Child Development

Play is the job of childhood. Children learn everything through play. Our child development classes provide the perfect balance of structure, music & activity in a playful environment for them to feel safe to explore and learn. Some of the benefits of our classes include:

Safety in Routine - Every class follows the same schedule week to week: Hellos, singing, parachute, play activity, book, bubbles, goodbyes. Research has shown that children thrive when they know what's coming next. With that secure base, they will feel safe to explore our new weekly developmental activity such as moon sand, pumpkin play dough and slimy spaghetti!
Music & Singing - Songs & rhymes help develop memory, cognition and language. In our circle time, we learn about words, rhythm, rhyming, even very early math skills (5 Little Monkeys!). We also stretch our muscles with lap bounces, jumping and movement songs.
Parachute Play - The parachute is everyone's favorite childhood memory. It is a wonderful tool for learning cooperation, spatial awareness and self-regulation as we lift and lower together, run underneath, and shake shake shake!
Sensory Play & Cognitive Development - We do a lot of sensory play in our studio so you don't have to make a mess at home! We want our babies and toddlers (who are in the sensorimotor stage of development) to be able to explore the different sensations of texture and colors. Through this hands-on exploration, they learn the shape and size of an object, process the feeling of sticky, sandy, gooey, bumpy and form new connections in the brain.
Arts & Crafts - Our beginning art activities are NOT about the final product (though we do have some take-home projects just for fun), but rather the process of your child creating something with her own hands. Through art, children realize that they have an impact on the world around them and can make something beautiful. Not to mention honing their fine motor-skills as they grasp the crayon, un-stick the sticker and cut the play-dough.
Motor Skills - In addition to our movement songs, we have gross motor days when the children can climb on foam blocks, crawl through tunnels, go up and down the slide and jump on our rodys. Their fine motor skills are developed through arts and craft days as well as sensory play as they grasp and manipulate materials.
Social Development - It's amazing to watch the transformation over the months as children go from solitary play (independently exploring the activity), to parallel play (playing next to each other), and finally to associative play & cooperative play as they enter the preschool years.. What better way to learn how to share than taking turns on the slide?
Language & Early Literacy - From our songs and story time, children absorb the English language.. You'll notice their receptive language skills emerge as we sing the clean up song (oh yes, they do it!) and those first "pleases" and "thank yous" as we hand out toys. We also use some sign language to help children learn to communicate before they can speak and ease the frustration of not being understood.
Experienced & Educated Teachers - Our early childhood teachers are highly educated in the fields of child development, child life, special education and even sleep! We're not just here to entertain, but to educate your children and support you on your journey of parenthood!

Classes:

Babytime (4-12mo)

In this first music class, we introduce babies to class structure, learn new songs, and make new friends. Sara will lead babies and caregivers in songs, gentle movements, stories, bubbles & baby-friendly play. A laid-back group intended to socialize and entertain babies as well as their adults! Bring a coffee (or let us make you some), and come ready to sing and play!
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Bouncing Bouys (9-15mo)

In this first activity class, we focus on sensory play, moving our bodies and learning about cause and effect. These months include some of the biggest developmental leaps we've seen yet. Watch them grow from crawlers to walkers to crazy climbers! Babbling becomes clear as we encourage first words and early literacy with our songs and stories. Children learn to scribble and point, identify body parts and toddle around without help. Parents learn simple sign language and chat about toddler-proofing the house, nap transitions and when your child says "no."
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Sunfish (15-24 mo)

We have toddlers now! This class focuses on these busy explorers learning to run and jump, and learning to control their bodies and their newfound independence. They learn how to handle their growing feelings and how to socialize and play with our friends. Parents about positive discipline, encouraging independent play, language development and why toddlers don't share.
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Little Skippers (2-3yrs)

Pretend play takes on new life as our toddlers' imaginations explode! Our children start to look forward to seeing their friends in class and play side by side while the younger "ones" learn how to move and play by imitating their older playmates.
At this age, our older toddlers are perfecting how to take direction and we are preparing them for preschool by learning classroom expectations and behavior. They are much more independent as they engage in our activities and parents have even more opportunity to connect with each other as their children play together.
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First Mates (6mo - 3yrs)

In these Mixed Age classes, we learn from each other! Our littlest ones learn more from watching the "big kids" than we can teach them. Babies learn language and motor skills by observing toddlers, and toddlers learn from babies too! Babies teach toddlers self control, how to control their bodies (watch out for the babies!), empathy, kindness and "sharing." These classes can be wild, but oh so much fun!
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MORE BENEFITS TO REGISTERING FOR A CLASS:

*FREE OPEN PLAY IMMEDIATELY BEFORE OR AFTER YOUR CLASS!*
*HALF PRICE FOR SIBLINGS IN THE SAME CLASS*
*MAKE-UPS FOR MISSED CLASSES (WITHIN THE CLASS SESSION*

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View our Drop-In Schedule for classes that are currently in session