How Music And Movement Build Confident Kids

Your kid doesn’t need another lecture about “being active” they need a reason to love moving. That’s why we sat down with Adrianne Pezzella of Fun2Be Fit Kids, a Sarasota County children’s fitness and education program built around music, play, and family connection. Her mission is to help kids see exercise as something they want to do, not something they have to do, and it starts as early as age one.

We talk through how her two class formats meet kids where they are: the Littles class (ages 1 to 5 with a caregiver) uses songs, dancing, instruments, rhythm sticks, and a beloved puppet, Spyro the Turtle, to make movement feel safe and fun. Then the Bigs class (ages 6 to 10) levels up with obstacle courses, fitness games, and team-building that develop coordination, balance, agility, strength, and confidence. Adrianne also shares why monthly themes matter, from moving like animals to “Eat a Rainbow Every Day,” blending kids fitness with simple nutrition lessons families can use at home.

Adrianne opens up about how her background in teaching showed her the power of music for learning, which led to her original songs, an album, and eventually the classes that have grown since 2008. We also get practical on how parents can find her through Instagram, Facebook, and her new YouTube channel, plus a monthly newsletter that shares themes, schedules, and songs ahead of time. You’ll also hear a moving story about a shy child who gradually found his voice and confidence through consistent, supportive class routines.

If you’re looking for kids activities in Sarasota, a family fitness class, or a kids workout that actually feels like play, hit follow, share this with a parent friend, and leave a review so more neighbors can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Virginia McConnell.

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live. Are you in need of a kids' fitness instructor? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Adrienne Pizzella with Fun2Be Fit Kids. How are you? Hi, Virginia. How are you? I'm doing well, thank you. Good, good. We're excited to hear about you and your business. Can you tell me more about your business?

A Kids Fitness Program That Feels Fun

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Yes, I can. So, Fun to Be Fit Kids is an exercise and educational program for young ones and their families. Basically, I want to instill a love of movement and learning while these kiddos are young. I want them to have fun doing it so that exercise becomes something that they want to do instead of something that they have to do. I have two types of classes. So the first one is a littles class, and that's for ages one to five with a caregiver. They come to class and we sing and we dance and we have a parade with instruments and we use rhythm sticks, and we have a very famous puppet. His name is Spyro the Turtle. He has his own special song, and everybody loves to come sing with Spyro and show him some cool exercise moves. He comes to every class. Then we also have a Biggs class, and that is for ages six to 10. And that class is focused on building coordination and confidence, balance, agility, strength. And we do that through things like obstacle courses, team building exercises, and some fitness games. And so every month I will change the theme of class. So for instance, this month is I love animals. So the curriculum for both my Littles and Biggs classes is based around animals. So we're going to be moving like animals this month. In January, we do a theme called Eat a Rainbow Every Day. So not only are we learning to move our bodies and make our bodies healthy by movement, but we're learning how to make our bodies healthy by eating the right foods. So yeah, every month is a different theme.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

That's so fun. I love this. This is this is really cool because if you're teaching them at a young age and you know, this is just part of their routine and what they're doing, you know, they're gonna be healthy adults and they're gonna be so much more prepared than a lot of other, you know. So that's so cool. I love it. How did you get into this?

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Yeah, how did you get into this

How Music Sparked The Business

SPEAKER_01 2:48

business? Um, so I never thought I was gonna be a business owner, never crossed my mind. But I have always loved fitness and education and music. And when I when my girls were little, when I first became a mama, I went to get my master's degree in teaching. And it was during that time that I truly learned how powerful music was when learning new concepts. Every concept I would try to teach the kids, I would put to a song and they remember it. It's just like when we listen to the radio and we can recall the music, uh, the lyrics to the music that we hear. Um, so after I came up with some songs, I decided to release an album, my first album, which was called Fun to Be Fit. And um, I was taking Stroller Fit classes at the time, and some of the other moms suggested, why don't you start teaching classes with your music? And I thought, you know what? That's not a bad idea. And so that's how Fun to Be Fit Kids was born. Um, in fact, we had our first class at the Learning Express Toys um in the UTC area back in 2008, and it's just grown ever since.

Marketing With Social Media And YouTube

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Wow, super cool.

SPEAKER_02 3:59

Yeah. So we know marketing is a heart of every business. How do you attract your customers, your kids?

SPEAKER_01 4:09

So we have a Facebook page, we have an Instagram page, and we also started a YouTube channel in January, which is pretty exciting. Um, so you can go on there and find our information, you can find our classes, you can see what we're doing. Um, and of course, if you can't come to class, then you can just turn on YouTube and sing and dance with us at home. Um, we also have a newsletter that I send out once a month, and in that newsletter, it gives you the theme for the month, it gives you the class schedule, um, the songs that we're going to be singing, so you can listen to them before you come to class, so you can be familiar with them. And then if we have anything new and exciting going on, like we just released a new YouTube channel, that's also in the newsletter. So if you want to be a part of that newsletter, you can just send me a message on either Instagram or Facebook, and I will connect with you and set you up.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

Awesome. Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast? Never, but maybe I just might now.

Fitness Lifestyle And Favorite Hobbies

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Okay, so um, outside of work, what do you do for fun?

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Um, so exercise is not just part of my work, but it is a lifestyle for me, and I truly enjoy exercising. Um, right now I'm in CrossFit. I love doing kettlebell work, I do yoga, um, I do breath work. So I am constantly learning about new ways to strengthen my body and to um just be healthy. I want to be that 85-year-old grandma who can still run around with her grandkids. So um it's definitely a passion of mine. Um, I also love to scuba dive, um, which is kind of something different. I love being under the water and experiencing an entire new world while you're down there. Um, I enjoy playing the piano. Uh, I enjoy reading and I love to dance. And I also have a dog, so I love training my dog.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

Oh, so fun.

A Shy Kid Finds His Voice

SPEAKER_02 6:08

Okay, Adrienne, can you please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about fun to be fit kids?

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Yes. Um now that I've been doing this for about 18 years, I can truly tell you that it is a passion of mine. And through all the hundreds of kids that I have worked with, I have seen incredible growth. Um, I've also seen wonderful friendships form between the families that come to classes. One of my favorite stories to tell is I had a little boy named Matthew who is now an adult, and I still get Christmas cards every year from his family, which is wonderful. But um, he started class when he was one, and he was so super shy and didn't even want to look at me and just would sit in mom's lap and just very, very quiet, didn't even want to be there. And um, mom was a little discouraged, but I continued to encourage her, bring him to class. You'll see, he'll come out of his shell. And she did. She kept bringing him every single week. And slowly but surely, Matthew started to communicate to me using a stuffed animal. So I always have stuffed animals in class. That way the kids can hold on to one and they feel comfortable moving and dancing with that stuffed animal. So I could communicate to Matthew through the stuffed animal. He would give me a high five through the stuffed animal, or he would nod his head by using the stuffed animal. And by the time Matthew graduated our Littles class, he was five years old. Um, he was standing up next to me teaching class with me. So this little boy grew in that four years from being so shy and so quiet and not wanting to participate to coming out of his shell and building that confidence and standing up next to me teaching class. It's it's one of my favorite stories.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Oh, you were making such an impact. I love it so much. I love it.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Thank you. Thank you.

How To Find Classes And Nominate

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Yes. Can you can you tell our listeners one more time how they can learn more about Fun to Be Fit Kids?

SPEAKER_01 8:08

Yes. So go online and look up Fun to Be Fit Kids on YouTube, on Facebook, or on Instagram. I also teach classes at the local libraries in Sarasota County. So you can go on the Sarasota County Libraries events calendar and you can find my classes through there. Um feel free to message me on any of those social media platforms, and I will reach back out to you and get you connected with our newsletter.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

Awesome. All right. Well, Adrienne I really appreciate you being on the show, and we wish you and your business the best moving forward. Thank you. Thanks for having me. This was fun.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpsarasota.com. That's gnpsarasota.com or call nine four one five four nine one eight six five.