Gymboree Play & Music, Upper East Side

Where they are: (Newborns) Just getting comfortable being out of the house and beginning to explore! What to expect in class: You’ll learn a variety of ways to play with your newest little bundle of joy. Non-mobile babies are exposed to sensory play, songs, and the beginnings of social play. Meet like-minded parents while our expert teachers lead you through nurturing exercises and activities that stimulate your baby’s brain development. The first stepping stone to sparking a love of learning!

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!

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!

Free 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!

Learning through a progression from receptive to expressive musical behavior. What to expect in class: Experience music from all around the world-music from both past and present, near and far! From The Beatles to Bach! In Music 2, children will begin to experiment with ways to play musical instruments, accompany a song with rhythm, and act out lyrics through movements using both gross motor and fine motor skills. Children know so much about music at this stage, and are at the beginning stages of being able to express themselves musically!

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: We welcome all children, at all levels of development! Come explore our playscapes, for some unguided play time. What to expect in class: Children are given free range to explore the set-ups, with their adults within a hug’s reach. Let your child take the lead and run out some wiggles! Special Open Gym times will sometimes have extra activities like a no-mess art activity, a story-time or a surprise visit from Gymbo!

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!