Looking for Activities for Young Children

Welcome to the area. I belong to a parents group called Parents Who Care (www.parentswhocare.org). It was a lifesaver when I had my first son.
It's run by volunteers who organize weekly playgroups and other activities. We host an Open Gym at the Hoffman Estates Park and Ice Arena (1645 W Higgins). It's every Monday from 10:30 to 11:45, costs only $1.50 per walking child and is open to the public. It's a great way to meet other moms and to let the kids run around, especially in the winter.
Hope this helps.
C.

Hi J.,
Welcome to Illinois! My 3 year old daughter has been taking classes at The Little Gym in Schaumburg since she turned 1. She absolutely loves it. I'm not sure where in Elgin you live, but it shouldn't be that far from you. The address is 540 E. Golf Rd.
###-###-####
www.TLGSchaumburgIL.com
It is kind of pricey (in my opinion), but I ask my parents to give classes for birthdays, holidays, etc... instead of toys. Good luck.
N.

I live in the Elgin area and have a 14 month old son. I would say the best things in this area to do are all with the park district. The Elgin Park District just has a ton of things for kids and moms to do. Swimming lessons, open swim with a really nice kiddie pool play area. And the Elgin library also has story hours for kids and parents all through out the week, you can just pick up a pamphlet from the children's section of the library.
Hope that helps!

Hello! When my daughter was old enough to interact with other babies, I found at group called The North Suburban Stay At Home Moms Meetup. They post tons of events in different areas, both free and inexpensive. The other moms even organize playgroups among the themselves. It's definitely worth checking out - though you will have to fill out a little info about yourself and submit your email address. http://sahm.meetup.com/99/

Good Luck

J.,
Sorry, I don't know of any activities, since I am new here too. My husband and I just moved here, and we are originally from Nebraska. Small world. Someone did tell me, they have some programs at the library in Dundee. Might be worth looking into.

I take my 22 mo. old to gymnastics in Elgin. Right off of McLean and Big Timber. It's called Spring Hill Gymnastics. I think they take kids at 14 months. I also take her to the swim classes at the YMCA in Elgin - off of McLean. My daughter loves both!

Have you tried the Elgin park district?

Hi there,
I used to live in Elgin about a year ago and did some fun stuff with my boys at the YMCA On Larkin and Mclean. They especially liked swimming. The rec center is fun too. We also did the reading programs at the fabulous library. Enjoy!

You might want to check out parents as teachers. It's a group that runs weekly playgroups. It's a great way to meet other mom's too. I know that they meet in Elgin because I used to take my girls there when they were littler. Here is the website: http://www.parentsasteachers.org/site/pp.asp?c=ekIRLcMZJx...