I am looking for a class of some sort for my son who is 15 months. I am a stay at home mother & I am realizing now how important it is for my child to interact with other children and adults besides his family members. I am looking for some kind of music, dance, arts, ect. I have also been told about things like "mommies day out"??? Does anyone have an insight and/or take their young children to a group class? We live in the Lake Mary, Florida area and would like to find something fairly close. Thanks so much & your input will be greatly appreciated! : )
Thanks to everyone who helped me out and responded to my request. I have now joined parent education programs with my son & we both love it! It was one of the best decisions I could have made (for the both of us)! Thanks again!
If you are still looking for other ideas- You can look up information on Joyful Music and Dance Studios, I work there! They are in Lake Mary and offer a music and development program called Kindermusik. As children get older they offer art, dance, piano, guitar and violin lessons as well. They offer a free trial class. www.joyfulmusicanddance.com
Florida Hospital has great mommy & me classes, I have heard.
J.- I live in College Park, so I don't know much about Lake Mary, but the YMCA offers Mommy and Me classes where your child can play and interact not only with you but with other kids his age. I've heard that Rollins College has some good music classes for small kids. Another option might be Gymboree classes- check their website- but I'm not sure how much they cost. A lot of churches also offer "Mom's Day Out" programs, where your child can go play with other kids for a couple of mornings a week. My 22-month-old son started one in March, and it has done wonders for him. I was truly shocked at the difference it has made in him. He used to be very shy and timid and would cling to me whenever we were around other kids. Since he started "school", he has totally come out of his shell. Now he gets so excited to see other kids. When I say it's time for school, he says, "Shoes on? Ready 'cool?" He loves it. He did have a hard time at first with the initial separation from his mommy, but luckily his teachers were very nurturing and held him and distracted him with toys. It was very hard for me to leave him at first, but I told myself that this would hopefully be good for him, and it has turned out to be great. He's also started to sing along with me when we sing the ABC song and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and Old MacDonald, and he counts out loud with me up to 10. He never used to join in until he started school. Another idea: I belong to the MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support)- the Orlando North chapter, and it's been a wonderful thing for us. There are daily (or near-daily) activities for playgroups and places to meet so your child can play with other kids and you can socialize with other moms. The organizers try to make most of the events free or low-cost, with the exception of special field trips, like to Sea World. I LOVE the women in my chapter, so I invite you to check it out online (momsclub.org) , but you can also check to see if there's a chapter in Lake Mary. (The MOMS Club is an international organization.) I tried to check for you, but for some reason I couldn't access the page to find a chapter. One more thing: don't be disappointed if your son doesn't play WITH the other kids he meets. At this age kids tend to engage in what's known as "parallel play", where they play beside each other, not necessarily WITH each other. They generally aren't developmentally ready to play WITH other kids until they're closer to three or even four. But I believe they still get a lot out of watching other children and interacting with them. I hope this helps, and that you're enjoying your son as much as I am, in spite of the terrible twos hitting a little early! =)
I take my daughter to Gymboree and she loves it. I would highly recommend it. Just look it up on line. They have classes in Winter Park and in Metro West.
I work for the J Douglas Williams YMCA (I teach ballroom dancing there) and I can't say ENOUGH about the programs they have for the little kids. Sometimes I take my kids to the Y and let them hang out and play there while I go read by the pool. Childcare is included with the Y Family membership and they have neat activities - it's not just a drop 'em off and let 'em run wild situation. The people who work in childcare geniunely LOVE the kids. I've been a member at the Y in Lake Mary since 2004. I volunteered and then went on staff because I enjoyed being there so much. This month on February 29th there's a mommy and me sign language class that is free for members.
Hi there are a few things in Lake Mary!
WWW.Parenteducationprograms.com
Is amazing!! I did it with my son and we had an amazing time. When you call them tell them R. sent you!!
Also there is the seminole mom's group. email me at ____@____.com and I can get you the link.
Hope this helps!!
I have a 18 month old and I take her to Gymboree play and music. Its a bit pricey however you can go to their website (http://www.playandmusic.com/b2c/customer/previewClass.jsp... print out a coupon which makes your first visit free to see if you like it. My daughter loves it.
I am thinking about joining one of those mommy and me groups. Let me know if you find anything else out about them.
Good Luck
We have attended classes at Little Gym in the Colonial Town center on International Pky, Heathrow I believe..for almost a year now. My daughter is 17 months and really loves it. The parents are in the class with the child but they learn to take direction from the instructor, they also learn basic gymnastic and dance skills that are very age appropriate, (front rolls, bars, music, balls, bells) all kinds of fun stuff! Good luck, I agree it is very important!
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