FAIRMONT — A Tiny Tots Sports Camp for children ages 3-4 and their parents will take place at Fairmont Elementary School over the next few weeks.

The camp is being led by retired physical education teacher Deb Heinrich and sponsored by Fairmont Community Education & Recreation.

The camp was first offered in the spring of last year and was well-received with all 20 spots filled. This time around, an additional 10 spots were added.

Heinrich had gone to a similar camp with her grandson in Maple Grove, and that’s where she got the idea.

“I said I had to take this back to Roni (Dauer) at CER and guess what she said? ‘Do you want to teach it?’ And that’s OK because I really missed the teaching concept and it’s fun to be around the little ones and help them and help the parents understand these important things in their child’s development,” Heinrich said.

She said she teaches parents the importance and difference of brain development on the left and right sides of the body.

“The younger you start, the easier it will be for them to use both hands and both sides of their body,” Heinrich explained.

She taught for 35 years, including time as a high school and elementary school PE instructor.

“I love the older kids because they can do so much, but when the younger kids finally get it, the expression on their face is just priceless. They get so excited and that just keeps me going,” Heinrich said.

The camp will include 10 different stations focused on different skills, including juggling with colored scarves; underhand and overhand throwing; a basketball hoop; balance; rhythm; and tumbling.

“Each station works on a different skill developmentally for a 3- and 4-year-old. It’s great when the parents interact with their child and do some fun things. The interaction is really important,” Heinrich stressed, adding, “It’s really a parent-child interaction thing and I’m just supervising, going from station to station.”

Parents will be given a packet with information on physical development in preschoolers, the importance of hand-eye coordination, how to develop really simple skills and how to have fun.

The class will first meet Thursday, then March 5, then March 7 and then March 12, always from 6-7 p.m., at Fairmont Elementary School. Each class lasts about 45 minutes.

Another camp will be offered in a few weeks, with the dates being May 6, 8, 13, 15.

To register or receive more information on the camps and fees, call the CER office at (507) 235-3141.