The Power of Parks and Recreation Classes

Pretending to be firemen at Music with Spanish class.

Enrolling your child in the various classes offered by your local Parks and Recreation office is beneficial for both you and your child. First, if you stay at home it gets you out of the house (we don’t want you losing your sanity). They also offer the opportunity to meet moms in your area to hang out with—a god send if you don’t know anyone with kids your age. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, it gives your child a chance to be around other children his/her age to socialize with—while giving them the opportunity to hone in on some of their skills. Saturday classes are usually available as well, so if you are a working mother, you still get to reap the aforementioned benefits. Following are some of the best classes (for ages 0 – five, after that, they’re in Kindergarten) that my children have been in. Read on and then get out there and have fun! –Alex

Music–Best for 3 months to 4 years
The most popular music class is a franchise called Music Together. In the class, the teacher leads the group in singing, dancing, and movement (participation by everyone required). They almost always involve instruments which the children just love. I put that it’s best for ages three months to four years because both of my kids started when they were three months and they loved watching the kids dance around. Whenever I would play the CD at home, they would light up, recognizing the songs. We just completed a class in spring time and my son, who is three and a half just seemed a bit mature for it—he was the oldest in the class and tended to be a little bored. For the younger set located in Encinitas, check out this schedule of times- click here.

Music with Spanish–Best for 3 months to 4 years
I did this class repeatedly with my son from when he was three to six months old. He loved the musical aspects, but obviously didn’t get much Spanish influence. Chelsea’s daughter, who was two at the time, really got into the Spanish and would repeat phrases at home.

Introduction to Art– Best for 18 months to 2.5 years
These are the type of classes that offer a bunch of stations with different art projects (i.e. rubber stamping, paint with shaving cream, finger paints) to do at your child’s leisure. This class is great for those parents who want to give their kid a chance to be creative, but don’t want to deal with the mess. I liked it because my son has a small attention span, so he could go from project to project without having to wait for the rest of the class to finish. The number one favorite thing for each kid was the “pour” station; big tubs of dried lentils, beans and rice with different containers to pour them out of and into.

Refined Drawing–Best for 3 to 5 years
This is where your child learns about an art piece, and then uses the same methodology to create one of their own. Basically, he/she is creating a masterpiece from beginning to end—the majority of the time is spent working on it. I signed my son up for this class when he was a young two, and tried again closer to his third birthday. He didn’t have the attention span for it, which is why I put the best ages as older. If your child is precise and can sit and finish a task for 30 minutes, these classes are well worth it. We took Abrakadoodle—where they actually frame the piece and your child shows it off at the front of the class when done—which every child loved.

Parent and Me Gymnastics–Best for those learning to walk to 3 years
My son adored this class. He is full of energy, and this was a place where he could run, jump and tumble to his heart’s content. The class was unstructured, but there were instructors on hand to help your child learn, for example, how to do a somersault. Because there is a wide age range, if you have a little one, be prepared for the bigger kids to be running all around him/her. Though your child is young, they will enjoy it just as much.

Gymnastics–For 3 plus
In my city’s Parks and Recreation, once your child turns three, they have to move into the solo gymnastics. What this means is that the parents sit behind a glass window, while the kids are in the gym with the instructors. This is much more structured, and the emphasis is teaching your child the basics of gymnastics. Your child has to be okay to be on their own, and able to follow instructions.

Sing, Dance and Move Classes–Best for 3 – 5 years
These classes include a bit of everything—art, circle time, puppet shows, etc. They are great if you want to get the most bang for your buck, although you don’t spend too much time on one thing. They are also good for preschool readiness by starting with circle time—a skill that a child truly has to practice at.

Again, for Encinitas residents to find the class that suits you and your child, click here.

Have you and the kids taken a class that you all just loved? Let us know what it is by commenting below!

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