Ever since little R turned a year old, I have been searching for things to do with her to socialize her with other kids and keep her entertained. One of the things that was suggested to me was to take her to a mommy & me class. Well perfect timing, because I recently came across a promotion I saw on TV for a free preview class to Gymboree! I signed up online for a Level 3 – Play & Learn class for her age group and we were able to get into a class a few days later.
When we arrived, little R’s face lit up instantly. There were so many kids and so many sounds that she was just in awe. I had always worried that she might not be as socialized as she should be, considering she has no siblings – YET, and she stays at home with mom all day, but surprisingly, she seems to be a little social butterfly.
The first thing we did when we got there was have some free play. Little R got to explore all the equipment and there was a lot for her to do. There were steps and ladders to climb on, balls to throw, bouncy tubes to sit in. For as many kids as there were that day, there was enough for everyone to keep busy.
The staff was friendly and interacted with all the kids by talking to them and calling them by name. They encouraged them to complete activities and then praised them when they did.
After free play, everyone sat down in a circle on a large mat and the music activities started. The staff led the kids in song and dance, they blew bubbles and brought out Gimbo the clown hand puppet. We were able to let little R crawl around on the mat and interact with the other little kids for a while, which she loved. The class ended with the ‘Parachute Song’ where all the parents put the little ones in the middle of the mat, and then threw the parachute up and down on top of the kids. If I had to guess, that was probably R’s favorite part of the class.
After class, the staff members wanted to talk to us and find out what we thought of the class and asked if we were interested in purchasing a membership. Although we left not purchasing a membership that day, it’s something we are considering doing later, probably after baby #2 is here. R was exhausted by the end of the class and fell asleep as soon as she got into the car. That’s usually a pretty good indicator that she had a lot of fun.
The free class offer is still going on until 7/14 and you can sign up here for one in your area.
Have any of you been to a similar class before or have a membership to a place like this? What do you think about them?