Benefits of the Tubee

Introducing Gymboree Play & Music’s famous Tubee!

This firm air-filled ring is used in our classes for tummy time, sitting in, jumping in and out, crawling through, and peek-a-boo!

The Benefits

• Sense of space

  • Developing a sense of space is a vital component for any baby or toddler so they can confidently move through their many milestones. Our Tubee is an excellent piece of equipment for this from birth to age five. It can be used in the early stages for sitting inside and feeling the space around them, we can then turn it on its side to create a tunnel, or for older ones use it to jump inside from a distance. Learning the size of the space will enable little ones to explore freely and succeed at completing different tasks!

• Body control

  • Body control is vital for all stages of life and to start from birth with developing this skill really will give your baby the best start in life. We help little ones develop their body control with tummy time, by placing baby on the edge and encouraging them to hold up their head. You can also place a toy inside it and encourage them to reach and grab. For our older ones they may lift the Tubee above their head or dive through the centre of it, both of these activities require the body control learnt at a younger age.

• Object permanence

  • Object permanence is the understanding that objects can continue to exist even when they are out if sight. A great example of this would be to show your little one a ball then place it inside the Tubee. The height of it will make it seem as if the ball has disappeared. The game can continue as your little ones begin to explore inside of the Tubee for what they can no longer see.

• Imagination

  • As your little one continues to grow throughout their Gymboree Play & Music journey we will start to work on building their imagination play.  The best bit of this is you get to play too, after all parents are always their favourite playmate! Our Tubee may be a watering hole in the jungle, a giant cup of tea to dunk our biscuits in, or even a bath tub! The possibilities are endless.

• Confidence

  • Confidence is one of the biggest and most important lessons we aim to teach at Gymboree Play & Music as it’s the foundation for your little one to always try new things. With a Tubee we can do this by sitting baby on the edge and bouncing them up high letting them feel the motion and be confident their grown-up has them safe. A toddler may throw a bean bag from a distance miss a few times but when they achieve it their confidence will grow.

• Sense of touch

  • Touch is such a vital part of little ones’ development. Little ones can touch the Tubee and feel the smooth vinyl cover, and how firm it is because it’s air-filled. We can use it to hold lots of different tactile objects and young babies placed around the edge can reach in and explore. With older ones we can ask them to distinguish the difference eg. fill it with hard playballs or spiky playballs, asking them to use their sense of touch to spot the difference.

• Depth perception

  • Depth perception is an important skill to learn in order to keep themselves safe, for example when identifying edges and drops. This will start by baby sitting inside the Tubee crawling through then eventually jumping in and knowing the depth is safe for them to do so.

• Upper body strength

  • This skill is vital for little ones to develop so they can at first crawl, pull themselves up, and roll over. Then to cruising around the edges of equipment before mastering tough tasks such as climbing to big heights or the monkey bars.  Little ones can use the edge of the Tubee to lift up their heads and for tummy time, then pushing off of it to stand. Older ones can work with a friend to roll it across the playfloor, build high in a tower, or even lift it above their heads!

That’s the end of this series, the Benefits of our Equipment, we hope you’ve found it useful and interesting. We’d love to hear about your little ones’ favourites in the comments below.  If you’re not already a member and have felt inspired to come along, get in touch with your local centre to find out more!

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