Weekend classes for toddlers?
We have a 2.5-year-old boy with a lot of energy, and am wondering if anyone knows of good weekend classes or activities for this age. I'm thinking something more organized and directed than open play at Gymboree -- for example, we did parent/child swim lessons at the Emeryville pool this summer.
I heard about a gymnastics class on the UC campus, but does anybody have another good recommendation?
Aug 5, 2021
Parent Replies
We’ve started our almost-2-year-old in Sunday morning soccer “classes” at Bladium (in Alameda). The program is called Lil’ Kickers and is nationally franchised. I actually haven’t been to any of the sessions yet (the classes were a Father's Day “gift” for me-- ahem, I mean for my husband!), but from what I hear it’s a lot of training in following directions for group activities (stacking cones, parachute play, etc.) with some soccer thrown in. My son loves to kick a ball, and the class actually doesn’t have quite enough soccer for his liking, as he’s in the youngest age group, but I think the groupings for your son’s age range (“Thumpers” or “Cottontails”) have a fair bit more of that. Anyway, the weekend classes seem to fill up fast, but there are lots of sessions throughout the year.
In this time, I think outdoor is best. My kids are doing soccer - soccer shots etc. and that has been great. They have a 2-3 class.
My toddler who is 3 just finished a session with Soccer Shots, and I've signed her up to continue through November (Fall session). They are GREAT. High energy, kids get a workout, they don't pressure the kids to participate but know how to encourage them. Plus, she's starting to understand what teamwork means (hard in this socially distanced time). I realized this was a good class to teach her what working with other kids meant. She still struggles with this concept, but in my opinion, better than nothing. They have a few locations in the East Bay. We go to Cedar Rose Park, and all the coaches seem great.
They have classes on Sat/Sun.