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Pre-School Rules! Clubs & Classes for Pre-Schoolers We take a look at the kinds of activities you can find near you to keep your pre-schooler amused. By Sally J. Hall.
Arts and Crafts
Gymnastics
Music
There are lots of places to drop in to get involved in crafting with your kids. They can learn skills such as painting, gluing, cutting out and sticking and of course the art of adding glitter! Providers like The Creation Station let children get involved in creative play with their parents.
Indoor gym activities are good for rainy days and help with flexibility and strength. Look for classes suited for very young kids that show them how to roll, jump and use gym equipment in a safe and controlled environment. As they get older, they can start to take more serious classes and enrol for certificates like those run by the British Gymnastics Association (british-gymnastics.org).
From nursery rhyme sing-alongs in the local park or café to learning a simple instrument, teaching a very young child to love music will give them a lifelong gift.
Dance Teaching grace, strength and movement; dancing is a great form of exercise and can be enjoyed from a young age. Look for a class that is not too formal at first so that the emphasis is on play and enjoyment. If your child shows promise, they can go on to take Royal Academy of Dance certificates later on.
Football & Rugby Little ones can learn how to kick and control the ball, use gross motor skills and understand teamwork. Mini rugby is always gentle and does not involve contact and the skills and size of the pitches are suited to the kids’ ages. Look for a local club which may allow kids to go into more serious games as they grow.
Languages Children from bi-lingual families seem to cope well with two languages from a very early age. Even if you and your partner both speak English, you may want your child to learn a second language from an early age to stand them in good stead for their later education and also if you have family or a holiday home abroad. Find a small group or one-to-one sessions where your child has fun and plays games in a second language.
Swimming Learning to swim is a great and useful life skill and it seems that the younger you start, the less likely it is that your child will be nervous in water. Many local leisure centres run mother and baby swim sessions where you can start to teach your child how to gain confidence in the water.
Theatre It’s never too early to start treading the boards and there are lots of drama and acting clubs for even quite small kids. They teach about self expression working within a group and confidence. Sally J. Hall is a writer and editor who has written major parenting titles as well as The Independent and The Mail. She is author of Eco Baby and contributing author to Watch My Baby Grow (Dorling Kindersley).
Hartbeeps Award-Winning, Magical Musical Adventures
More Than Music at Jo Jingles
Hartbeeps delivers a unique blend of original music classes and mini productions to babies and children on the South Coast and New Forest areas, including Christchurch and New Milton.
Jo Jingles provides children with lots of fabulous fun, and whilst we don’t guarantee an “X Factor” star we do offer a wonderful musical experience for them to enjoy with their “grown-ups”.
Our music classes are specially designed to create innovative, multisensory and highly interactive productions by transforming everyday environments into colourful, tactile 'wonderlands' of imagination. We set the scene, tell the story and make magic happen! We offer classes for all ages under 5, stay and play sessions plus magical birthday parties and baby discos too!
But it’s not just about the music; our classes also encourage group interaction, help speech development, coordination and social skills. We have a different theme every week so the children are always excited to discover what Jo’s new musical adventure is going to be.
Find your nearest class at www.hartbeeps.com/south-coast or call 07907 862864 today.
familiesonline.co.uk
Parents tell us it’s their favourite weekly activity, as well as their children’s, so why not come along and join in the fun! Find your nearest class today at www.jojingles.com/poole
Families Dorset 11
