:
Use circles that are the same colour but vary in size and thickness.
Encourage your toddler to match shapes and group similar ones together.
Name the shapes regularly during play.
Mix shapes and ask your toddler to find specific ones (e.g. “Find all the red circles”).
Ask your toddler to pass you a shape (e.g. “Please give me the blue circle”).
Show a shape and ask, “What shape is this?”.
Build consistency.
Help your toddler recognise shapes in everyday life — for example, "Ah, look! Our dinner plate looks like a ...? The dog's feeding bowl looks like a ...?)

Would you like to support your baby’s natural brain and body development?

Follow the link below to find a BabyGym Instructor near you:

https://babygym.co.za/

MASTERING MILESTONES
See the comments section below for where this developmental journey started.

LEARNING THE NAMES OF PRIMARY COLOURS

Colours are abstract concepts and require lots of repetition before your toddler can confidently identify them.

How to support colour learning:
• Name colours during everyday activities.
• Match objects of the same colour and shade.
• Ask your toddler to pass you a specific colour (e.g. “Please give me the red block”).

As your toddler’s vocabulary develops, encourage them to name the colour of the object they hand to you.

Remember, receptive language develops before expressive language. Your toddler needs to see and hear colour names many times over several months before they begin to say them independently.

Focus on Primary Colours

Take it slowly — your toddler still has several years to learn all the colours. Start by focusing on the primary colours: red, blue, and yellow.

Only introduce green once your toddler can consistently identify the other three with confidence.

Would you like to support your baby’s natural brain and body development?

Follow the link below to find a BabyGym Instructor near you:

https://babygym.co.za/

MEET OUR TEAM OF BABYGYM INSTRUCTORS

At the heart of BabyGym is our dedicated team of 37 BabyGym Instructors across South Africa and Namibia.

These highly trained professionals bring BabyGym to life every day, translating research and principles into meaningful experiences for babies and their parents.

Since BabyGym was established in 2003, more than 35,000 babies and their parents have experienced BabyGym through the care, expertise, and commitment of our Instructors.

We are deeply grateful that parent testimonials often describe BabyGym as “an overall impactful experience” and “highly recommended.”

All BabyGym Instructors are trained at the BabyGym Training Studio in leafy Linden, Johannesburg, where we invest in developing the knowledge, skill, and heart that make our Instructors such a special and essential part of the BabyGym family.

BabyGym is currently available in:

📍Eastern Cape: East London, Gqeberha

📍Free State: Bethlehem, Bloemfontein, Bothaville, Harrismith, Welkom

📍Gauteng: Blairgowrie, Carletonville, Centurion, Craighall Park, Krugersdorp, Lenasia, Silver Lakes

📍KwaZulu-Natal: Hilton, Ladysmith, Umhlanga

📍Limpopo: Polokwane, Tzaneen

📍Mpumalanga: Ermelo

📍North West: Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom

📍Northern Cape: Douglas, Kimberley, Upington

📍Namibia: Swakopmund, Windhoek, Walvis Bay

📍Western Cape: Bellville, Eversdal, George, Mossel Bay,

And soon in these NEW areas:
• Fairland (Johannesburg)
• Orania, Petrusville, Vanderkloof (Northern Cape)
• Ludwigsdorf (Windhoek).

🌱Find your nearest BabyGym Instructor, here:

https://babygym.co.za/instructor_list/

NEWBORN BRAIN ESSENTIALS - ONLINE WORKSHOP

This latest workshop by BabyGym celebrates the immense importance of pregnancy, birth and the first 6 weeks. This is the most sensitive time to shape a child’s fundamental health and brain development.

During this 4-hour workshop, expectant parents and baby enthusiasts will learn how to make the most of the 5 important Bs in a baby’s life:

• Brain
• Birth
• Bonding
• Breastfeeding and
• Body Development

Other topics include – The microbiome, a sensitive caesarean section, skin-to-skin contact, supporting the premature baby in the NICU, baby massage, an effective decision-making model and so much more!

NATURE OF WORKSHOP
This is an informal and interactive classroom-style workshop. It includes theoretical and practical sessions and welcomes your questions.

YOU WILL RECEIVE
Interactive class notes, a Newborn Brain Essentials book and a certificate of completion.

ACCREDITATION
This workshop is accredited for CPD points by:
• The HPCSA/SAMA for 4 CPD Points
• SAPIK for 6 CPD Points and
• SACE for 5 CPD Points.

TESTIMONIALS
Available here: https://babygym.co.za/newborn-brain-essentials-testimonials/

JOIN US
Date: Saturday, 11 April 2026
Time: 09:00-13:00
Address: Online via Zoom
Cost: N$1450-00
Register before: Friday, 3 April 2025

TO REGISTER
1. Kindly complete the registration form here:
[email protected]" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://babygym.co.za/babygym-client-babygym-1/?date=11-04-2026&time=09:00%20AM&email=[email protected]

2. Once the registration form is received, banking details will follow. Your registration is confirmed as soon as your registration form and proof of payment have been received.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
https://babygym.co.za/babygym-terms-and-conditions/

If you have any questions, please reach out to:
Lourista 0811487982 or [email protected]

MASTERING MILESTONES
See the comments section below for where this developmental journey started.

SORTING
Sorting is the ability to match and group items according to their kind or class. It requires more than simply seeing — it requires understanding what you are looking at.

Sorting begins with objects and, years later, extends to figures, letters, and words. It forms an important foundation for spelling, writing, reading, and mathematics.

As a child approaches the more formal school years, they learn to group objects with the same characteristics into categories, for example:

• Cows, pigs, chickens, and geese are all...? Farm animals!
• Trucks, cars, aeroplanes, and motorbikes are all...? Modes of transport!
• On water, a feather...? Floats! While a stone...? Sinks!

When sorting becomes more complex, such as asking, “Which animals are born as babies and which hatch from eggs?”, it must be learned and practised. This type of sorting is called classification.

Activities such as threading and stacking support visual perception — the way the brain makes sense of what the eyes see. When a toddler or child sorts, threads, or stacks, it also strengthens eye–hand coordination, preparing the child for writing and reading in later years.

Would you like to support your baby’s natural brain and body development?

Follow the link below to find a BabyGym Instructor near you:

https://babygym.co.za/

MASTERING MILESTONES
See the comments section below for where this developmental journey started.

KISSES
Exactly when a baby will offer their first kiss depends largely on their primary role model. If you kiss your baby often and your baby enjoys the experience, they are likely to start imitating your kisses from around five months of age.

However, a toddler usually only spontaneously offers a kiss between 16 and 18 months.

Would you like to support your baby’s natural brain and body development?

Follow the link below to find a BabyGym Instructor near you:

https://babygym.co.za/

🎓 G R A D U A T I O N T I M E 🎓

Congratulations Kade, Leonardo, Liliana, Rylan & Yohvan! 🥰 ❤️

📸 Photography by Inamari

MASTERING MILESTONES
See the comments section below for where this developmental journey started.

BALL SKILLS
Playing with a ball seems effortless and fun, but when a toddler lacks fundamental gross motor skills, ball skills can be very tricky to master. Kicking, throwing, and catching are some of the most essential ball skills toddlers can playfully start to develop before the age of two.

BALL SKILLS FOLLOW NATURALLY WHEN THE DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES PRECEDING THIS PHASE ARE IN PLACE:

• Proprioception and body awareness
• Muscle tone
• Postural control
• Balance
• Eye-hand coordination
• Eye-foot coordination

KICKING
Kicking follows after walking. Once a toddler is a confident walker, they are ready to kick a ball. This usually happens around 14–15 months. After months of practice, a toddler will be ready to run towards a ball and kick it in stride, which is roughly around 18 months. With even more practice, a toddler will be able to kick a moving ball and participate in more active ball games. Even after mastering this skill, they will continue to refine it. Soon, the toddler will be able to kick a ball in a specific direction. This usually happens around two and a half years old.

THROWING & CATCHING
Throwing usually comes before catching. A baby typically starts to throw around the one-year mark, and after many months of developing coordination between the arms, legs, and eyes, catching follows. Many toddlers are only able to catch a ball while standing and maintaining their balance between 18 months and three years.

Would you like to support your baby’s natural brain and body development?

Follow the link below to find a BabyGym Instructor near you:

https://babygym.co.za/