Gymboree Play & Music, Upper East Side

Focus: S.T.E.A.M. learning with an interactive twist. Where they are: These mini-scientists are figuring out how the world works. They are curious and creative problem solvers who love to experiment with new ideas. What to expect in class: A multi-disciplinary class designed to introduce your child to engineering, design, art, and math. This S.T.E.A.M. inspired class is great for the young maker and thinker. It takes an active approach to school readiness and maintains our whole-child learning philosophy. Benefits: Physical: Little eyes, ears and hands are fully immersed in a sensory rich environment with curated materials selected to enhance sensory awareness and creative potential. Cognitive: Scientific thinking and experimentation provide children with the tools for creative problem solving. Social: Children build on the important social skills they’ll need for school, like peer collaboration, impulse control, independence, and confidence in a safe and nurturing environment.

Where they are: These babies are on the move! Crawling, cruising, rolling, sitting, ready to explore anything and everything. What to expect in class: We boogie down with our babies, get up and dance, give them baby massages, sing them songs, and explore new physical challenges every week through teacher-led activities on the equipment. Explore tummy time from a new perspective or on a new texture, slide down slides on soft lambskins, or take a ride in a gentle swing! Play as a group and socialize with others! Sing songs, learn a routine, and PLAY!

Where they are: All children benefit from a space to be creative. Children are eager to explore different mediums, textures, and ways to express themselves. What to expect in class: Sculpt with a giant block of clay, design a family tree, paint a mural or make a creation of your very own. Benefits: Physical: Working with different textures supports sensory input, fine motor, and gross motor skills. Cognitive: Creating your own work supports confidence and problem-solving skills. Social: Not only are children learning social skills by sharing a work space and creating with others, they are also able to express themselves through another outlet before they have the verbal capacity to do so. Adults: Get uninterrupted time with your little one; watch them create and play!

Where they are: Crawling, Walking, Running, or Exploring! Everyone is welcome! Participating in a diverse class of physical, social, and cognitive developmental skills creates a dynamic class, where younger children benefit from watching older children and older children benefit from being leaders. Great for siblings too! What to expect in class: More adventures come to life through imaginary play in this multi-age play class. A perfect opportunity for siblings to experience class together, or for children to practice more diverse social skills like leadership and peer modeling

These children are in the prime of PLAY! They are imagining, creating, and becoming independent learners. They are taking on new challenges, separating from their familiar adult and building the social skills needed for their preschool journey and beyond. What to expect in class: Engaging themes like outer space, animals, and bugs continue to foster imagination and allow adults and children to play together, building confidence and trust. Parent/child play time is followed by a gentle separation time where children are engaged by expert teachers in social activities and brain games like puzzles, playdough, and storytime. Class ends with celebration and the return of the adults, reminding children that adults always come back! Benefits: Physical: Children get ample time on our equipment, building gross motor skills, coordination, and balance. During separation time we will focus on fine motor skills, pre-writing skills, and dexterity (like threading a bead on a string). Cognitive: Problem-solving, reasoning, and play all support your child’s brain development during this class. Social: Practice social skills necessary for school readiness in a safe and playful way! Collaboration, turn-taking, and sharing are all practiced during our class with and without our adult guides. Adults: Get 30+ minutes of uninterrupted time to check emails, drink your coffee, or just sit and relax. We’ve got you covered! Know your child is getting prepared for their future in the best way possible!

What to expect in class: Sculpt with a giant block of clay, design a family tree, paint a mural or make a creation of your very own. Benefits: Physical: Working with different textures supports sensory input, fine motor, and gross motor skills. Cognitive: Creating your own work supports confidence and problem-solving skills. Social: Not only are children learning social skills by sharing a work space and creating with others, they are also able to express themselves through another outlet before they have the verbal capacity to do so. Adults: Get uninterrupted time with your little one; watch them create and play!

Where they are: These babies are on the move! Crawling, cruising, rolling, sitting, ready to explore anything and everything. What to expect in class: We boogie down with our babies, get up and dance, give them baby massages, sing them songs, and explore new physical challenges every week through teacher-led activities on the equipment. Explore tummy time from a new perspective or on a new texture, slide down slides on soft lambskins, or take a ride in a gentle swing! Play as a group and socialize with others! Sing songs, learn a routine, and PLAY! Benefits: Physical: Tummy time, crawling, and physical activity stimulate gross motor development, problem solving skills, and spatial awareness. Cognitive: Songs, rhymes, chants, and routines support language development, memory, and communication skills Social: Our classroom environment promotes social and emotional learning Adults: Learn ways to play with your busy crawler! Enjoy games and activities, you can repeat at home, chat with other caregivers, and get some uninterrupted time with your little one.

Where they are: Your little one is communicating, sharing opinions (probably mostly ‘no’), and showing interest in their first friends! They can do new things like walk backwards, jump, and balance on one foot. What to expect in class: Our play floor comes to life with trips to the grocery store, eating pizza, finding animals, and even bugs! We’ll use creativity and imagination in all activities. Throw a pretend party, imagine a wild trip to outer space, or pretend to be an ant in a bug’s world...we’ll transform our playscape into a whole new world! Benefits: Physical: Jumping, climbing, crawling, and dancing all support improved balance and coordination skills along with building strong muscles and bones. Cognitive: Playing in this class supports pretending and imagining, which benefits problem solving skills, communication, and creativity. Social: The classroom environment helps children prepare for school, learn how to be around other children and socialize. Adults: School is just a few years away, and in this class, you get to witness your child’s mind come to life and be part of their learning journey. They are only this little for so long, let’s enjoy the moments and play!

Where they are: Talk about being on the move! At this age, little ones’ abilities are exploding: they are communicating, running, showing interest in friends, and can’t stop exploring! What to expect in class: It’s all about opposites: loud and quiet, fast and slow, up and down! Contrasting ‘themes’ help your child learn better ways to communicate. We move across the bridge sllowwwly and then fast! They'll learn how to control body movements and use their body to navigate and problem solve across monkey bars, giant cushions, and through little tunnels. We’ll also practice repetition and routine with regular parachute and bubble activities. Soon your little one will be leading the Gymbo Dance! Benefits: Physical: Exploration of the different equipment supports problem solving, navigating skills, and confidence. Cognitive: Repetition, songs, and interacting with their familiar adult supports language development, vocabulary, and memory. Social: Our classroom environment supports social and emotional development. Adults: Need your little one to take a good nap? This class is high energy and full of fun. In fact- you might want to take a nap too!